Luke 1:47 kjv
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Luke 1:47 nkjv
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
Luke 1:47 niv
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Luke 1:47 esv
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Luke 1:47 nlt
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
Luke 1 47 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Hab 3:18 | "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." | Prophetic joy in God as Savior. |
| Ps 35:9 | "Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord, exulting in his salvation." | Soul rejoicing in God's salvation. |
| Isa 25:9 | "It will be said on that day, 'Behold, this is our God... we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation.'" | Rejoicing in God's saving power. |
| Ps 9:2 | "I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." | Gladness and exultation in God. |
| Ps 16:9 | "Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices..." | Joy in the whole being, security in God. |
| Ps 149:2 | "Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King!" | Joy in the Creator King. |
| Ps 28:7 | "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts... my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." | Heart's exultation and trust in God. |
| Ps 13:5 | "But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation." | Trusting in God's love leads to rejoicing in salvation. |
| Ps 21:1 | "In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord, and in your salvation how greatly he exults!" | King's great exultation in God's salvation. |
| Ps 40:16 | "May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you..." | All seekers finding joy and gladness in God. |
| Ps 70:4 | "May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say evermore, 'God is great!'" | Love for salvation prompts praising God's greatness. |
| 1 Sam 2:1 | "My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord..." | Hannah's prayer, a strong precursor to Mary's Magnificat. |
| Lk 1:46 | "My soul magnifies the Lord..." | Precedes Lk 1:47, showcasing Mary's holistic praise. |
| Lk 1:48 | "For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." | Explains her humility and God's gracious choice. |
| Lk 1:49 | "For he who is mighty has done great things for me..." | Acknowledges God's powerful acts in her life. |
| Lk 1:50 | "And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation." | God's enduring mercy for the reverent. |
| Tit 2:13 | "...awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ," | Identifies Jesus as God and Savior. |
| 1 Tim 1:1 | "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope," | God the Father is also called Savior. |
| Jude 1:25 | "to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." | Direct declaration of God as our only Savior. |
| Acts 4:12 | "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." | The uniqueness of the Savior for all humanity. |
| Rom 3:23 | "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," | Implies the universal human need for a Savior. |
| Eph 2:8-9 | "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God..." | Salvation is a gift from God, received by faith. |
Luke 1 verses
Luke 1 47 Meaning
Luke 1:47 expresses the heartfelt exultation of Mary's deepest spiritual core. Her entire being rejoices with a profound, vibrant joy rooted firmly in God, whom she personally recognizes and reveres as her own divine Savior. This verse encapsulates her awe and gratitude for God's redemptive work, signifying her understanding that even she, a favored vessel, required divine salvation.
Luke 1 47 Context
Luke 1:47 is a core statement within Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), a powerful canticle of praise spoken during her visit to Elizabeth. This hymn flows immediately from Elizabeth's Holy Spirit-inspired greeting, acknowledging Mary as "blessed among women" and the mother of her Lord (Luke 1:42-45). Mary, having just received the momentous angelic announcement of Jesus' conception (Luke 1:26-38), is filled with profound spiritual revelation.
Historically and culturally, Mary's praise aligns with the Old Testament prophetic tradition, particularly Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 2. This context shows a deep Jewish understanding of God as the ultimate deliverer, not only politically but also spiritually. For Mary, a humble young Jewish woman living under Roman occupation, to declare God as "my Savior" highlights her profound theological insight and personal recognition of her own need for spiritual salvation. It contrasts subtly with the popular notion of human leaders or Roman emperors as "savior" figures, asserting God's exclusive claim to this title. Her exultation reflects a fulfillment of Israel's long-held hope for a deliverer, yet personalized and applied to her own condition.
Luke 1 47 Word analysis
- And (καί - kai): A simple conjunction linking this statement to the preceding one ("My soul magnifies the Lord"), indicating that Mary's entire inner being is engaged in this holistic expression of worship—her soul glorifies, and her spirit rejoices.
- my spirit (τὸ πνεῦμά μου - to pneuma mou):
- Pneuma signifies the innermost, deepest part of a person, often regarded as the seat of divine influence, intuition, and communion with God. While sometimes used interchangeably with "soul" (psyche), here its inclusion suggests that Mary's joy originates from the most profound spiritual essence of her being, a response initiated and filled by the Holy Spirit (as indicated in Lk 1:41 and the narrative context). It points to a divine encounter that animates her inner life.
- has rejoiced (ἠγαλλίασεν - ēgalliasen):
- This is the aorist indicative of agalliaō, meaning to exult, to leap for joy, to rejoice exceedingly. It conveys an intense, often demonstrative, and ecstatic joy that comes from deep within. This term is frequently used in the Septuagint (LXX) for rejoicing in God or His salvation (e.g., Ps 9:2, Ps 35:9). It indicates a powerful, complete, and reverberating burst of spiritual gladness, a spontaneous outpouring that has taken place and continues its effect.
- in God (ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ - epi tō Theō):
- Theos refers to God. Epi with the dative here denotes the object or ground of her rejoicing, indicating that God is the source, foundation, and recipient of her joy. Her exultation is not directed inward or toward external circumstances, but entirely centered on the Divine Being.
- my Savior (τῷ Σωτῆρί μου - tō Sōtēri mou):
- Sōtēr (Savior) is a significant term. In the Greek world, it could apply to gods, emperors, or heroes who preserved or delivered people. However, in biblical usage, it primarily refers to God as the deliverer from spiritual danger and sin. Mary's personal possessive "my" (mou) emphasizes her intimate, direct, and individual relationship with God as her personal rescuer. Her recognition of God as her Savior implicitly conveys her own understanding of humanity's (and thus her own) need for salvation from sin and its consequences, demonstrating profound humility and theological clarity. It confirms her place among all believers who acknowledge their need for divine grace.
Luke 1 47 Bonus section
The profound theological depth displayed by Mary in the Magnificat, particularly in verse 47, strongly echoes the prophetic and insightful expressions of Old Testament figures, most notably Hannah's prayer (1 Sam 2:1-10). This parallel underlines God's consistent way of interacting with and raising up the humble to accomplish His mighty works. Mary's choice of the title "my Savior" for God carries a polemical edge, contrasting with the imperial Roman tendency to deify emperors as "savior" figures. By calling God alone her Savior, she reaffirms strict monotheism and anchors her hope not in earthly rulers or human efforts, but solely in the divine. This specific declaration also presents a theological challenge to any later doctrines that might posit Mary's unique exemption from the need for a savior; her words confirm her solidarity with all humanity under sin, underscoring the universal need for God's saving grace.
Luke 1 47 Commentary
Luke 1:47 encapsulates Mary's profound and unbridled spiritual joy, sourced not from her extraordinary circumstances but from God Himself. Her spirit—the very core of her spiritual essence—exults with a profound gladness. The intensity of this "leaping joy" highlights that her response is divinely inspired, far surpassing mere human emotion. Crucially, this exultation is "in God, my Savior." Mary’s acknowledgment of God as "my Savior" is profoundly significant. It unequivocally demonstrates that she, like all humanity, recognized her own need for God’s saving grace. This truth refutes any notion that Mary was outside the universal need for redemption, powerfully affirming the Christian doctrine that salvation is exclusively through God and offered to all, irrespective of their unique roles in His plan. Mary's statement serves as a humble, theological blueprint for all believers: a personal recognition of sin and dependence on God as our ultimate Deliverer inevitably leads to overflowing spiritual joy and praise.