He has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.
Parallel Translations
-
He has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly.
-
He putteth doune the myghty from their seates and exalteth them of lowe degre.
-
Hee hath put downe the mighty from their seates, and exalted them of lowe degree.
Cross-references (13)
Passages linked to Luke 1:52 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Ezekiel 17:24 All the trees of the field will know that I, Yahweh, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree flourish. “ ‘I, Yahweh, have spoken and have done it.’ ”
- James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
- Psalms 107:40-41 He pours contempt on princes, and causes them to wander in a trackless waste. Yet he lifts the needy out of their affliction, and increases their families like a flock.
- 1 Samuel 2:6-8 “Yahweh kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and brings up. Yahweh makes poor and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up. He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill to make them sit with princes and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s. He has set the world on them.
- Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- Psalms 113:6-8 Who stoops down to see in heaven and in the earth? He raises up the poor out of the dust. Lifts up the needy from the ash heap, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
- Ecclesiastes 4:14 For out of prison he came out to be king; yes, even in his kingdom he was born poor.
- 1 Samuel 2:4 “The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
- Job 5:11-13 so that he sets up on high those who are low, those who mourn are exalted to safety. He frustrates the plans of the crafty, So that their hands can’t perform their enterprise. He takes the wise in their own craftiness; the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
- Amos 9:11 In that day I will raise up the tent of David who is fallen, and close up its breaches, and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old;
- James 1:9-10 But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position; and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.
- Job 34:24-28 He breaks mighty men in pieces in ways past finding out, and sets others in their place. Therefore he takes knowledge of their works. He overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed. He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others; because they turned away from following him, and wouldn’t pay attention to any of his ways, so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him. He heard the cry of the afflicted.
- Mark 6:3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were offended at him.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Such as none account is made of, and are…
Such as none account is made of, and are vile in men’s eyes, which are indeed the poor in spirit, that is, such as challenge nothing to themselves in the sight of God.
The mighty and rich men.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 52 He hath put down the mighty from their…
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Ver. 52. He hath put down the mighty] As he did Bajazet, the proud Turk, and set up Tamerlane, a Scythian shepherd; who said that he was sent from heaven to punish Bajazet’s rashness, and to teach him that the proud are hated of God, whose promise is to pluck down the mighty, and raise up the lowly.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain He hath put down the mighty from their seats,....…
He hath put down the mighty from their seats,.... As mighty kings and emperors from their thrones, as he often does, in the course of his providence; setting up one, and putting down another: or the mighty angels, from their seats of bliss and happiness in heaven; who rebelling against God, opposing the incarnation of Christ, taking it ill, that the human nature should be advanced above theirs, were cast down to hell; and are reserved in chains of darkness, to the judgment of the great day: or this may have respect to the putting down the monarchies and kingdoms of this world, by the kingdom of the Messiah to be set up; which, though at first was mean and despicable, like a stone cut out of a mountain, will increase, spread, and break in pieces, and destroy all other kingdoms:
and exalted them of low degree; as David to the throne of Israel, from the sheepfold, and following the ewes great with young; and now his house and family, which were sunk very low, by raising of his seed, of a poor virgin in his family, unto Israel, a Saviour Jesus; in whose days the poor had the Gospel preached, and received it: these were chosen and called: the great things of the Gospel were revealed to babes, and hid from the wise and prudent; and beggars were raised from the dunghill, to sit among princes, and to inherit the throne of glory: a method, which God in his infinite wisdom and grace has been pleased to take, more or less, in all ages of time; for not many mighty and noble are called by grace; but usually the foolish, the weak, and the base things of the world.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain He hath put down the mighty - Both angels…
He hath put down the mighty - Both angels and men.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 52. He hath put down the mighty from…
Verse 52. He hath put down the mighty from their seats] Or, He hath taken down potentates from their thrones. This probably alludes to the removal of Saul from the throne of Israel, and the establishment of the kingdom in the person and family of David. And as Mary spoke prophetically, this saying may also allude to the destruction of the kingdom of Satan and his allies, and the final prevalence of the kingdom of Christ.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Luk 1:52-56. He hath put down the mighty from…
