Luke 1:69

The kingdom of our Saviour Christ is called also the horn of salvation, because all our bones are clothed with flesh, but the horn alone stretches beyond the flesh; so the kingdom of Christ is called the horn of salvation, as reaching beyond the world and the delights of the flesh. According to which figure David and Solomon were consecrated by the horn of oil to the glory of the kingdom.

And he has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David his servant. A horn of salvation signifies a firm eminence of salvation. Indeed, all bones are covered with flesh, the horn surpasses the flesh, and therefore the horn of …

God seemed to be asleep, disregarding the sins of the multitude, but in these last times coming in the flesh, He hath risen up and trodden down the evil spirits who hated us. Hence it is said, And he hath raised up an horn of salvation to us in the house of his servant David.

"He raised up a horn of salvation," that is, a salvific power and kingdom. For "horn" signifies either power, since horned animals have their strength in their horns, or kingdom, since kings were anointed from a horn. Christ is the Power and Kingdom of the …

The third motive is the trophy of the resurrection, which he touches upon when he says: And he raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, his servant: in which is understood the power of Christ rising: 1 Kings 2: …

A horn - Signifies honour, plenty, and strength. A horn of salvation - That is, a glorious and mighty saviour.

And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us,.... Meaning the Messiah, whom God had now raised up: in the house of his servant David; in David's family, he being now conceived by a virgin of his house; and who, in a little time, would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. He is called "an horn of salvation", because he is a powerful Saviour.

And hath raised up a horn - A horn is a symbol of strength. The figure is taken from the fact that in horned animals the strength lies in the “horn.” Particularly, the great power of the rhinoceros or unicorn is manifested by the use of a single horn of great “strength,” placed on the head near the end of the nose. When the sacred writers, therefore, speak of great strength they often use the word “horn,” Psa 148:14; Deu 33:17; Dan 7:7-8; Dan 7:

Lord God of Israel--the ancient covenant God of the peculiar people. visited and redeemed--that is, in order to redeem: returned after long absence, and broken His long silence (see Mt 15:31). In the Old Testament, God is said to "visit" chiefly for judgment, in the New Testament for mercy.

horn of salvation--that is, "strength of salvation," or "mighty Salvation," meaning the Saviour Himself, whom Simeon calls "Thy Salvation" (Lu 2:30). The metaphor is taken from those animals whose strength is in their horns (Ps 18:2;

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Another hymn of praise demands our attention in these verses. We have read the thanksgiving of Mary — the mother of our Lord. Let us now read the thanksgiving of Zachariah — the father of John the Baptist. We have heard what praises the first coming of Christ drew from the Virgin of the house of David. Let us now hear what praise it draws from an aged priest. We should notice, firstly — the deep thankfulness of a Jewish believer's heart, in the prospect of Messiah's appearing.

Another hymn of praise demands our attention in these verses. We have read the thanksgiving of Mary — the mother of our Lord. Let us now read the thanksgiving of Zachariah — the father of John the Baptist. We have heard what praises the first coming of Christ drew from the Virgin of the house of David. Let us now hear what praise it draws from an aged priest. We should notice, firstly — the deep thankfulness of a Jewish believer's heart, in the prospect of Messiah's appearing. Praise is the first word that falls from the mouth of Zachariah as soon as his speechlessness is removed, and his tongue restored. He begins with the same expression with which Paul begins several of his epistles, "Blessed be the Lord!" At this period of the world, we can hardly understand the depth of this godly man's feelings. We must imagine ourselves in his position. We must imagine ourselves seeing the fulfillment of the oldest promise in the Old Testament — the promise of a Savior, and beholding the accomplishment of this promise brought near to our own door! We must try to realize what a dim and imperfect view men had of the Gospel — before Christ actually appeared, and the shadows and types passed away. Then perhaps we may have some idea of the feelings of Zachariah when he cried out, "Blessed be the Lord!" It may be feared that Christians have very low and inadequate conceptions of their amazing privileges, in living under the full light of the Gospel. We have probably a very faint idea of the comparative dimness and darkness of the Jewish dispensation. We have a very feeble notion of what a church must have been before the incarnation of Christ. Let us open our eyes to the extent of our obligations. Let us learn from the example of Zachariah, to be more thankful.

And hath raised up a horn of salvation - That is, a mighty and glorious Savior: a quotation from Psa 18:2. Horns are the well known emblems of strength, glory, and power, both in the sacred and profane writers, because the strength and beauty of horned animals consist in their horns. Horns have also been considered as emblems of light; therefore the heathen god Apollo is represented with horns, to point out the power, glory, and excellence of the solar light. The Chaldee paraphrast sometimes translates קרן keren, horn, by מלכות malcuth, or מלכותא malcutha, 1Sa 2:10; Jer 48:25, which signify a kingdom: but it is likely that the allusion is here made to the horns of the altar; and as the altar was a place of refuge and safety, and those who laid hold on its horns were considered to be under the protection of the Lord, so, according to the expression of Zacharias, Jesus Christ is a new altar, to which whosoever flees shall find refuge. Some imagine that this form of speech is taken from the custom of ancient warriors, who had a horn of steel on the top of their helmets, which ordinarily lay flat, till the person came victorious from battle, and then it was erected, as emblematical of the victory gained. Such a horn as this is represented on the helmet of the Abyssinian kings and warriors: see the plates in Bruce’s Travels. To this custom of wearing or lifting up the horn, the following scriptures are thought to allude: 1Sa 2:10; Psa 112:9; Psa 148:4; Lam 2:17. In ancient gems and coins, this form of the horn on helmets is easily discernible, sometimes flat, sometimes erected. A horn, filled with various fruits, was also the emblem of abundance among the ancients: hence their cornu copia, or horn of plenty. […]