Luke 1:79

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
light	ἐπιφᾶναι epiphanai	G2014	to shine upon · verb — aorist active infinitive
them	τοῖς tois	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — dative plural masculine
sit	καθημένοις, kathēmenois	G2521	and (to sit · verb — present middle or passive deponent participle, dative plural masculine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
darkness	σκότει skotei	G4655	shadiness · noun — dative singular neuter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
shadow	σκιᾷ skia	G4639	"shade" or a shadow (literally or figuratively (darknes… · noun — dative singular feminine
death	θανάτου thanatou	G2288	(properly · noun — genitive singular masculine
guide	κατευθῦναι kateuthunai	G2720	to straighten fully · verb — aorist active infinitive
our	ἡμῶν hēmōn	G2257	of (or from) us
feet	πόδας podas	G4228	a "foot" (figuratively or literally) · noun — accusative plural masculine
into	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
way	ὁδὸν hodon	G3598	a road · noun — accusative singular feminine
peace	εἰρήνης.¶ eirēnēs	G1515	peace (literally or figuratively) · noun — genitive singular feminine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shi…
Matthew 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins…
Isaiah 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Psalms 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the l…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 1:67–end

We have here the song wherewith Zacharias praised God when his mouth was opened; in it he is said to prophesy (Luk 1:67), and so he did in the strictest sense of prophesying; for he foretold things to come concerning the kingdom of the Messiah, to which all the prophets bear witness. Observe, I. How he was qualified for this: He was filled with the Holy Ghost, was endued with more than ordinary measures and degrees of it, for this purpose; he was divinely inspired. God not only forgave him his unbelief and distrust (which was signified by discharging him from the punishment of it), but, as a specimen of the abounding of grace towards believers, he filled him with the Holy Ghost, and put this…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 1:79

(Compare Isa 9:2; Mat 4:13-17). "That St. Luke, of all the Evangelists, should have obtained and recorded these inspired utterances of Zacharias and Mary--is in accordance with his character and habits, as indicated in Luk 1:1-4" [WEBSTER and WILKINSON].

Adam Clarke on Luke 1:76

And thou, child, etc. - Zacharias proclaims the dignity, employment, doctrine, and success of his son; and the ruin and recovery of the Jews and the Gentiles. 1. His dignity. Thou shalt be called (constituted) a prophet of the Most High. Prophet has two acceptations: - 1st. A person who foretells future events; and; 2dly. A teacher of men in the things of God, Co1 14:3. John was a prophet in both senses: he proclaimed the mercy which should be communicated; announced the baptism of the Holy Spirit; and taught men how to leave their sins, and how to find the salvation of God. See Luk 3:5-14. His very name, Jehochanan, the grace or mercy of Jehovah, (see Luk 1:60), was a constant prediction o…

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John Gill on Luke 1:79

To give light to them that sit in darkness,.... God's elect among the Jews, who were not only in a state of unregeneracy, which is a state of darkness, ignorance, and unbelief; but in the darkness of the legal dispensation, and at this time under more than ordinary darkness and ignorance; having lost the knowledge of the righteousness of God, and of the spirituality of his law, the true sense of the Scriptures, and right notions of the Messiah; being led by blind guides, the Scribes and Pharisees, and, were as it were also, in the shadow of death; in a state seemingly irrecoverable, when Christ, the great light arose, and shone upon them; and communicated spiritual light, life, and heat un…

The Church Fathers

(Severus.) Abiding on high yet present upon the earth, suffering neither division nor limitation, which thing neither can our understanding embrace, nor any power of words express.
— Ancient Greek Expositor ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

(sup. Esai. c. ii) For in thick darkness were the Gentile people sitting, who were sunk deep in idolatry, until the rising light dispersed the darkness, and spread abroad the brightness of truth.
— Basil of Caesarea ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

Christ is rightly called the Day-spring, because He hath disclosed to us the rising of the true light, as it follows; To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
— Bede ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

John the Baptist — The “forerunner of our Lord.” We have but fragmentary and imperfect accounts of him in the Gospels. He was of priestly descent. His father, Zacharias, was a priest of the course of Abia (1 Chr.…
Songs — Of Moses (Ex. 15; Num. 21:17; Deut. 32; Rev. 15:3), Deborah (Judg. 5), Hannah (1 Sam. 2), David (2 Sam. 22, and Psalms), Mary (Luke 1:46-55), Zacharias (Luke 1:68-79), the angels (Luke 2:13), Simeon…
Covenant, The · Fulfilled in Christ — Fulfilled in Christ
Darkness · .OF SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS — .OF SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS
Death, Spiritual · Spiritual ignorance is — Spiritual ignorance is
Depravity Of Man · 7:17;12:34,35;15:19; — 7:17;12:34,35;15:19;
Excellency And Glory Of Christ, The · As the true Light — As the true Light
Feet, The · Of saints: Guided by Christ — Of saints: Guided by Christ
John · Mission of — Mission of
Peace · SPIRITUAL — SPIRITUAL
Peace, Spiritual · Christ guides into the way of — Christ guides into the way of
Poetry · .Of Zacharias — .Of Zacharias
Psalms · Zacharias

Luke 1:79

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 1:67–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 1:79

Adam Clarke on Luke 1:76

John Gill on Luke 1:79

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Luke 1:79

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Luke 1:67–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 1:79

Adam Clarke on Luke 1:76

John Gill on Luke 1:79

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Luke 1:76–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Luke 1:78