Luk 1:52-56. He hath put down the mighty from their seats — The mighty think to secure themselves by might in their seats, but he puts them down and overturns their seats; while, on the other hand, those of low degree, who despaired of ever advancing themselves, and thought of nothing else but being very low, are wonderfully exalted. To apply this to the subject which gave occasion to this divine hymn: “The kings who sprang from David, had, no doubt, one after another expected to be the parents of the Messiah; and when the kingdom was taken from them, such of the royal progeny as were in the highest station, would reckon this their certain and high privilege. But now their hope was wholly overthrown. They were brought down by God from that height of dignity to which, in their own imagination, they had exalted themselves; and a person in the meanest condition of all the royal seed was raised to it.” He hath filled the hungry, &c. — “Both the poor and the rich are here represented as waiting at God’s gate in the condition of beggars, the rich in expectation of receiving the honour of giving birth to the Messiah; the poor in expectation, not of that blessing, but hoping for such small favours as suited their condition. While they wait in this state, God, by an exercise of his sovereignty, bestows the favour, so much courted by the rich, on a poor family, to its unspeakable satisfaction, and sends the rich away disappointed and discontented.” See Macknight, and notes on 1Sa 2:3-9. He hath holpen his servant Israel — Dr. Campbell reads this and the next verse, He supporteth Israel his servant, (as he promised to our fathers,) ever inclined to mercy toward Abraham and his race. The word αντελαβετο, here rendered he hath holpen, properly signifies, to interpose in favour of a person in great necessity or extreme danger; and also to hold by the hand, to sustain from falling, or to lift up when fallen, and so to afford aid or help; this he hath done, saith the virgin, in remembrance of his mercy; for then God is said signally to remember his people, when, after a long oppression, in which he seemed to have forgotten them, he works a mighty salvation for them, (see Psa 136:23.) And he did this, also, in pursuance of his promise made to our forefathers, to send the Messiah to be an everlasting blessing to all that should believe in him, and so become the seed of Abraham by faith. And Mary abode with her about three months — Till very near the time of her delivery; and returned to her own house — Having, to her unspeakable satisfaction and great comfort, found all things as the angel had told her; and soon after took a journey with Joseph to Bethlehem.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Hath put down the mighty - The “mighty” here…
Hath put down the mighty - The “mighty” here denotes princes, kings, or conquerors. See Isa 14:12-14.
Their seats - Their “thrones,” or the places where they sat in pomp and power.
Read full note →
Exalted them - Raised them up, or placed them in the seats of those who had been removed.
Low degree - Low or humble birth and condition in life. This probably has reference to the case of her ancestor David. Mary was celebrating the mercies of God to herself, to her family, and of course to her ancestors. It was natural to allude to that great event in their history when Saul was overcome in battle, and when David was taken from the sheepfold and placed on the throne. The origin of illustrious families is often obscure. People are often raised by industry, talent, and the favor of God, from very humble stations - from the farm or mechanic’s shop - to places of great trust in the church and state. They who are thus elevated, if imbued with right feelings, will not despise their former employments nor their former companions, nor will they esteem their parents or friends the less because they still remain in the same rank in life. No conduct is more odious and unchristian than to be ashamed of our birth or the humble circumstances of our friends.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 52. He hath put down the mighty from their…
52. He hath put down the mighty from their seats] Rather, He puts down potentates from thrones. The aorists throughout are gnomic, i. e. they do not express single but normal acts. The thought is common throughout the Bible, e. g. Luk_18:14; Dan_4:30; 1Sa_2:6-10; Psa_113:6-8; 1Co_1:26-29. The ancients noticed the fact (κύκλος τῶν ἀνθρωπηΐων ἐστὶ πρηγμάτων, Hdt. i. 207; “Irus et est subito qui modo Croesus erat,” Ov. Trist. iii. vii. 41) but did not draw the true lessons from it.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (52) The mighty.—The word (that from which we get…
(52) The mighty.—The word (that from which we get our English “dynasty”) is applied to the eunuch “of great authority” under Candace, in Act_8:27, and is used as a divine name in “the blessed and only Potentate” of 1Ti_6:15. Here it is used generally of all human rulers.
From their seats.—Better, their thrones, as the word is for the most part translated. (Comp. Mat_19:28, and in this very chapter, Luk_1:32.)
Read full note →
Of low degree.—The adjective is that from which the noun translated “low estate,” in Luk_1:48, had been formed.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 He has thrown down princes from their thrones
He has thrown down princes from their thrones
A throne is a chair that a ruler sits on, and it is a symbol of his authority. If a prince is brought down from his throne, it means he no longer has the authority to reign. AT: "He has taken away the authority of princes" or "He has made rulers stop ruling" (See: Synecdoche)
Read full note →
raised up those of low condition
In this word picture, people who are important are higher than people who are less important. AT: "has has made humble people important" or "has given honor to people whom others have not honored" (See: Metaphor)
of low condition
"in poverty." See how you translated this in Luke 1:48.
He has filled the hungry ... the rich he has sent away empty
The contrast between these two opposite actions should be made clear in the translation if possible.
filled the hungry with good things
Possible meanings are 1) "given the hungry good food to eat" or 2) "given the needy good things."
translationWords
prince
throne
raise
lowly
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.