1 Samuel 2:8

2:8 He lifts the weak ¹  from the dust;

he raises ²  the poor from the ash heap

to seat them with princes

and to bestow on them an honored position. ³ 

The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord,

and he has placed the world on them.

Mazmur 18:28

18:28 Indeed, ⁴  you are my lamp, Lord. ⁵ 

My God ⁶  illuminates the darkness around me. ⁷ 

Amsal 3:34

3:34 Although ⁸  he is scornful to arrogant scoffers, ⁹ 

yet ¹⁰  he shows favor to the humble. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 57:15

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules ¹²  forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated, ¹³ 

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged. ¹⁴ 

Yehezkiel 21:26

21:26 this is what the sovereign Lord says:

Tear off the turban, ¹⁵ 

take off the crown!

Things must change! ¹⁶ 

Exalt the lowly,

bring down the proud! ¹⁷ 

Lukas 1:52

1:52 He has brought down the mighty ¹⁸  from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; ¹⁹ 

[2:8]  ¹ tn Or “lowly”; Heb “insignificant.”

[2:8]  ² tn The imperfect verbal form, which is parallel to the participle in the preceding line, is best understood here as indicating what typically happens.

[2:8]  ³ tn Heb “a seat of honor.”

[18:28]  ⁴ tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki)is asseverative here.

[18:28]  ⁵ tn Ps 18:28 reads literally, “you light my lamp, Lord.” 2 Sam 22:29 has, “you are my lamp, Lord.” The Ps 18 reading may preserve two variants, נֵרִי (neriy, “my lamp”) and אוֹרִי (’oriy, “my light”), cf. Ps 27:1. The verb תָּאִיר (ta’ir, “you light”) in Ps 18:28 would, in this case, be a corruption of the latter. See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, Studies in Ancient Yahwistic Poetry (SBLDS), 150, n. 64. The metaphor, which likens the Lord to a lamp or light, pictures him as the psalmist’s source of life. For other examples of “lamp” used in this way, see Job 18:6; 21:17; Prov 13:9; 20:20; 24:20. For other examples of “light” as a symbol for life, see Job 3:20; 33:30; Ps 56:13.

[18:28]  ⁶ tn 2 Sam 22:29 repeats the name “Lord.”

[18:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “my darkness.”

[3:34]  ⁸ tn The particle אִם (’im, “though”) introduces a concessive clause: “though….”

[3:34]  ⁹ tn Heb “he mocks those who mock.” The repetition of the root לִיץ (lits, “to scorn; to mock”) connotes poetic justice; the punishment fits the crime. Scoffers are characterized by arrogant pride (e.g., Prov 21:24), as the antithetical parallelism with “the humble” here emphasizes.

[3:34]  ¹⁰ tn The prefixed vav (ו) introduces the apodosis to the concessive clause: “Though … yet …”

[3:34]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically (AB:BA): “he scorns / arrogant scoffers // but to the humble / he gives grace.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.

[57:15]  ¹² tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.

[57:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.

[57:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”

[21:26]  ¹⁵ tn Elsewhere in the Bible the turban is worn by priests (Exod 28:4, 37, 39; 29:6; 39:28, 31; Lev 8:9; 16:4), but here a royal crown is in view.

[21:26]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “This not this.”

[21:26]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the high one.”

[1:52]  ¹⁸ tn Or “rulers.”

[1:52]  ¹⁹ tn Or “those of humble position”

[1:52]  sn The contrast between the mighty and those of lowly position is fundamental for Luke. God cares for those that the powerful ignore (Luke 4:18-19).