Then took he him up in his arms - What must the holy soul of this man have felt in this moment! O inestimable privilege! And yet ours need not be inferior: If a man love me, says Christ, he will keep my word; and I and the Father will come in unto him, and make our abode with him. And indeed even Christ in the arms could not avail a man, if he were not formed in his heart. read more
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace - Now thou dismissest, απολυεις , loosest him from life; having lived long enough to have the grand end of life accomplished. According to thy word - It was promised to him, that he should not die till he had seen the Lord's anointed, Luke 2:26 ; and now, having seen him, he expects to be immediately dismissed in peace into the eternal world; having a full assurance and enjoyment of the salvation of God. Though Simeon means his... read more
Thy salvation - That Savior which it became the goodness of God to bestow upon man, and which the necessities of the human race required. Christ is called our salvation, as he is called our life, our peace, our hope; i.e. he is the author of all these, to them who believe. read more
Which thou hast prepared - Ὁ ἡτοιμασας , which thou hast Made Ready before the face, in the presence, of all people. Here salvation is represented under the notion of a feast, which God himself has provided for the whole world; and to partake of which he has invited all the nations of the earth. There seems a direct allusion here to Isaiah 25:6 , etc. "In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things," etc. Salvation is properly the food of the soul,... read more
A light to lighten the Gentiles - Φως εις αποκαλυψιν εθνων - A light of the Gentiles, for revelation. By Moses and the prophets, a light of revelation was given to the Jews, in the blessedness of which the Gentiles did not partake. By Christ and his apostles, a luminous revelation is about to be given unto the Gentiles, from the blessedness of which the Jews in general, by their obstinacy and unbelief, shall be long excluded. But to all true Israelites it shall be a glory, an evident... read more
Joseph and his mother marvelled - For they did not as yet fully know the counsels of God, relative to the salvation which Christ was to procure; nor the way in which the purchase was to be made: but to this Simeon refers in the following verses. read more
This child is set for the fall - This seems an allusion to Isaiah 8:14 , Isaiah 8:15 ; : Jehovah, God of hosts, shall be - for a stone of stumbling and rock of offense to both houses of Israel; and many among them shall stumble and fall, etc. As Christ did not come as a temporal deliverer, in which character alone the Jews expected him, the consequence should be, they would reject him, and so fall by the Romans. See Romans 11:11 , Romans 11:12 , and Matthew 24. But in the fullness of... read more
Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also - Probably meaning, Thou also, as well as thy son, shall die a martyr for the truth. But as this is a metaphor used by the most respectable Greek writers to express the most pungent sorrow, it may here refer to the anguish Mary must have felt when standing beside the cross of her tortured son: John 19:25 . read more
Anna, a prophetess - It does not appear that this person was a prophetess in the strict sense of the word, i.e. one who could foretell future events; but rather a holy woman; who, from her extensive knowledge and deep experience in Divine things, was capable of instructing others; according to the use of the word προφητευω , 1 Corinthians 14:3 ; : He that prophesieth, speaketh unto men to edification, and to exhortation, and to comfort. So we find this holy widow proclaiming Jesus to all... read more
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Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 2:27
He came by the Spirit into the temple - Probably he had in view the prophecy of Malachi, Malachi 3:1 , The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple. In this messenger of the covenant, the soul of Simeon delighted. Now the prophecy was just going to be fulfilled; and the Holy Spirit, who dwelt in the soul of this righteous man, directed him to go and see its accomplishment. Those who come, under the influence of God's Spirit, to places of public worship, will undoubtedly meet... read more