And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Parallel translations
- WEB Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord.
- BSB Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
- NKJV And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
- NASB And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord,
- NLT Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Mary responds with praise, declaring that her soul magnifies the Lord. Her song, the Magnificat, begins in worship.
Overview
Mary's hymn of praise, the Magnificat, opens by exalting the Lord with her whole being. Steeped in Old Testament language, it echoes Hannah's song and celebrates God's saving work. Mary's first response to grace is heartfelt worship.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- 1 Sam 2:1–10And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
- Ps 34:2–3My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
- Ps 35:9And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.
- Isa 61:10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
- Ps 103:1–2Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
- Rom 5:11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
- Isa 45:25In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
- 1 Cor 1:31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
- 2 Cor 2:14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
- Phil 4:4Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
- Isa 24:15–16Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
- 1 Pet 1:8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
- Phil 3:3For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
- Hab 3:17–18Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 1:46 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.