The Fallible Study Bible

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Luke1:26–38

Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth

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Luke 1:26–38 — Gabriel Foretells Jesus’ Birth. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

26

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de En tō tō hektō mēni tou Theou apestalē apo ho angelos Gabriēl eis polin tēs Galilaias hē onoma Nazareth

Word by word20 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἘνEnInG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῷtōtheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
ἕκτῳhektōsixthG1623
√ ἕκτος — sixthAdjectiveDative Masculine Singular
hektos: sixth The count runs from Elizabeth’s conception in v. 24, and v. 36 confirms it. Cambridge observes that this is the only datum in Scripture fixing John the Baptist’s age relative to Jesus, half a year older.
μηνὶmēnimonthG3376
√ μήν — a monthNounDative Masculine Singular
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ΘεοῦTheouGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounGenitive Masculine Singular
ἀπεστάληapestalēsentG649
√ ἀποστέλλω — set apart, iVerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
apostellō: to set apart, send with a commission Aorist passive. The verb is not mere sending but commissioning, and it is the same lexeme the Verifier finds shared with Luke 1:19, where this same Gabriel says he “was sent” to Zechariah. Two commissions, six months apart, from one throne.
ἀπὸapoG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἄγγελοςangelosangelG32
√ ἄγγελος — compare G34 (ἀγέλη)) (to bring tidings)NounNominative Masculine Singular
angelos: messenger The word is the noun of the errand, not of the creature.
ΓαβριὴλGabriēlGabrielG1043
√ Γαβριήλ — Gabriel, an archangelNounNominative Masculine Singular
Gabriēl: Gabriel Named in only two verses of the Greek New Testament, both in this chapter (Verifier: G1043 in 2 vv), and otherwise known from Daniel 8 and 9. Gill presses the point that this is the same messenger who gave Daniel “an exact account of the time of the Messiah’s coming.” Luke names him in order to tie the annunciation to the prophetic clock.
εἰςeistoG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
πόλινpolina townG4172
√ πόλις — a town (properly, with walls, of greater or less size)NounAccusative Feminine Singular
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
ΓαλιλαίαςGalilaiasin GalileeG1056
√ Γαλιλαία — Galilæa (iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
Galilaia: Galilee Cambridge reads the geography as prophecy beginning to move: “Thus began to be fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2.” The same Isaiah oracle continues into 9:6-7, the throne language the angel will use six verses later.
ᾗhēG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounDative Feminine Singular
ὄνομαonomacalledG3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounNominative Neuter Singular
ΝαζαρὲθNazarethNazarethG3478
√ Ναζαρέθ — Nazareth or Nazaret, a place in PalestineNounNominative Feminine Singular
Nazareth: Nazareth Ellicott derives the name, with caution (“probably”), from Hebrew Netzer, a branch, the word of Isaiah 11:1. The derivation is a proposal, not a certainty, and Luke draws no such wordplay himself. What Luke does register is obscurity: Gill notes the town was “exceeding despicable” in Jewish eyes.
27

to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

pros parthenon emnēsteumenēn andri hō onoma Iōsēph ex oikou Dauid kai to tēs parthenou onoma Mariam

Word by word16 · parsed
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
παρθένονparthenona virginG3933
√ παρθένος — a maidenNounAccusative Feminine Singular
parthenos: a maiden An uncommon word (14 verses in the Greek New Testament), and the word the Septuagint puts at Isaiah 7:14 for Hebrew almah. Luke uses it twice in this one verse and never again in the unit, states the fact flatly, and attaches no prophecy to it: he lets Mary herself raise its difficulty in v. 34, and the answer he records is the Spirit, not a citation. The Verifier finds the same lexeme shared with Matthew 1:23, which is the verse where the prophecy actually is quoted, and by the other evangelist.
ἐμνηστευμένηνemnēsteumenēnpledged in marriageG3423
√ μνηστεύω — to give a souvenir (engagement present), iVerbPerfect Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Feminine Singular
mnēsteuō: to betroth Rare: the Verifier finds it in only three verses of the Greek New Testament, and the other two are Matthew 1:18 and Luke 2:5, the two other scenes of this same betrothal. The word is almost a proper name for Mary and Joseph’s situation.
ἀνδρὶandrito a manG435
√ ἀνήρ — a man (properly as an individual male)NounDative Masculine Singular
ᾧhōG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounDative Masculine Singular
ὄνομαonomanamedG3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounNominative Neuter Singular
ἸωσὴφIōsēphJosephG2501
√ Ἰωσήφ — Joseph, the name of seven IsraelitesNounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐξex[who was] ofG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
οἴκουoikou[the] houseG3624
√ οἶκος — a dwelling (more or less extensive, literal or figurative)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
oikos: house, household, dynasty Not a building here but a lineage, and the same noun returns in v. 33 as “the house of Jacob.” Luke sets the smaller house inside the larger one: David’s line inside Jacob’s people.
ΔαυὶδDauidof DavidG1138
√ Δαβίδ — Dabid (iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
Dauid: David The first of two appearances of the name in this unit (here and v. 32). Gill and Benson both read the pairing of a carpenter and a poor virgin as the measure of how far the royal house had fallen.
καὶkaiAndG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
παρθένουparthenouvirgin’sG3933
√ παρθένος — a maidenNounGenitive Feminine Singular
parthenos: a maiden The repetition is deliberate: the verse opens and closes on the same word, and the name Mariam is the last word of the sentence.
ὄνομαonomanameG3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounNominative Neuter Singular
ΜαριάμMariam[was] MaryG3137
√ Μαρία — Maria or Mariam (iNounNominative Feminine Singular
Mariam: Miriam The Hebrew form. Luke will use it again in the vocative at v. 30 and at vv. 34 and 38.
28

