1:47

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!: The clause my spirit rejoices in God my Savior indicates that Mary was joyful as she thought of God her Savior. She was full of joy because of his character and actions. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

My spirit finds its joy in God, my Savior (God’s Word)
-or-
I am delighted with God, my Savior

my spirit: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spirit refers here to Mary’s spiritual being. In this context there is no real difference in meaning between the Greek words for “soul” (1:46) and spirit (1:47). These two words occur here because it was good style for poetry in that culture. Be sure that your word for spirit does not imply that Mary is referring to a different spirit, such as a ghost or the spirit of a dead person.

The phrase my spirit here again refers to Mary herself. In some languages it may be necessary to translate this meaning directly. For example:

I rejoice in God.

rejoices: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rejoices also means “to be glad” or “to be full of joy.” For example:

is glad (Good News Translation)
-or-
finds its joy (God’s Word)

my Savior: The phrase my Savior means “the one who saves me.” It refers to God as the one who would rescue Mary. The text does not specify what Mary would be rescued from. She may have thought of both physical and spiritual danger. If you have a term that could imply either, consider using it here. For example:

my Savior ⌊from evil⌋
-or-
who rescues/saves me ⌊from evil⌋

If you cannot use an ambiguous term, you may be able to use a general expression. For example:

my Savior ⌊from harm/danger⌋
-or-
who rescues me from ⌊evil people and actions⌋
-or-
who saves me ⌊from destruction⌋

If you use a term such as one of these, it should refer to things that people fear or that are very harmful or destructive. Mary was probably not thinking of being preserved from every small harm or danger. See save in the Glossary (see the note on Savior).

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