Magnificat

I was struck by the beauty of the poetry as I read this in Greek and the way the sentence formation patterns are varied to stress different themes.

The whole first movement has the pattern VERB-FIRST PERSON-GOD, with two lines about FIRST PERSON’s action towards God followed by two lines about God’s action to the FIRST PERSON. Similar phrasing patterns give structure and outline to the other sections of the poem, used to build contrast or harmony around key themes.

At the center of the poem is the SERVANT, who is in a humiliated state. But the lofty will be confused, the powerful cast down and rich left empty while the humble shall be lifted and the hungry filled with goodness. The language of the suffering servant has echoes from Isaiah 53, so the identity of the FIRST PERSON is expanded, being revealed to be both the nation of Israel and the servant CHILD of God at the same time as Mary herself.

All generations calling FIRST PERSON blessed is echoed with Abraham and his seed, pointing to the promise fulfillment in Christ. Seven times we learn about the eternal nature of this fulfillment as highlighted in light blue with references to yesterday, today and forevermore.