The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai eiselthōn pros autēn eipen Chaire kecharitōmenē ho Kyrios meta sou

Word by word11 · parsed
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἰσελθὼνeiselthōn[The angel] appearedG1525
√ εἰσέρχομαι — to enter (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
eiserchomai: to enter The annunciation happens indoors, in a room, not in a temple or a vision of the night. Luke’s companion scene to Zechariah’s at the altar of incense is set in a house.
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτὴνautēnherG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
εἶπενeipen[and] saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ΧαῖρεChaireGreetingsG5463
√ χαίρω — to be "cheer"ful, iVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
chairō: to rejoice Present imperative. The angel’s first word to her is a command to be glad, and it shares a root with the participle that follows it, charis and chairō playing on one another in a way no English greeting reproduces.
κεχαριτωμένηkecharitōmenēyou who are highly favoredG5487
√ χαριτόω — to grace, iVerbPerfect Participle Middle or PassiveVocative Feminine Singular
charitoō: to grace, to bestow favor upon The theological pivot of the verse and among the rarest words in the unit: the Verifier finds charitoō in only two verses of the Greek New Testament, here and Ephesians 1:6, where it is the grace “wherein he made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ellicott, JFB and Cambridge all make the same link, and all three use it against the Vulgate’s plena gratia: the word describes grace received, not grace stored or dispensed.
ὁhoTheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΚύριοςKyriosLord [is]G2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
Kyrios: lord, supreme in authority Anarthrous in sense though articular in form, and standing where the Septuagint puts it in the Gideon greeting of Judges 6:12. The one addressed is not told what the Lord will do, only that he is present.
μετὰmetawithG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
σοῦsouyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
Second person singular: the whole sentence narrows to one person.
29

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Hē dietarachthē epi tō logō kai dielogizeto potapos ho aspasmos houtos eiē

Word by word13 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ἩHēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
διεταράχθηdietarachthē[Mary] was greatly troubledG1298
√ διαταράσσω — to disturb wholly, iVerbAorist Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
diatarassō: to disturb wholly A hapax in the Greek New Testament; the simple form tarassō was used of Zechariah at v. 12. Luke marks Mary’s reaction as the stronger of the two, then records that she, unlike the priest, asks for no sign. Ellicott holds that with Mary as with Zechariah “the first feeling was one of natural terror.”
ἐπὶepiatG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
τῷtō[his]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
λόγῳlogōwordsG3056
√ λόγος — something said (including the thought)NounDative Masculine Singular
logos: something said, including the thought behind it The saying, not the speaker, is what disturbs her; Gill notes that a greeting addressed by a man to a woman was itself irregular, quite apart from its content.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
διελογίζετοdielogizetowonderedG1260
√ διαλογίζομαι — to reckon thoroughly, iVerbImperfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
dialogizomai: to reckon thoroughly A ledger word. The imperfect shows the reckoning still running when the angel interrupts it in v. 30, and Luke uses the same verb elsewhere for the calculations of opponents who are weighing what they cannot yet name.
ποταπὸςpotaposwhat kindG4217
√ ποταπός — interrogatively, whatever, iInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ὁhoofG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἀσπασμὸςaspasmosgreetingG783
√ ἀσπασμός — a greeting (in person or by letter)NounNominative Masculine Singular
aspasmos: a greeting The noun answers Chaire in v. 28 and will return at v. 41, where Elizabeth’s child leaps at the sound of Mary’s own aspasmos. The Verifier records the shared lexeme with that verse.
οὗτοςhoutosthisG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
εἴηeiēmight beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Optative Active3rd Person Singular
eimi: to exist, to be (present optative) The oblique optative is nearly extinct in the Greek of this period and survives chiefly in Luke, who uses it for genuinely open indirect questions. It marks her reckoning as unresolved rather than skeptical: not what this greeting means, but what sort of thing it might turn out to be.
30

