Week 2. Unto Generations: the Magnificat of Mary

        Welcome to the Quotations Bible Study blog. This is the second week's posting. Each week a new set of posts will be made available. For more information on the Quotations Bible Study, see the home page.
        Below is a list of posts giving the questions posed in the second week. Feel free to respond with your own answers. Anonymous comments are permitted. Discussions are encouraged.
        So, enjoy exploring the word together.

Q1: For one's "horn [to be] lifted high" (1 Sam. 2:1) is an idiom that occurs several times in the Bible, and it may mean that one's strength is displayed or increased in or by the LORD. Another possible understanding is that one's honor or prestige is increased. How are either of these true for Hannah?

Q2: The mention of enemies strikes a militant tone. Who are Hannah's enemies? (1 Sam. 2:1)

Q3: God is compared to a rock for the sake of what characteristic? (1 Sam. 2:2) Where else is God compared to a rock?

Q4: Which does God pay attention to, talk or actions? (1 Sam. 2:3) Whose proud talk and arrogance might Hannah have been thinking about?

Q5: In 1 Sam. 2:4-8, Hannah's Song turns to the mighty acts of God. A main theme of this passage is "reversal of fortune." What are six pairs of conditions that are contrasted, for instance, in 1 Sam. 2:4, strength in war vs. the stumbling warriors?

Q6: Where can the same kind of reversal be found in the New Testament? (Matt. 5:5)

Q7: What are the "foundations of the earth"? (1 Sam. 2:8)

Q8: What does "guard the feet of his saints" mean? (1 Sam. 2:9)

Q9: If "it is not by strength that one prevails," then how? (1 Sam. 2:9, 10)

Q10: In 1 Sam. 2:10, Hannah's Song mentions the LORD's king. Who is that?

Q11: The opening lines, in which Mary exalts the Lord, are a response to what recent events? (Luke 1:31, 36, 42-45)

Q12: Why does Mary consider her state "humble"? (Luke 1:26,27)

Q13: Why will Mary be considered blessed? (Luke 1:32,33)

Q14: What is God's mercy, extended from one generation to the next conditioned on? (Luke 1:50)

Q15: In Mary's recital of the mighty acts of God, a main theme of the passage is "reversal of fortune." What are three conditions that are contrasted, for instance, in Matt. 1:51, scattering those who are proud? (Luke 1:51-3)

Q16: At the end of Mary's Song, she speaks of God's mercy to Abraham and his descendants, helping Israel. On what basis has God done this? (Luke 1:54,55)

Q17: What are the similarities and common themes between the Song of Hannah and the Song of Mary?

Q18: What are the differences?