Chapter

Luke 1:72

ESV to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
NIV to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,
NASB To show mercy to our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant,
CSB He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered his holy covenant —
NLT He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant —
KJV To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
NKJV To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant,

What does Luke 1:72 mean?

A unique aspect of biblical prophecies is that those who first hear them often do not see the promises fulfilled during their earthly lives. Those who come after have the advantage of seeing how God made good on His guarantees (Hebrews 11:13; 12:1). Trust that God will accomplish His promises is a key theme of the Old Testament (Psalm 105:8; Micah 7:20; Genesis 22:16–18). Those who witness a fulfilled prophecy can celebrate their experience as a special blessing—this is what leads Zechariah, a priest (Luke 1:5) to rejoice through a prophetic song (Luke 1:67).

One of the more important promises of Old Testament prophets was the coming of a Savior (Isaiah 9:6–7). Earlier in this chapter, Mary learned she would become the earthly mother of this Promised One: Jesus (Luke 1:31–33). The son recently born to Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth (Luke 1:13–17; 1:57), is the herald whom God planned to send ahead of the Messiah (Luke 1:13; Malachi 3:1; 4:6; Isaiah 40:3).
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What is the Gospel?
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