A song of the Bible
The Nunc Dimittis, Simeon's Song
The song of a devout old man who had been promised he would not die until he saw the Messiah. Taking the infant Jesus into his arms in the temple, Simeon asks God to let His servant depart in peace, for his eyes have finally seen the salvation prepared for all peoples.
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:”Luke 2:29
The song
Simeon's song is a farewell of perfect contentment. Holding the child, he tells God that his servant may now be dismissed in peace, according to the promise, because his own eyes have seen the salvation God prepared in the sight of all peoples. He names this salvation a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of God's people Israel. It is a short song with an enormous horizon, moving from one old man's fulfilled longing to the salvation of the whole world. Yet Simeon does not end in unmixed sweetness. Turning to Mary, he adds a somber word, that this child is set for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign that will be spoken against, and that a sword will pierce her own soul too. The song holds joy and coming sorrow together.
Its occasion
It was sung in the temple in Jerusalem, when Mary and Joseph brought the forty day old Jesus to present Him to the Lord and offer the poor family's sacrifice of two birds. Simeon was a righteous and devout man to whom the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Led by the Spirit into the temple courts at exactly that moment, he recognized the child among all the infants brought that day, took Him in his arms, and blessed God with this song. The aged prophetess Anna approached in the same hour, giving thanks and speaking of the child to all who awaited redemption in Jerusalem.
How it rises to Christ
The Nunc Dimittis sings of Christ directly and names His mission more widely than any song before it. Simeon calls the infant God's salvation prepared before all peoples, and explicitly a light to the Gentiles, opening the covenant beyond Israel to the nations, exactly as the Song of Moses and David had reached toward. His prophecy to Mary points already to the cross, the child destined to be spoken against and the sword that will pierce His mother as she watches Him die. In one embrace Simeon holds the whole Gospel, the world's light, the dividing line He will become, and the suffering at the center of the story. His readiness to die because he has seen Christ models the peace the Savior gives.
Questions people ask
What is the Nunc Dimittis?
The Nunc Dimittis is the song of Simeon, named from its Latin opening, now you dismiss your servant. A devout old man who had been promised he would see the Messiah before dying, Simeon sang it in the temple in Jerusalem while holding the infant Jesus, asking God to let him depart in peace now that his own eyes had finally seen God's salvation.
Why could Simeon die in peace?
The Holy Spirit had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah. When he took the infant Jesus in his arms in the temple, that promise was fulfilled. Having seen God's salvation with his own eyes, a light for the Gentiles and Israel's glory, he was ready to depart contentedly.