So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai ho angelos eipen autē Mē phobou Mariam gar heures charin para tō Theō

Word by word14 · parsed
καὶkaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἄγγελοςangelosangelG32
√ ἄγγελος — compare G34 (ἀγέλη)) (to bring tidings)NounNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipentoldG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῇautēherG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
ΜὴMē{Do} notG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
φοβοῦphoboube afraidG5399
√ φοβέω — to frighten, iVerbPresent Imperative Middle or Passive2nd Person Singular
phobeō: to frighten, to fear Present imperative with mē. The same command stands over Gideon at Judges 6:23 and over Zechariah at Luke 1:13, and in each case it is followed at once by a commission. Fear is not argued away; it is overruled by a task.
ΜαριάμMariamMaryG3137
√ Μαρία — Maria or Mariam (iNounVocative Feminine Singular
Vocative: the messenger knows her name.
γὰρgarforG1063
√ γάρ — properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensificationConjunction
εὗρεςheuresyou have foundG2147
√ εὑρίσκω — to find (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
heuriskō: to find Aorist. The finding is presented as already accomplished, before she has done anything in the narrative at all. This is the same grace the perfect participle of v. 28 described; the angel is now unfolding what kecharitōmenē meant.
χάρινcharinfavorG5485
√ χάρις — graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concreteNounAccusative Feminine Singular
charis: graciousness, favor Ellicott argues for keeping “favour” rather than “grace” here, precisely because the English word “grace” now carries dogmatic freight the noun need not bear. The noun and the verb of v. 28 are the same root: charis and charitoō.
παρὰparawithG3844
√ παρά — properly, nearPreposition
τῷtōG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
ΘεῷTheōGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounDative Masculine Singular
Theos: God Third naming of God in five verses, each time as the one who initiates.
31

Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai idou syllēmpsē en gastri kai texē huion kai kaleseis autou to onoma Iēsoun

Word by word14 · parsed
καὶkaivvvG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἰδοὺidouBeholdG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
idou: look! A pointing word, not a pause.
συλλήμψῃsyllēmpsēyou will conceiveG4815
√ συλλαμβάνω — to clasp, iVerbFuture Indicative Middle2nd Person Singular
syllambanō: to clasp, to conceive Future middle. The same verb stands in the perfect at v. 36 of Elizabeth, syneilēphen, she has conceived: the Verifier records the shared lexeme with Luke 1:24. Luke sets Mary’s future against Elizabeth’s accomplished fact, and the grammar carries the argument.
ἐνen. . .G1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
γαστρὶgastri. . .G1064
√ γαστήρ — the stomachNounDative Feminine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τέξῃtexēgive birth toG5088
√ τίκτω — to produce (from seed, as a mother, a plant, the earth, etcVerbFuture Indicative Middle2nd Person Singular
tiktō: to bring forth Future middle. Ordinary childbirth language: whatever is extraordinary in this conception, the bearing is not.
υἱόνhuiona sonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounAccusative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
καλέσειςkaleseisyou are to giveG2564
√ καλέω — to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, directly or otherwise)VerbFuture Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
kaleō: to call Future as command. The verb returns twice in the passive in this unit (vv. 32 and 35, klēthēsetai), where being called something is being declared to be it.
αὐτοῦautouHimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ὄνομαonomanameG3686
√ ὄνομα — a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority, character)NounAccusative Neuter Singular
ἸησοῦνIēsounJesusG2424
√ Ἰησοῦς — Jesus (iNounAccusative Masculine Singular
Iēsous: Jesus, Yehoshua, the salvation of the LORD Matthew, not Luke, supplies the etymology (“for He Himself shall save His people from their sins”); Luke records the name without comment and lets it work. Cambridge notes it was one of the commonest Jewish names of the period, and Poole that both earlier bearers, Joshua son of Nun and Jeshua the high priest, were temporal deliverers and so read as types.
32

