Luke 1:46-55	1Samuel 2:1-11
46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,	1 And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in Adonai, my horn is exalted in Adonai. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation.
48 For He looked on the humiliation of His slave woman. For, behold, from now on all generations shall count me blessed.	3 Talk no more so very proudly. Remove arrogance out of your mouth, for Adonai is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.
49 For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.	4 The bows of the mighty are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.	5 They that were full have hired themselves out for bread, and they that were hungry ceased; yea, while the barren has borne seven, and she who had many sons has languished.
51 He has worked power with His arm, He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.	6 Adonai kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up.
52 He has put down rulers from their seats and exalted the lowly,	7 Adonai takes away, and He gives riches; He brings low; yea, He lifts up high.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and He has sent away the rich empty.	8 He raises up the poor out of the dust; He lifts up the needy from the dunghill to set them among princes; yea, He causes them to inherit a throne of honor; for to Adonai are the pillars of the earth; and He sets the habitable world on them.
54 He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,	9 He keeps the feet of his saints, and the wicked are silenced in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
55 as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.	10 The foes of Adonai shall be broken to pieces. He thunders in the heavens upon them. Adonai shall judge the ends of the earth. And He shall give strength to His king, and exalts the horn of His anointed.

 

I have to admit that I like Hannah’s Song better than I like Mary’s Magnificat. Hannah is expressive and personal, while Mary is brief and impersonal. Being Jewish and a woman, Mary (Miriam) would have been intimately familiar with Hannah’s Song. Alongside Miriam’s Song from Exodus 15 and Deborah’s Song in Judges 5 it was something every Jewish girl knew by heart. The fact that Mary’s song is scant and impersonal speaks volumes to me. My guess is that “Magnificat” was put into her mouth. Hannah refers to both in her Song by parallelism and allusions, something Mary’s Song doesn’t. Mary refers to herself in various positive ways, in a manner Miriam, Deborah and Hannah don’t, and wouldn’t. This is very telling. There’s a little story about how and possibly by whom it was created hidden in this literary fact.

 

Luke was Greek. He had no direct knowledge of Jewish customs, especially not Jewish Women’s customs, so whatever he wrote would be lacking in that aspect. My guess is that Luke picked bits and pieces from the Book of Psalms and redacted those bits and pieces into what we know as the Magnificat or that his “sources” did prior to passing it on to him.

 

This, imo, doesn’t detract from the Magnificat as a source of prayer for women. However, to me it is important to know and understand this. To me it’s important to understand WHY the Greek Scriptures seem to be marrow-less patchworks, rather than the full bodied narrative and poetry of the Hebrew Scriptures.