My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,
et exsultávit spíritus meus
in Deo salvatóre meo,
quia respéxit humilitátem
ancíllæ suæ.
Ecce enim ex hoc beátam
me dicent omnes generatiónes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericórdia eius in progénies
et progénies timéntibus eum.
Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,
dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;
depósuit poténtes de sede
et exaltávit húmiles.
Esuriéntes implévit bonis
et dívites dimísit inánes.
Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,
recordátus misericórdiæ,
sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,
Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.
Glória Patri et Fílio
et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio,
et nunc et semper,
et in sæcula sæculórum.
Amen.
Mary was a good Jewish girl, that knew her bible...
A. Inclusions from 1 Samuel 2
There are five inclusions from 1 Samuel 2, Hannah’s Song.
Mary: My soul glorifies the Lord (Luke 1:46)
Hannah: My heart rejoices in the LORD (1 Sam. 2:1)
Mary: ... my spirit rejoices in God my Savior (Luke 1:47)
Hannah: for I delight in your deliverance. (1 Sam. 2:1)
Mary: ... holy is his name. (Luke 1:49)
Hannah: There is no one holy like the LORD ... (1 Sam. 2:2)
Mary: He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. (Luke 1:52)
Hannah: The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor... (1 Sam.2:7,8 cf. Ps. 113:7,8)
Mary: He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:53)
Hannah: Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more... (1 Sam.2:5)
Another parallel, not as direct as the others, is Mary’s statement, “he has scattered those who are proud,” (Luke 1:51) with Hannah’s statement, “... those who oppose the LORD will be shattered.” (1 Sam. 2:10)
Briefly, these inclusions are fairly exact in underlying meaning and intent. Some of them are a little hard to identify as quotations due to changes in language. But I think that there is enough here to suggest that Mary identified herself with this great woman of Israel’s history as one to whom the LORD had shown special favor. She knew this in her own case, “... From now on all generations will call me blessed....” (Luke 1:48)
B. Inclusions from other sources
There is another inclusion from the story of Hannah, in an earlier statement, in Hannah’s vow.
Mary: ... for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. (Luke 1:48)
Hannah: ... if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me... (1 Sam. 1:11)
There are two other inclusions worth mentioning from other parts of the Bible, a psalm and the prophet Isaiah..
Mary: His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. (Luke 1:50)
Psalmist: But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children ... (Psalms 103:17; cf. Isa. 51:8)
Mary: He has helped his servant Israel... (Luke 1:54)
Isaiah: “But you, O Israel, my servant... I myself will help you,” declares the LORD. (Isa. 41:8,14)
The latter note is struck many times in the Old Testament, the Isaiah passage being only one of them. So is the former, exemplified in Psalm 103.
Contrasts: One immediate contrast is that Hannah spoke of the king at the end, while Mary went back to the promise made to Abraham. Hannah concentrated on the militant power of the LORD in 1 Sam. 2:4-7,9,10. Mary, by contrast, concentrated on the mercy of the Lord in Luke 1:50, returning to that theme in Luke 1:53-55.
IV. Conclusions
From the parallels we have set out, one gains a sense of striking kinship between these songs composed 1100 years apart. The quotations or inclusions create an indelible connection between them. Beyond these, we ask,
http://www.cqod.com/QBS/QBS12.html