The words of these two women encourage us that our holy God offers salvation, and He cares for the lowly. Jesus Christ, “who became to us wisdom from God,” was born under the lowliest of circumstances to bring us that salvation, and therefore, “righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:30–31).  

With Christmas approaching, it’s timely to reflect on Mary’s expression of praise in Luke 1:46–56, known as the Magnificat. Drawing heavily upon Old Testament texts, Mary praises God for His good favor towards her and towards His people in sending Jesus. It’s not a “patchwork quilt from Old Testament texts,” (205) but there are plausible connections between Mary’s words and texts, such as Psalm 34, 35, 89, and 103. Reading through the Advent section of Daily Scripture: 365 Readings in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin by Jacob Cerone and Matthew Fisher brought to my attention what is perhaps the strongest connection OT connection, and it’s found between the Magnificat and Hannah’s prayer, in which she praised God for giving her a son (1 Sam. 2:1–10).
Similarities between the two expressions of praise are visible beginning with each woman’s opening words. Hannah says, “My heart exults in the Lord” (cf. 1 Sam. 2:1). Mary says, “My soul magnifies the Lord” (cf. Luke 1:46). Hannah rejoices in the Lord’s salvation (cf. 1 Sam. 2:1), and Mary rejoices in God her Saviour (cf. Luke 1:47). Hannah says no one is holy like the Lord (cf. 1 Sam. 2:2); Mary says the Lord’s name is holy (cf. Luke 1:49). In 1 Samuel 2:7–8, Hannah speaks of God humbling the rich and exalting the lowly. In Luke 1:51–52, Mary says God brings down the mighty and exalts those of humble estate.
I was recently comparing Mary’s Magnificat to the Septuagint version of Hannah’s prayer. Experts estimate an early 2nd century BC date for the Greek translation of 1 Samuel (129). And, generally speaking, the text closely follows the Hebrew Masoretic text, but there are some differences (247). And one of these differences appears at the end of Hannah’s prayer.
First Samuel 2:10, as we find it in our English Bible, reads:
The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven.
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Lanier and Ross do not disappoint in providing a picture of the current state of scholarship in the field, and the footnotes will direct you to many other important works worth considering. This book clearly and simply explains the burgeoning field of Septuagint studies, but also succeeds in showcasing its value for all Christians today.  

There are plenty of good books on the Septuagint, and The Septuagint: What It Is and Why It Matters by Greg Lanier and Will Ross is unquestionably the best one to begin with, but it’s also tremendously valuable for anyone already well-versed on the subject. It’s a quick read and easy to understand. No knowledge of Greek or Hebrew is required. The authors offer a simple presentation of a complex topic and make a significant contribution to the understanding of its authority, while interacting with a plethora of scholarly literature along the way.
Part 1 (“What Is the Septuagint?”) establishes the definition of “the Septuagint” before surveying dominant origin theories, translation techniques, and the complex world of rescensions.
Part 2 (“Why Does It Matter?) attends to the Septuagint and its implications for OT and NT study before concluding with a thorough chapter on the authority of this ancient version. They convincingly argue for three forms of authority: normative, derivative, and interpretive. The Hebrew canon is authoritative, but the Septuagint aids in establishing that text. The derivative authority of the Septuagint means it’s the Word of God so long as it accurately reflects the message of the Hebrew canon. It’s interpretive authority is shorthand for its useful (yet fallible) role as ancient commentary.
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Thankfully, we can all become better acquainted with the Lord Jesus without ever knowing John used two different strategies to report responses in conversation (as fascinating and potentially useful as that might be). John’s Gospel, and the Word of God as a whole, reveal the Son of God, who deserves our worship. 

Conversation has been compared to a game of catch. Just as people take turns throwing a ball back and forth, people also take turns speaking. Many people converse in the Gospel of John: Jesus, John the Baptist, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, Mary, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, and a royal official—those are just the ones in the first four chapters. In each conversation John recorded, one speaker responds to another. But the fascinating thing is, sometimes John does something with the Greek language you can’t see in most English Bible versions.
Did you know there were different ways in Greek to describe how one person responded to someone else? Stephen Levinsohn tells us the default way simply got the job done by using the Greek verb meaning “to answer.” For example, Jesus told Nathanael that He saw him under a fig tree before Philip came and brought Nathanael to Jesus. And John reports how Nathanael answered by writing:
Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49)
Here, John used his default strategy (called a “quotative frame”, which he did around 45 times throughout his Gospel.
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