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Scripture Story Sketch Notes · Luke 1:39–56

Mary Visits
Elisabeth

“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Luke 1:46–47

After Gabriel’s message, Mary hurried to her cousin Elisabeth. The Holy Ghost testified to Elisabeth, her unborn son leaped for joy, and Mary sang praise to God her Savior.

Walk to the hill country ↓ Read Luke 1:39–56 first
Hand-drawn doodle map of a winding path: Mary hurrying along a road through hill country, Mary greeted at a stone doorway, Elisabeth glowing with joy, the two women embracing, Mary lifting her hands in praise, a starry village at night, Mary sharing bread with a family, and Mary and Elisabeth spinning together at home under the moon.

Before you begin

The story in brief

Soon after the angel Gabriel’s visit, Mary hurried south into the hill country of Judea to see her cousin Elisabeth, who was expecting a baby in her old age. When Mary called out a greeting, Elisabeth’s unborn baby leaped, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. She called Mary blessed and asked how “the mother of my Lord” could come to her.

Mary answered with a song of praise: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” She sang of a God who notices the humble, lifts up the lowly, feeds the hungry and keeps His promises to Abraham’s family. Mary stayed with Elisabeth about three months, then went home.

Who’s who

  • Mary: a young woman of Nazareth, soon to be the mother of Jesus
  • Elisabeth: her older cousin, expecting John the Baptist
  • Zacharias: Elisabeth’s husband, a priest who could not yet speak
  • Jesus Christ: not yet born, yet already at the center

Where and when

A town in the hill country of Judea, a long journey south from Nazareth, months before Jesus was born.

Watch for the Savior

Watch who Elisabeth calls “my Lord,” and who Mary calls “my Saviour.”

Read it yourself: Luke 1:39–56

Part 1 of 7

The way, mapped

Eight stops from the road out of Nazareth to three months together. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.

    Part 2 of 7

    The story, plainly

    Four scenes: the road, the greeting, the song, and three months. Look for the Savior in each one.

    Read it plainly

    The words that trip people up

    Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1

    1. Luke 1:39“into a city of ”
    2. Luke 1:40“and Elisabeth”
    3. Luke 1:43“ is this to me”
    4. Luke 1:45“there shall be a ”
    5. Luke 1:48“the of his handmaiden”
    6. Luke 1:54“He hath his servant Israel”

    Part 3 of 7

    Look closer

    Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders, Church resources or outside sources. Each card says which.

    0 of 9 turned

    Part 4 of 7

    Where are you?

    Hurrying, feeling small, needing a friend, or full of joy. Which feels most like you right now?

    Try it

    What does God do?

    Mary’s song lists what God does for people. Tap a person on the left, then find what God does for them on the right.

    “He that is mighty hath done to me great things.” Luke 1:49

    Part 5 of 7

    Their world, their words

    A little background helps Mary’s song come alive. Outside sources are labeled.

    Scripture · Luke 1

    A sign for Mary

    Gabriel told Mary her aged cousin was expecting a baby: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”2

    Elisabeth was living proof.

    Church resource · Student manual

    An old song

    “Mary’s song closely resembles the song of Hannah,” who also “miraculously conceived” a son and gave him to the Lord.5

    Mary knew her scriptures.

    Church resource · Student manual

    Low degree

    The song “celebrates the Lord’s mercy in once again reaching out to bless and honor His people.”5

    Especially the humble.

    Church magazine · Ensign

    Reproach

    “Because Elisabeth had faced reproach for her inability to have children, she could show empathy for Mary.”7

    She understood.

    Word study · Greek

    megalunó μεγαλύνω · “magnify” (Luke 1:46)

    Bible Hub: “to make or declare great.”8 Outside · lexicon

    Mary couldn’t make God bigger. She could make Him greater in her own life and in how she spoke of Him.1

    Word study · Greek

    skirtaó σκιρτάω · “leaped” (Luke 1:41)

    Bible Hub: “to leap.”9 Outside · lexicon

    Elisabeth said the baby “leaped in my womb for joy.” John’s first witness of Jesus came before either was born.1

    What the text does not say

    Mary doesn’t boast about being chosen. Her song is almost all about God: what He has done, how merciful He is, how He keeps His promises. She calls Him “God my Saviour.” Even the mother of Jesus needed Him.1

    Part 6 of 7

    Look to Him

    Before He was born, He was already the center: a baby leaped, a cousin testified, a mother sang.

