Bible Strands
Luke 1:46
Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Mary speaks in the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth, immediately after Elizabeth's blessing in verse 45. Her words open the Magnificat, a song that runs through verse 55.
The words — Megalunei (μεγαλύνει) is a present active indicative: "makes great" or "enlarges." It is the verb that drives the entire song; Mary does not merely feel but actively magnifies.
The thread — The closest parallel is Hannah's song in 1 Samuel 2:1, where a woman who has just received God's extraordinary promise responds with praise that exalts the LORD. Psalms 34:2 and 35:9 repeat the same move: the soul boasting or rejoicing in the LORD as the first act of worship.
Why it lands — The verse places praise before explanation; Mary magnifies before she explains why. It asks the reader to hear the rest of the Magnificat not as doctrine to be parsed but as a person making God great in real time.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 2:1 At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.
- Psalms 34:2 My soul boasts in the LORD; let the oppressed hear and rejoice.
- Psalms 35:9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and exult in His salvation.
- Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
- Psalms 103:1 Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name.
- Isaiah 45:25 In the LORD all descendants of Israel will be justified and will exult.
- Romans 5:11 Not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
- 1 Corinthians 1:31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
- Isaiah 24:15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea.
- 2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.