Luke 1 68

Luke 1:68 kjv

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

Luke 1:68 nkjv

"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,

Luke 1:68 niv

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

Luke 1:68 esv

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

Luke 1:68 nlt

"Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.

Luke 1 verses

Luke 1 68 Meaning

Luke 1:68 proclaims Zechariah's Spirit-inspired praise to God for His active intervention and fulfillment of ancient promises to His people, Israel. It celebrates God's purposeful "visitation" through the forthcoming Messiah and the accomplished act of "redemption," signifying deliverance from spiritual bondage and the oppression of enemies, in line with His faithful covenant.

Luke 1 68 Context

Luke 1:68 is part of Zechariah's prophecy, known as the Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79). This prophecy immediately follows the birth of John the Baptist, after Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, regains his speech. The wider context includes the announcements to Mary (Luke 1:26-38) and Zechariah himself (Luke 1:5-25), highlighting God's direct intervention in human affairs and the fulfillment of ancient prophecies regarding the coming of both the Messiah's forerunner and the Messiah Himself. The immediate historical and cultural backdrop is one of Jewish people under Roman occupation, eagerly awaiting a deliverer, often understood in military-political terms. Zechariah's hymn praises God for initiating a profound deliverance that, while holding implications for national restoration, primarily addresses spiritual redemption and the fulfillment of God's covenantal promises.

Luke 1 68 Word analysis

• Blessed (εὐλογητὸς, eulogētos): Not simply "happy," but "praise be to." It's an adjective meaning "worthy of praise" or "to be praised," directed towards God. This contrasts with eulogēmenos, which is typically used for a person receiving blessings. It acknowledges God as the source of all blessing and worthy of ultimate adoration.
• be (ἐγέγεγνηται, egégenētai - implicit, but implied by the construction): This structure in Greek "eulogētos Kyrios" means "praised be the Lord," a common doxological form. It assumes God's inherent praise-worthiness.
• the Lord (Κύριος, Kyrios): This is the Greek equivalent for the divine name Yahweh (YHWH) in the Old Testament, denoting the covenant God of Israel. It emphasizes His supreme authority and ownership.
• God (Θεὸς, Theos): The generic term for Deity, but here, linked with "Kyrios," refers specifically to the one true God.
• of Israel (Ἰσραήλ, Israēl): This specific designation roots the prophecy firmly in the covenant history between God and His chosen people, emphasizing God's unique relationship with them and His faithfulness to ancestral promises. It recalls the lineage and promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• for (ὅτι, hoti): A conjunction indicating the reason or cause for the praise. The actions that follow are the basis for God's blessedness.
• he has visited (ἐπεσκέψατο, epeskepsato): From the verb episkeptomai, meaning "to visit, look upon, inspect, care for, look after, provide for, intervene." The aorist tense (simple past) indicates a completed action in God's eyes, yet in time, it signifies a decisive, purposeful, and saving divine intervention already inaugurated, namely through the Incarnation of Jesus, though Zechariah is speaking before Jesus’ birth. It is a saving and delivering visitation, not just a casual one.
• and (καὶ, kai): Connects the two aspects of God's intervention – His visitation and His act of redemption.
• redeemed (ἐποίησεν λύτρωσιν, epoiēsen lytrōsin): This phrase translates literally as "has wrought (made) redemption."
  • ἐποίησεν (epoiēsen): Aorist indicative active of poieō, "to make, do, accomplish, effect." It signifies a definite and completed action.
  • λύτρωσιν (lytrōsin): "Redemption, deliverance, liberation, ransom." This term strongly echoes the Exodus narrative, where God "redeemed" Israel from slavery in Egypt. Here, it refers to a deeper, more profound deliverance from sin and spiritual bondage, although for Zechariah's audience, it would also evoke hopes for political liberation from Roman oppression. It implies a cost or payment, foreshadowing Christ's sacrifice.
• his people (τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, tō laō autou): Refers primarily to the physical nation of Israel, the recipients of God's covenant promises. In the broader New Testament understanding, "His people" expands to include all who believe in Christ, drawn from every nation, who are part of the new covenant community, inheriting the promises spiritually.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel": This phrase serves as a doxology, a formal expression of praise to God. It highlights God's specific identity as the covenant-keeping God who has historically acted on behalf of Israel. It sets the tone for a hymn acknowledging divine action in salvation history. This aligns with many Old Testament expressions of praise and trust in Yahweh.
• "for he has visited": The "for" indicates the reason for praise. The concept of God "visiting" (episképtomai) is deeply significant. It implies divine presence and active engagement in the world, often with an intent to provide help, healing, or salvation. In the New Testament, Jesus' arrival is the supreme visitation of God's grace and presence among His people. It counteracts any notion of a distant or inactive God.
• "and redeemed his people": The redemption (lytrōsis) signifies a powerful act of deliverance, mirroring the Exodus from Egyptian bondage but extending to a liberation from sin and darkness, fulfilled definitively through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. For the original Jewish audience, this would carry hopes of release from foreign oppression. Zechariah's prophecy points to the ultimate, spiritual freedom that only God can provide, transcending mere political deliverance, yet encompassing it as God's rule comes. This pairing emphasizes God's purposeful arrival and the saving action He performed.

Luke 1 68 Bonus section

The phrase "Blessed be the Lord" (eulogētos Kyrios) is a standard liturgical acclamation throughout the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Psa 72:18, Psa 106:48), now applied to the new work God is accomplishing. This links the Messianic advent directly to the long history of God's faithful action for Israel. The aorist tenses ("he has visited," "he has made redemption") indicate that Zechariah is speaking of an accomplished fact in God’s redemptive plan, though chronologically, it is yet to be fully manifested through Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection. This prophetic perfect view highlights the certainty and divine nature of the salvation unfolding. This verse, therefore, encapsulates the core of God’s redemptive activity, past, present, and future, focused on His covenant people. It also indirectly polemicizes against any belief that God had forgotten His people or that salvation depended on human effort, instead declaring God's sovereign and immediate intervention.

Luke 1 68 Commentary

Luke 1:68 serves as the opening declaration of Zechariah's magnificent prophetic hymn, the Benedictus. It's a spontaneous outburst of praise from a man recently mute due to unbelief, now filled with the Holy Spirit and insight. The praise is directed at "the Lord God of Israel," reinforcing His identity as the faithful, covenant-keeping Deity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The reason for this overflowing gratitude is twofold: God's "visitation" and His act of "redemption."

The "visitation" points to the imminent advent of Jesus Christ, a divine intervention unlike any other in history, where God Himself comes among humanity. It signifies God’s direct, loving, and salvific attention to His people after centuries of perceived silence. The "redemption" is the grand result of this visitation. It invokes the powerful memory of the Exodus deliverance from Egyptian slavery, but Zechariah, inspired by the Spirit, is speaking of an even greater freedom: liberation from the ultimate bondages of sin, death, and spiritual darkness. While it resonates with Jewish expectations of national deliverance from Roman rule, the subsequent verses of the Benedictus clarify that this redemption’s core is the forgiveness of sins, preparing a people for God's holy presence (Luke 1:77-79). Thus, this verse lays the theological foundation for understanding Jesus' mission as primarily a divine act of saving grace, initiated by God's faithfulness and fulfilled through Christ's redemptive work. It teaches that salvation is a sovereign work of God, who actively intervenes in human history to fulfill His eternal purposes.