    “It was the Lord Himself who provided Mary with someone to share her load.”

    Bonnie L. Oscarson6
    “I can only imagine how very important the three months they spent together were to both of them.”
    Bonnie L. Oscarson6
    “She received the gift of prophecy as she bore testimony of Jesus Christ.”
    Aspen Stander, Ensign7
    “The Song of Mary associates the birth of Jesus Christ with Israel’s sacred past.”
    New Testament Student Manual5

    Hannah (1 Samuel 2)

    Another song

    “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord … because I rejoice in thy salvation.” 1 Samuel 2:1

    Alma (Book of Mormon)

    Mary foreseen

    Alma prophesied that the Savior “shall be born of Mary … she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel.” Alma 7:10

    Part 7 of 7

    Seek Him today

    A question to ask in prayer

    Who has the Lord given me to lean on, and who needs me to be their Elisabeth? Luke 1:56

    Listen for a name or a face that comes to mind. Then reach out this week.

    Try it today

    One small way to magnify the Lord each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.

    0 of 7 today

    This week:0 of 7 days

    A quiet moment

    “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

    Read Luke 1:46–49 slowly. What would your own song of praise say? Name one great thing He has done for you. Luke 1:46–49

    A verse to hold

    Talk about it

    1. Why did Mary go to Elisabeth?
    2. What happened when Elisabeth heard Mary’s voice?
    3. What does “magnify the Lord” mean?
    4. What great things has God done for our family?
    Open

    For adults and deeper study

    Go deeper

    Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
    Church leader

    Bonnie L. Oscarson, “Sisterhood: Oh, How We Need Each Other” (2014)

    Mary and Elisabeth as a model of strengthening one another across generations.6

    Read the talk →
    Church magazine

    Aspen Stander, “Elisabeth” (Ensign, 2019)

    Elisabeth’s faith, humility and gift of prophecy, and how she comforted Mary.7

    Read the article →
    Church resource

    New Testament Student Manual: Luke 1–3

    The Magnificat, Hannah’s song, and the many testimonies of Christ in Luke’s first chapters.5

    Read the chapter →
    Scripture

    1 Samuel 2:1–10: Hannah’s song

    Read it beside Luke 1:46–55 and look for the echoes.3

    1 Samuel 2 →
    To ponder

    Harder questions

    • Why do you think the Lord sent Mary to Elisabeth instead of leaving her to carry this alone?
    • Mary calls God “my Saviour.” What does that teach about her?
    • Who has been an Elisabeth for you?

    Sources

    Every quotation, gloss, and piece of background on this page is listed here: scripture first, then Church sources, then outside scholarship (labeled).

    Scripture

    1. Luke 1:39–56: Mary visits Elisabeth, and Mary’s song of praise.
    2. Luke 1:36–37: Gabriel tells Mary about Elisabeth: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
    3. 1 Samuel 2:1–10: Hannah’s song: “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord.”
    4. Alma 7:10: Mary, “a precious and chosen vessel.”

    Church leaders and Church resources

    1. New Testament Student Manual, “Luke 1–3”, Gospel Library.
    2. Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women General President, “Sisterhood: Oh, How We Need Each Other”, general conference, April 2014.
    3. Aspen Stander, “Elisabeth”, Ensign, January 2019 (Church magazines).

    Outside sources (labeled on the page)

    1. Strong’s 3170, megalunó, Bible Hub lexicon.
    2. Strong’s 4640, skirtaó, Bible Hub lexicon.

    Quotations checked against the linked pages on October 11, 2026. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version as published in the Gospel Library.

    “My soul doth magnify the Lord”

    He does great things through humble people. Rejoice in Him and help someone else rejoice too. Luke 1:46

    Back to this week: December 28–January 3 Earlier: Zacharias and Mary Next story: Joseph’s Dream All New Testament Story Sketch Notes Study Luke 1 verse by verse
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    Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The words are in Luke 1:39–56; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.