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

houtos estai megas kai klēthēsetai Huios Hypsistou kai ho Kyrios Theos dōsei autō ton thronon autou tou patros Dauid

Word by word19 · parsed
οὗτοςhoutosHeG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
houtos: this one A demonstrative, not a pronoun of courtesy. The child is pointed at before he exists.
ἔσταιestaiwill beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
μέγαςmegasgreatG3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
megas: great Absolute and unqualified.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
κληθήσεταιklēthēsetaiwill be calledG2564
√ καλέω — to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, directly or otherwise)VerbFuture Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
kaleō: to call (future passive) The passive leaves the caller unnamed. In v. 35 the same form recurs with the same reticence: he will be called Son of God, and the one doing the calling is not said, because it is God.
ΥἱὸςHuios[the] SonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Singular
ὙψίστουHypsistouof [the] Most HighG5310
√ ὕψιστος — highest, iAdjectiveGenitive Masculine SingularSuperlative
hypsistos: highest, Most High The divine title governs the whole annunciation: Son of the Most High here, power of the Most High in v. 35. Ellicott and Pulpit both note the unsettling fact that the next mouths in the Gospels to use this exact title are those of the demoniacs at Mark 5:7.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhoTheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΚύριοςKyriosLordG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounNominative Masculine Singular
ΘεὸςTheosGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounNominative Masculine Singular
δώσειdōseiwill giveG1325
√ δίδωμι — to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figurativelyVerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
didōmi: to give The throne is granted, not seized. Gill builds his whole account of the mediatorial kingdom on this verb: what is given is delegated and, at 1 Corinthians 15:24, one day handed back.
αὐτῷautōHimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
θρόνονthrononthroneG2362
√ θρόνος — a stately seat ("throne")NounAccusative Masculine Singular
thronos: a stately seat, a throne The word that pulls 2 Samuel 7:12-16 into the room. Cambridge lists the standing prophetic file behind it (2 Samuel 7:12, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, Ezekiel 34:24, Psalm 132:11); Barnes fixes on the specific promise that David would never lack a man to sit on his throne.
αὐτοῦautouof HisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
πατρὸςpatrosfatherG3962
√ πατήρ — a "father" (literally or figuratively, near or more remote)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
ΔαυὶδDauidDavidG1138
√ Δαβίδ — Dabid (iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
Dauid: David Second and last naming in the unit, and the hinge of the dynastic claim.
33

and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai basileusei epi ton oikon Iakōb eis tous aiōnas kai tēs autou basileias estai ouk telos

Word by word16 · parsed
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
βασιλεύσειbasileuseiHe will reignG936
√ βασιλεύω — to rule (literally or figuratively)VerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
basileuō: to reign Future active, and the only occurrence of the verb in this unit; its cognate noun basileia follows four words later. Greek can place the king and his kingdom side by side from one root in a way English cannot.
ἐπὶepioverG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
οἶκονoikonhouseG3624
√ οἶκος — a dwelling (more or less extensive, literal or figurative)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
oikos: house, household The second oikos of the unit, answering “house of David” in v. 27.
ἸακὼβIakōbof JacobG2384
√ Ἰακώβ — Jacob (iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
Iakōb: Jacob The patriarch, not the land and not the crown: the reign is defined by a family, which is why Gill refuses to confine it to the Jews and reads it of “the whole Israel of God, consisting of Jews and Gentiles,” while Barnes takes it simply of the church.
εἰςeisvvvG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
τοὺςtousvvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
αἰῶναςaiōnasforeverG165
√ αἰών — properly, an ageNounAccusative Masculine Plural
aiōn: an age Plural, and governed by eis: into the ages, one after another, without the sentence naming a last one.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τῆςtēsG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
αὐτοῦautouHisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
βασιλείαςbasileiaskingdomG932
√ βασιλεία — properly, royalty, iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
basileia: royalty, kingship, kingdom The noun means the reigning before it means the realm. Cambridge hears Daniel 2:44 behind the clause, “a kingdom which shall never be destroyed,” and reads 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 as concerning only the mediatorial kingdom, so that no contradiction arises.
ἔσταιestaiwillG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
οὐκoukneverG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
τέλοςtelosendG5056
√ τέλος — properly, the point aimed at as a limit, iNounNominative Neuter Singular
telos: the point aimed at as a limit The last word of the angel’s first speech, and it is the one word in it that is denied. Ellicott’s formulation is the sharpest we have: the exercise of sovereignty may cease when all conflict is over, “but it ceases by being perfected, not by passing away.”
34

