Luke 1:68 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Ver. 68-70. God is not the God of Israel only, but of all the nations of the earth also; but he is peculiarly called the God of Israel, both here and in many other places, Psalms 41:13, Psalms 72:18 Psalms 106:48, &c., in regard of the covenant which he had specially made with them, and the special advantages they had, mentioned by the apostle; to them were committed the oracles of God, Romans 3:2; and to them pertained the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, Romans 9:4. Zacharias pronounces God blessed, and desires that he may be blessed, that is, honoured, and celebrated, and spoken well of, for that he had visited and redeemed his people. The word may be extended to all God's deliverances of Israel, but it seemeth to be here more specially restrained by what followeth to the redemption by Christ. And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us. An horn of salvation signifies a mighty, powerful salvation, by a metaphor taken from beasts, which much exert their power by their horns. The beast's ten horns, Daniel 7:7, are expounded to be ten kings, Luke 1:24; so Psalms 75:10, where David saith he will cut off all the horns of the wicked; so Lamentations 2:3, where God is said to have cut off all the horn of Israel. In the house of his servant David. This agreeth to the prophecy, Jeremiah 30:9, where Christ is called David; They shall serve the Lord their God, and David their King, whom I will rise up unto them; who is also called a righteous Branch raised unto David, Jeremiah 23:5. God is said to have raised up this horn of salvation in the house of David. The house of David was now down, lapsed and decayed. God promises to raise up to the Israelites a mighty salvation from the house of David. This was fulfilled in Christ. As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began. All the prophets, or many of them at least, prophesied of Christ as the Son of David, and of a great salvation to be raised up to Israel from his house.