Church Fathers Commentary Luke 1:74

"To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear," — Luke 1:74 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Having said that a horn of salvation has risen for us from the house of David, he shows that through it we become partakers of His glory and escape the assaults of the enemy. As he says, That being delivered from the hands of our enemies, we might serve Him without fear.

These two things—safety and glory—are not easily found together. For many escape danger but fail to live a glorious life, like criminals discharged from prison by the king’s mercy. In contrast, others attain glory but are compelled to encounter dangers for its sake, just as soldiers who embrace a life of honor in war are often in the greatest peril.

But this horn of salvation brings both. It brings safety by rescuing us from the hands of our enemies, and not in some small way, but so completely that we no longer have any fear. These are his very words: that being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we might serve Him without fear.

Origen of Alexandria: To put it another way, people are often delivered from the hands of the enemy, but not without fear. For when someone has already experienced fear and peril before being snatched from the enemy’s hand, they are indeed delivered, but not without having lived through that terror. Therefore, Zacharias said that the coming of Christ allows us to be rescued from our enemies’ hands without fear, for we did not suffer from their evil designs. Instead, He suddenly separated us from them and has led us out to our designated place of rest.