Luke 2:33-35

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 2:35

Verse 35 35.But also a sword shall pierce thy own soul This warning must have contributed greatly to fortify the mind of the holy virgin, and to prevent her from being overwhelmed with grief, when she came to those distressing struggles, which she had to undergo. Though her faith was agitated and tormented by various temptations, yet her sorest battle was with the cross: for Christ might appear to be utterly destroyed. She was not overwhelmed with grief; but it would have required a heart of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 2:21-38

The circumcision and presentation in the temple. I. THE CIRCUMCISION . With regard to the circumcision, observe: 1 . The Son of God is not only "made of a woman," he is " made under the Law ." He is entered into all the requirements and circumstances of the covenant "with Abraham and his seed." The apostle tells us why—"to redeem them that were under the Law." Christ took the bond under which Israel was bound, and became Israel's Surety for it. Now it is ended. There is a new... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 2:21-40

Circumcision and presentation of the Child Jesus . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 2:21-40

The circumcision and presentation of Jesus. We pass now from the angel's sermon and the shepherds' faithful verification of it to the next notable events in the great life which embodies the gospel for mankind. And we have here— I. THE CIRCUMCISION . ( Luke 2:21 .) This was the admission of Jesus when only eight days old into the Old Testament Church. It was a painful, bloody process, and as such it was the beginning of that life of suffering upon which God's Son had determined... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 2:25-35

The episode of Simeon and his inspired hymn . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 2:33

And Joseph and his mother marvelled . It was not so much that Simeon foretold new things respecting the Child Jesus that they marvelled; their surprise was rather that a stranger, evidently of position and learning, should possess so deep an insight into the lofty destinies of an unknown Infant, brought by evidently poor parents into the temple court. Was their secret then known to others whom they suspected not? read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 2:34

And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this Child . It is noticeable that, while Simeon blesses Mary and Joseph, he refrains from blessing the Child, of whom, however, he pointedly speaks. It was not for one like Simeon to speak words of blessing over "the Son of the Highest." The words which follow are expressly stated to have been addressed only to Mary . Simeon knew that she was related—but not Joseph—to the Babe in his arms; he saw, too, that her heart, not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 2:34-35

The touchstone of truth. We do not suppose that Simeon saw the future course of the Savior and of his gospel in clear outline; but, taught of God, he foresaw that that little Child he had been holding in his arms would be One who would prove a most powerful factor in his country's history; and he saw that relationship to him would be a source of the greatest blessing, or of weightiest trouble, or of most serious condemnation. Thus guided by this venerable saint, we will regard the gospel... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 2:35

Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also . Christian art has well caught the spirit of her life who was, in spite of her untold suffering, "blessed among women," in depicting her so often and so touchingly as the mother of sorrows ( Mater Dolorosa ). The childhood in the Nazareth home, and the early manhood in the Nazareth carpentry, were no doubt her happiest days, though, in those quiet years, expectation, fears, dread, curiously interwoven, must have ever torn that mother's... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Luke 2:34

Simeon blessed them - Joseph and Mary. On them he sought the blessing of God.Is set - Is appointed or constituted for that, or such will be the effect of his coming.The fall - The word “fall” here denotes “misery, suffering, disappointment,” or “ruin.” There is a plain reference to the passage where it is said that he should be “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence,” Isaiah 8:14-15. Many expected a temporal prince, and in this they were disappointed. They loved darkness rather than light,... read more

Group of Brands