Luke 1:46–53
Mary sings that God brings down the mighty and lifts up the lowly
Study it word by word46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,
48for he has looked upon the lowliness of his slave. For look, from now on all generations will call me happy,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50And his mercy is for generation after generation to those who fear him.
51He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their heart;
52he has brought down rulers from thrones and exalted the lowly;
53the hungry he has filled with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
In its context
44For look, when the sound of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in joy in my womb.
45And happy is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
…
54He has helped Israel his servant, remembering mercy,
55just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Its words in the original
- εἶπενeipen· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- ΜαριάμMariam· Mary
Mary, the name of several women in the New Testament: Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and others.
- ΜεγαλύνειMegalynei· magnify, praise
Make great, enlarge; also praise, exalt.
- ψυχήpsychē· soul, life
Soul: a person's life, the person himself.
- κύριονkyrion· Lord, lord
Lord, master, owner. Said of God, the Lord; in Old Testament quotations it stands for the name YHWH.
- ἠγαλλίασενēgalliasen· rejoice greatly
Leap for joy, rejoice greatly.
- πνεῦμάpneuma· spirit, Spirit
Spirit; also wind and breath. With "holy", the Holy Spirit of God.
- θεῷtheōi· God, god
God. In the plural or in another sense, "gods".
- σωτῆρίsōtēri· Savior
Savior.
- ἐπέβλεψενepeblepsen· look on
Look on, look with care; look on with favor.
- ταπείνωσινtapeinōsin· humble state
Humble state, lowliness, humiliation.
- δούληςdoulēs· slave woman
Slave woman, female slave.
- μακαριοῦσίνmakariousin· call blessed
Call blessed, call fortunate.
- γενεαίgeneai· generation
Generation: the people born around the same time, or each step from parent to child in a family.
- ἐποίησένepoiēsen· do, make
Do, make, produce.
- μεγάλαmegala· great
Great, large.
- δυνατόςdynatos· possible, powerful
Possible; also strong, powerful, able.
- ἅγιονhagion· holy
Holy: set apart for God, pure, belonging to him.
- ὄνομαonoma· name
Name. In the Bible, a name stands for the person himself.
- ἔλεοςeleos· mercy
Mercy: compassion that acts.
- φοβουμένοιςphoboumenois· fear, be afraid
Fear, be afraid; also show reverent respect.
- κράτοςkratos· power, might
Power, might, strength; a mighty deed.
- βραχίονιbrachioni· arm
Arm.
- διεσκόρπισενdieskorpisen· scatter
Scatter, disperse.
- ὑπερηφάνουςhyperēphanous· arrogant, proud
Arrogant, proud: setting oneself above others.
- διανοίᾳdianoiai· mind, understanding
Mind, understanding.
- καρδίαςkardias· heart
Heart: the center of the person, where one thinks, feels and decides.
- καθεῖλενkatheilen· take down
Take down; also tear down.
- δυνάσταςdynastas· ruler
Ruler, powerful one; an official of high rank.
- θρόνωνthronōn· throne
Throne: the seat of a king or a judge; hence royal power.
- ὕψωσενhypsōsen· lift up
Lift up, raise high; exalt.
- ταπεινούςtapeinous· humble, lowly
Humble, lowly, of low position.
- πεινῶνταςpeinōntas· be hungry
Be hungry; also long for something.
- ἐνέπλησενeneplēsen· fill
Fill, fill up.
- ἀγαθῶνagathōn· good
Good.
- πλουτοῦνταςploutountas· be rich
Be rich, become rich.
- ἐξαπέστειλενexapesteilen· send out
Send out, send away.
- κενούςkenous· empty, in vain
Empty; empty-handed; vain, without result.