This verse highlights that God's promises weren't a last-minute addition, but were woven into the very fabric of human history from its earliest days, pointing all the way back to the first glimmer of hope after the Fall. It reveals that "holy prophets" isn't just a title, but a description of individuals set apart from the beginning, whose words were divinely inspired to unfold God's redemptive plan over vast ages.
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, is breaking out in a prophetic song of praise following the birth of his son, John the Baptist. He's declaring how God is fulfilling ancient promises, showing salvation through the house of David and specifically through this child who will prepare the way for the Lord. This declaration emphasizes that God's plan, spoken through His prophets from the very beginning of time, is now unfolding.
When we hear 'holy prophets,' what comes to mind? Likely figures like Isaiah or Moses. But the Bible suggests something even grander: a prophetic lineage stretching back to the very dawn of humanity.
The verse highlights that God's message wasn't delivered in a vacuum. From the beginning, He chose individuals to speak His truth, a continuous line of communication.
A Divine Conversation
It's easy to focus on the prophet—their personality, their struggles, their unique message. But this verse gently reminds us who the true source of the prophecy is.
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The phrase 'by the mouth of' is crucial here. It shows that the prophets were instruments, conduits for God's message, not the originators of it.
Lending Their Voice
Understand the original words
prophētēs · Greek Noun
Those whom God has specially set apart and consecrated for His service and divine communication throughout human history.
sōtēria · Greek Noun
The act of being rescued or delivered from peril, oppression, or ultimate judgment. In a biblical context, it signifies God's active intervention to rescue His people, culminating in the spiritual redemption from sin and death through Christ.
eleos · Greek Noun
The disposition of compassion, kindness, or goodwill toward someone in need, often implying a withholding of deserved judgment. In the Bible, it is frequently linked to God's covenant faithfulness toward His people.
diathēkē · Greek Noun
A binding, solemn agreement between God and humanity (or a specific group). It involves mutual obligations, promises, and established relationships, with God often taking the initiative to establish the terms for His people's blessing.
horkos · Greek Noun
A solemn declaration or invocation of God to witness to the truth of a statement or the sincerity of a promise. In the biblical narrative, God’s oaths represent the unchangeable, guaranteed nature of His commitments to His people.
rhuomai · Greek Verb
The act of setting someone free from bondage, captivity, or an oppressive situation. It implies the exertion of power to rescue someone who is otherwise unable to escape their circumstances.
latreuō · Greek Verb
The act of performing duties, worship, or ministry toward God as a response to His grace. It describes the life of a believer who is devoted to God's will and service.
hosiotēs · Greek Noun
The state of being set apart for God's exclusive use, character, and purpose. It represents a life consecrated and purified from the corruption of the world, reflecting God's own nature.
dikaiosynē · Greek Noun
The state or quality of being in conformity with God's standards, laws, and character. It involves doing what is right in the sight of God and maintaining right relationships with both God and others.
Zechariah's words echo a prophetic tradition stretching back to the very dawn of humanity's story, reminding us that God's plan for salvation wasn't an afterthought, but woven into the fabric of history from the very beginning.
c. 1400 BC
Moses receives the Law
Moses, a key prophet, receives God's law and delivers prophecies, including those about a coming prophet like himself. This marks an early point in the prophetic tradition pointing toward future fulfillment.
c. 740 BC
Isaiah's prophecies of the Messiah
The prophet Isaiah delivers powerful prophecies detailing the suffering servant and the future reign of a Davidic king, providing a rich tapestry of messianic foretelling.
c. 605 BC
Daniel's prophecies of kingdoms and Messiah
Daniel, exiled in Babylon, receives visions concerning world empires and the ultimate establishment of God's kingdom, including the coming of the 'Anointed One'.
c. 6th century BC
Zechariah's visions of restoration
The prophet Zechariah provides detailed visions of Jerusalem's restoration and the coming of a pierced king who will rule with righteousness, further shaping messianic expectations.
Early 1st century AD
John the Baptist's ministry begins
John the Baptist emerges as a prophetic voice, calling people to repentance and preparing the way for the promised Messiah, fulfilling prophecies about his coming.
c. AD 6— this verse
Jesus begins his public ministry
Jesus begins his public life, teaching, healing, and demonstrating his identity as the long-awaited Messiah, fulfilling the ancient prophecies spoken through God's holy prophets.
This passage is often seen as the very first prophetic promise of a coming redeemer, fitting the idea of God speaking through His prophets from the earliest times.
Deuteronomy 18:15Moses speaks of a prophet like himself that God would raise up, a foundational prophecy that later prophets, and Luke here, would understand as pointing to the Messiah.
Isaiah 9:6-7This well-known prophecy describes the nature and reign of a coming child, directly referencing the kind of messianic hope the prophets proclaimed.
Acts 3:21Peter explicitly states that all the prophets from the beginning spoke about the salvation brought by Jesus, echoing Zacharias' declaration about God's prophetic plan.
Hebrews 1:1This verse highlights God speaking in many different ways throughout history, culminating in His Son, reinforcing the continuous prophetic thread mentioned in Luke.
barnesLuke 1:70: "As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:"
His holy prophets ... - All the prophets are said to have referred to the Messiah, from the beginning of the world. The most striking of these were Jacob Genesis 49:10 ; Moses Deuteronomy 18:15 ; Isaiah Isa 9:6-7; Isaiah 53:1-12 . Since the world began - This is not to be taken literally, for there were no prophets "immediately after" the creation. It is merely a general expression, designed to de…
cambridgeLuke 1:70: "As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:"
70 . by the mouth of his holy prophets ] namely “in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms,” see on Luke 24:44 . since the world began ] Rather, of old ( ἀπ ' αἰῶνος ). “At sundry times and in divers manners” ( Hebrews 1:1 ) but even “in old time” ( 2 Peter 1:21 ) and dating back even to the promises to Eve and to Abraham ( Genesis 3:15 ; Genesis 22:18 ; Genesis 49:10 ) and the s…
This verse highlights that God's promises weren't a last-minute addition, but were woven into the very fabric of human history from its earliest days, pointing all the way back to the first glimmer of hope after the Fall. It reveals that "holy prophets" isn't just a title, but a description of individuals set apart from the beginning, whose words were divinely inspired to unfold God's redemptive plan over vast ages.
Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, is breaking out in a prophetic song of praise following the birth of his son, John the Baptist. He's declaring how God is fulfilling ancient promises, showing salvation through the house of David and specifically through this child who will prepare the way for the Lord. This declaration emphasizes that God's plan, spoken through His prophets from the very beginning of time, is now unfolding.
Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, is breaking out in a prophetic song of praise following the birth of his son, John the Baptist. He's declaring how God is fulfilling ancient promises, showing salvation through the house of David and specifically through this child who will prepare the way for the Lord. This declaration emphasizes that God's plan, spoken through His prophets from the very beginning of time, is now unfolding.
"as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath…" — This verse highlights that God's promises weren't a last-minute addition, but were woven into the very fabric of human history from its earliest days, pointing all the way back to the first glimmer o…
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Last reviewed October 2026
