Luk 1:39-45 | Clarke | STEP | Verse 39 In those days - As soon as she could conveniently fit herself out for the journey. Hill country - Hebron, the city of the priests, , which was situated in the tribe of Judah, about forty miles south of Jerusalem, and upwards of seventy from Nazareth. With haste - This probably refers to nothing else than the earnestness of her mind to visit her relative Elisabeth, and to see what the Lord had wrought for her.

Luke 1:39-45

Verse 39

In those days - As soon as she could conveniently fit herself out for the journey.

Hill country - Hebron, the city of the priests, Jos 21:11, which was situated in the tribe of Judah, about forty miles south of Jerusalem, and upwards of seventy from Nazareth.

With haste - This probably refers to nothing else than the earnestness of her mind to visit her relative Elisabeth, and to see what the Lord had wrought for her. Verse 41

Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost - This seems to have been the accomplishment of the promise made by the angel, Luk 1:15, He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. The mother is filled with the Holy Spirit, and the child in her womb becomes sensible of the Divine influence. Verse 42

Blessed art thou among women - Repeating the words of the angel, Luk 1:28, of which she had probably been informed by the holy virgin, in the present interview. Verse 43

The mother of my Lord - The prophetic spirit, which appears to have overshadowed Elisabeth, gave her a clear understanding in the mystery of the birth of the promised Messiah. Verse 45

Blessed is she that believed; for there shall be, etc. - Or, Blessed is she who hath believed that there shall be, etc. This I believe to be the proper arrangement of the passage, and is thus noticed in the marginal reading. Faith is here represented as the foundation of true happiness, because it receives the fulfillment of God's promises. Whatever God has promised, he intends to perform. We should believe whatever he has spoken - his own authority is a sufficient reason why we should believe. Let us only be convinced that God has given the promise, and then implicit faith becomes an indispensable duty: in this case not to believe implicitly would be absurd and unreasonable - God will perform his promise, for He cannot lie.