Rut 4:14

4:14 The village women said to Naomi, “May the Lord be praised because he has not left you without a guardian ¹  today! May he ²  become famous in Israel! ³ 

Mazmur 127:4-5

127:4 Sons born during one’s youth

are like arrows in a warrior’s hand. ⁴ 

127:5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!

They will not be put to shame ⁵  when they confront ⁶  enemies at the city gate.

Lukas 1:48

1:48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. ⁷ 

For ⁸  from now on ⁹  all generations will call me blessed, ¹⁰ 

[4:14]  ¹ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9. As the following context indicates, the child is referred to here.

[4:14]  ² tn The “guardian” is the subject of the verb, as the next verse makes clear.

[4:14]  ³ tn Heb “may his name be called [i.e., “perpetuated”; see Gen 48:16] in Israel.”

[127:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so [are] sons of youth.” Arrows are used in combat to defend oneself against enemies; sons are viewed here as providing social security and protection (see v. 5). The phrase “sons of youth” is elliptical, meaning “sons [born during the father’s] youth.” Such sons will have grown up to be mature adults and will have children of their own by the time the father reaches old age and becomes vulnerable to enemies. Contrast the phrase “son of old age” in Gen 37:3 (see also 44:20), which refers to Jacob’s age when Joseph was born.

[127:5]  ⁵ tn Being “put to shame” is here metonymic for being defeated, probably in a legal context, as the reference to the city gate suggests. One could be humiliated (Ps 69:12) or deprived of justice (Amos 5:12) at the gate, but with strong sons to defend the family interests this was less likely to happen.

[127:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “speak with.”

[1:48]  ⁷ tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.

[1:48]  ⁸ tn Grk “for behold.”

[1:48]  ⁹ sn From now on is a favorite phrase of Luke’s, showing how God’s acts change things from this point on (5:10; 12:52; 22:18, 69; Acts 18:6).

[1:48]  ¹⁰ sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.