DAYSPRING.—The dawn or beginning of the day; cf. for the word 1 Samuel 9:26, Job 38:12, in NT only Luke 1:78 (ἀ?νατολή), but cf. the prophecy quoted Matthew 4:18 (φῶ?ς ἀ?νέτειλεν αὐ?τοῖ?ς). Zacharias saw, in the remarkable events taking place, the coming of the new day and the dawning of hope for Israel: ‘the Lord, the God of Israel, hath visited and wrought redemption for his people’ (Luke 1:68); ‘the dayspring from on high shall visit us’ (Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 fut. א B). Ἀ?νατέλλειν is often used for the rising of the sun (Matthew 13:6, Mark 16:2, James 1:11) and stars (Numbers 24:17, 2 Peter 1:19), and ἀ?νατολή, either in sing. or plur. form, for the East (Matthew 2:1-2 etc.). In Revelation 7:2, Revelation 16:12 ἡ?λίον is added, and there Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 substitutes ‘sunrising’ for Authorized Version ‘east.’ in LXX Septuagint ἀ?νατολή occurs for the rising of the moon (Isaiah 60:19). Light frequently stands for salvation and deliverance (Isaiah 58:10, Isaiah 60:1, Malachi 4:2, Luke 2:32), and was specially applied to the Messiah, cf. John 1:9 etc., Ephesians 5:14 (see Edersheim, Life and Times, ii. 166). For ἀ?νατολὴ? ἐ?ξ ὕ?ψους in Luke 1:78 Vulgate has oriens ex alto.
Ἐ?ξ ὕ?ψους, ‘from on high,’ presents some difficulty, as dawn does not come from on high; perhaps the ref. to a bright shining star is more in keeping (Meyer); ‘He is the Daystar from on high, bringing a new morning to those who sit in the darkness and death-shadows of the world’ (Liddon, Bamp. Lect. 8 [Note: designates the particular edition of the work referred] p. 248). Godet would connect these words with ἐ?πισκέψεται (‘it is from the bosom of Divine mercy that this star comes down, and it does not rise upon humanity until after it has descended and has been made man’), but this seems hardly necessary; ἐ?ξ ὕ?ψονς represents ‘from God,’ and ἀ?νατολὴ? ἐ?ξ ὕ?ψους is simply ‘God’s Messiah’ (Dalman, The Words of Jesus, pp. 223, 224).
A different translation is based on the fact that ἀ?νατολή in LXX Septuagint stands several times for צֶ?מַ?ח, a ‘shoot’ or ‘branch,’ one of the prophetic names of the Messiah (Jeremiah 23:5, Zechariah 3:8, Zechariah 6:12, cf. Jeremiah 40:15 Theod . [Note: Theodotion.]). So Edersheim: ‘Although almost all modern authorities are against me, I cannot persuade myself that the expression rendered “dayspring” is not here the equivalent of the Heb. צֶ?מַ?ח Branch’ (op. cit. i. 158n . [Note: note.]). but it seems a fatal objection that none of the other expressions in the passage correspond (‘to shine upon’ ἑ?τιφᾶ?ναι, ‘to guide’ κατευθῦ?ναι); and ἐ?ξ ὓ?ψους causes much greater difficulty (cf. Isaiah 11:1). Bleek wishes to combine the two meanings by supposing a play of words on the sprouting branch and the rising star; no Hebrew word will bear the double meaning, but LXX Septuagint comes near identifying this Messianic name with the appearance of light when it renders Isaiah 4:2 (‘in that day shall the branch (צמַ?ח) of the Lord be beautiful and glorious’) by ἑ?τιλάμψει ὁ? θεὸ?ς ἑ?ν βουλῇ? μετἁ? δοξης . If the source of Lk. be Aramaic, ἀ?νατολὴ? may stand for some other word; cf. its use for ננַ?הּ? ‘brightness’ (Isaiah 60:19), and in one MS, Q mg, for וָ?רַ?ח ‘rising’ (Isaiah 60:3). See the Comm. of Godet and Plummer, in loc.
W. H. Dundas.