Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people. 69 He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, 70 even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant 73 and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, 74 rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us 79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” 80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Like Elizabeth, Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit, and his first words are not about himself. They are worship. He blesses “the Lord, the God of Israel,” because God has “visited” His people and acted to save them. Luke frames this as God’s “visitation,” meaning God has drawn near in a decisive way. The hymn speaks in the past tense—“has visited,” “has brought redemption,” “has raised up”—even though the child Jesus has not yet been born. This is Luke’s way of showing that Zechariah is speaking prophetically—treating God’s saving action as certain, even before it is fully seen.
When Zechariah says God has raised up “a horn for our salvation,” he is using an Old Testament image for strength. In Israel’s Scriptures, a “horn” speaks of power to rescue and defend. Here, that saving strength is placed “within the house of David.” The point is clear: God’s promised King has arrived in history. This is why Zechariah immediately speaks of God’s promises “through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.” Zechariah is saying that what God is doing now is exactly what He promised long ago.
Zechariah holds together two great covenant promises. One is the pledge to David of a lasting royal line. The other is the oath sworn to Abraham—the pledge that God would bless the nations through Abraham’s descendants. At first, the canticle sounds focused only on Israel’s rescue, but its words already point beyond Israel to God’s saving purpose for all peoples. As Luke’s Gospel continues, that purpose becomes clearer, yet Zechariah is already praising God for acting according to what He promised through the prophets.
The line about “salvation from our enemies” can be heard as political. Many in Israel lived under pressure and longed for deliverance. Luke does not deny that the world contains real oppressors and real fear. But Zechariah’s focus is deeper and more lasting. The goal of rescue is not revenge. It is worship: “without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” Salvation is freedom for God. That is why the canticle quickly moves from enemies to covenant mercy, and then to “the forgiveness of their sins.” Luke is already teaching that the greatest enemy is what sin does to the human heart and to human communion with God. In the Incarnation, God’s mercy is no longer only promised—it comes near in Jesus Christ, so that human hearts can be brought back into communion with God.
At the center of the canticle, Zechariah turns to his newborn son. John is not the Messiah. He is “prophet of the Most High.” His role is to go “before the Lord to prepare his ways.” In Luke’s story, that “Lord” can be heard in two directions. It is the Lord God of Israel who is visiting His people, yet for Luke and for Christian faith after Easter, “Lord” also names Jesus Christ. Luke intends John to be the forerunner of Jesus, the one who prepares the people to recognize the Lord when He comes.
John’s preparation is a call to repentance that readies hearts for God’s saving work. He gives the people “knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” This line explains what Luke means by salvation. God’s saving action reaches the conscience. It brings cleansing, reconciliation, and a restored relationship with God. Later, Luke will proclaim that this salvation has appeared in a concrete person and mission: “a savior has been born for you” (Lk. 2:11).
Zechariah then returns to the child who is still in Mary’s womb. He calls God’s mercy “tender,” and he describes it as light breaking into darkness: “the daybreak from on high will visit us.” The image draws from Israel’s Scriptures. It can evoke the rising sun that ends the night, and it can also echo the promise of a royal “branch” rising from David’s line. Luke gathers these Old Testament hopes and places them on Jesus. John will prepare the way, but Jesus is the light itself, the One who comes “to shine on those who sit in darkness.” John’s Gospel will speak similarly when it says the true light “came into the world” (Jn. 1:9). “Death’s shadow” is Luke’s way of describing life lived under the weight of mortality and fear, and under the spiritual darkness that sin brings; Zechariah is saying that God’s mercy in Jesus comes like dawn into that gloom.
The canticle ends with peace. This is not simply the absence of conflict. It is wholeness and well-being under God’s reign. Luke will return to this peace at the end of the Gospel when the risen Jesus greets the disciples with peace (Lk. 24:36), and Acts will proclaim “peace through Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:36). Zechariah’s final line—“to guide our feet into the path of peace”—is therefore not a poetic ending. It is a map for the whole Gospel. God’s mercy brings redemption. Redemption brings forgiveness. Forgiveness brings light. Light leads into peace.
The Fathers of the Church saw in these events a turning point in God’s plan. St. Ambrose (c. 340-397) treats Zechariah’s restored speech as a sign that faith has replaced unbelief and that God is now making His promise clear in history. St. Augustine (354-430) describes Zechariah’s earlier silence as an image of how the old prophecies were hidden, and he says that with Christ’s coming, those prophecies become clear. Their point fits Luke’s own aim. God has not merely sent a message. He has come near. He has visited His people. He has begun to bring redemption and salvation through Jesus, and He has raised up John to prepare hearts to receive Him.
Lord God, in bringing your promise to fulfillment, you visited your people with mercy. Shine your light on us when we sit in darkness. Forgive our sins, guide our feet into the path of peace, and teach us to worship you without fear all our days. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Navarre Bible: Luke (Four Courts/Scepter), pp. 247-248.
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018), p. 1040.
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990), p. 682 (para. 26).
- The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke (Ignatius Press), p. 108.
- St. Ambrose (c. 340-397), Expositio Evangelii secundum Lucam (ad loc.).
- St. Augustine (354-430), Sermones, 293, 2-3.
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