Bible Strands
Luke 1:69
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Zechariah, newly restored to speech after the naming of his son John, addresses the assembled crowd at the circumcision ceremony (Luke 1:59–64). The hymn that follows is his public declaration, not a private prayer.
The words — keras (κέρας, "horn") is the operative image: in Semitic idiom a horn denotes strength, victory, and the capacity to gore an enemy. ēgeiren (ἤγειρεν, "has raised up") is aorist, marking a single completed act of divine initiative rather than an ongoing process.
The thread — The same "horn of salvation" formula appears for David in 2 Samuel 22:3 and Psalm 18:2, where the speaker is David himself. Ezekiel 29:21 extends the image corporately: God will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel. Luke 1:69 fuses both strands—Davidic lineage and national deliverance—into one figure.
Why it lands — The verse refuses to let "salvation" float free of a person and a promise; it is tied to a specific house, a specific servant. The reader is asked to hold "servant" and "horn" in the same breath without resolving the tension.
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 hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
Cross-references
- Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Ezekiel 29:21 In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
- 2 Samuel 22:3 My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation. My stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.
- 1 Samuel 2:10 Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
- Psalms 89:17 For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted.
- 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.
- Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Isaiah 11:1 Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Jeremiah 33:15 In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- Mark 11:10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”