“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Pōs touto estai Mariam Eipen pros ton angelon epei ou ginōskō andra

Word by word13 · parsed
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΠῶςPōsHowG4459
√ πῶς — an interrogative particle of mannerAdverb
pōs: an interrogative particle of manner Of manner, not of possibility. She asks by what route, not whether.
τοῦτοtoutovvvG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Neuter Singular
ἔσταιestaican this beG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
eimi: to be (future) The same form, estai, that the angel used three times in vv. 32-33. She takes his verb and turns it into a question without altering its mood.
ΜαριὰμMariamMaryG3137
√ Μαρία — Maria or Mariam (iNounNominative Feminine Singular
ΕἶπενEipenaskedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprosG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
τὸνtontheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
ἄγγελονangelonangelG32
√ ἄγγελος — compare G34 (ἀγέλη)) (to bring tidings)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
ἐπεὶepeisinceG1893
√ ἐπεί — thereupon, iConjunction
epei: since, seeing that The conjunction makes her virginity a premise, which is why the tradition has argued so hard over what she assumed. Poole reports and then dismantles the reading that would make this a vow of perpetual virginity: there were no such vows among the Israelites, and one made in a father’s house could be annulled by the law.
οὐouvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
γινώσκωginōskōI am a virginG1097
√ γινώσκω — to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed)VerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
ginōskō: to know Present indicative, and the Semitic idiom for marital relations (Genesis 4:1). Gill calls it plainly “an euphemism.” The grammar is the whole of her objection: she states a present condition, not a resolution about the future, and the angel answers the condition.
ἄνδραandra. . .G435
√ ἀνήρ — a man (properly as an individual male)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
35

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

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Greek — tap a word ↓

ho angelos Kai apokritheis eipen autē Hagion Pneuma epeleusetai epi se kai dynamis Hypsistou episkiasei soi dio kai to hagion gennōmenon klēthēsetai Huios Theou

Word by word24 · parsed
ὁhoTheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἄγγελοςangelosangelG32
√ ἄγγελος — compare G34 (ἀγέλη)) (to bring tidings)NounNominative Masculine Singular
ΚαὶKaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἀποκριθεὶςapokritheisrepliedG611
√ ἀποκρίνομαι — to conclude for oneself, iVerbAorist Participle PassiveNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipen. . .G2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῇautē. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
ἍγιονHagion[The] HolyG40
√ ἅγιος — sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated)AdjectiveNominative Neuter Singular
hagios: sacred, set apart Anarthrous and fronted: Holy Spirit, with the adjective first. The same adjective returns fourteen words later of the child, which is the verse’s quiet argument: what the Holy Spirit works is holy.
ΠνεῦμαPneumaSpiritG4151
√ πνεῦμα — a current of air, iNounNominative Neuter Singular
ἐπελεύσεταιepeleusetaiwill comeG1904
√ ἐπέρχομαι — to supervene, iVerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
eperchomai: to supervene, to come upon The verb of Acts 1:8. Poole reads the phrase against the prophetic formula (“the Spirit of the Lord came upon them”) and insists it means here an extraordinary influence “changing the order and course of nature,” not the common providence by which every child is formed in the womb (Job 10:8, Psalm 139:15).
ἐπὶepiuponG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
σέseyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
δύναμιςdynamis[the] powerG1411
√ δύναμις — force (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Feminine Singular
dynamis: force, power JFB defines it exactly as “the immediate energy of the Godhead conveyed by the Holy Ghost.” The noun stands in parallel to Pneuma Hagion, so that the two clauses say one thing twice.
ὙψίστουHypsistouof [the] Most HighG5310
√ ὕψιστος — highest, iAdjectiveGenitive Masculine SingularSuperlative
hypsistos: Most High The third occurrence of the divine title in four verses, deliberately matched to “Son of the Most High” in v. 32: the power of the Most High produces the Son of the Most High.
ἐπισκιάσειepiskiaseiwill overshadowG1982
√ ἐπισκιάζω — to cast a shade upon, iVerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
episkiazō: to cast a shade upon The most freighted verb in the unit. Cambridge reads it as Shechinah language, the cloud of Exodus 40:35 and 1 Kings 8:10-11, and cross-references Luke 9:34, where the same verb covers the mount of transfiguration and a voice names the Son. Pulpit hears Genesis 1:2 instead, the Spirit brooding on the deep. Poole calls it a modest phrase for a divine creating act. The word is rare and is doing all three jobs at once.
σοιsoiyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounDative 2nd Person Singular
διὸdioSoG1352
√ διό — through which thing, iConjunction
dio: wherefore, for which reason The inferential hinge of the verse.
καὶkai. . .G2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τὸtotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Neuter Singular
ἅγιονhagionHoly OneG40
√ ἅγιος — sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated)AdjectiveNominative Neuter Singular
hagios: holy Neuter, used substantivally of the child. Geneva glosses it “that thing which is pure and void of all spot of uncleanliness: for he that was to take away sin must of necessity be void of sin.”
γεννώμενονgennōmenonto be bornG1080
√ γεννάω — to procreate (properly, of the father, but by extension of the mother)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveNominative Neuter Singular
gennaō: to beget, to be born Present participle, middle or passive, and neuter. The tense is unresolved as to time, which is why the versions differ over “to be born” and “which is in thy womb.”
κληθήσεταιklēthēsetaiwill be calledG2564
√ καλέω — to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, directly or otherwise)VerbFuture Indicative Passive3rd Person Singular
ΥἱὸςHuios[the] SonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounNominative Masculine Singular
ΘεοῦTheouof GodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounGenitive Masculine Singular
Theos: God Anarthrous in the predicate title, matching the anarthrous “Son of the Most High” in v. 32.
36

Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

idou kai Elisabet sou hē syngenis autē kai syneilēphen huion en autēs gērei kai tē kaloumenē steira houtos estin autē hektos mēn

Word by word22 · parsed
ἰδοὺidouLookG2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
idou: look! The second idou of the angel’s speech (v. 31 was the first), and it introduces the evidence rather than the promise.
καὶkaievenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἘλισάβετElisabetElizabethG1665
√ Ἐλισάβετ — Elisabet, an IsraelitessNounNominative Feminine Singular
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
ἡhēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
συγγενίςsyngenisrelativeG4773
√ συγγενής — a relative (by blood)NounNominative Feminine Singular
syngenēs: a relative by blood The word that has generated centuries of reconstruction. Ellicott infers that a parent of Mary was of Aaron, or a parent of Elizabeth of David; Poole, Geneva and Gill all argue that the marriage law of Numbers 36:6 restricted only heiresses, so intermarriage between Levi and Judah was open; Cambridge simply declines to decide.
αὐτὴautēG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounNominative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
συνείληφενsyneilēphenhas conceivedG4815
√ συλλαμβάνω — to clasp, iVerbPerfect Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
syllambanō: to clasp, to conceive Perfect indicative. The Verifier records the shared lexeme with Luke 1:24, where Elizabeth’s conception was narrated. Luke gives Mary a fact she can check, six months old and visible.
υἱὸνhuiona sonG5207
√ υἱός — a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinshipNounAccusative Masculine Singular
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
αὐτῆςautēsherG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
γήρειgēreiold ageG1094
√ γῆρας — senilityNounDative Neuter Singular
gēras: old age The Septuagint’s word in the Abraham and Sarah cycle, and the reason the whole verse reads as Genesis.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τῇtēshe whoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
καλουμένῃkaloumenē[was] calledG2564
√ καλέω — to "call" (properly, aloud, but used in a variety of applications, directly or otherwise)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveDative Feminine Singular
στείρᾳsteirabarrenG4723
√ στείρος — "sterile"NounDative Feminine Singular
steiros: sterile, barren A rare word (5 verses), and in the Septuagint the standing description of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Hannah. The Verifier links it back to Luke 1:7, where Elizabeth is introduced, and forward to Luke 23:29, where Jesus pronounces the barren blessed and turns the motif inside out.
οὗτοςhoutosG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounNominative Masculine Singular
ἐστὶνestinisG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῇautēin herG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
ἕκτοςhektossixthG1623
√ ἕκτος — sixthAdjectiveNominative Masculine Singular
hektos: sixth The number that closes the loop with v. 26: the annunciation is dated by this pregnancy, and now this pregnancy is offered as its proof.
μὴνmēnmonthG3376
√ μήν — a monthNounNominative Masculine Singular
37

For no word from God will ever fail.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

hoti ouk rhēma para tou Theou pan adynatēsei

Word by word8 · parsed
ὅτιhotiForG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
οὐκouknoG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
The absolute negative, paired Semitically with pan.
ῥῆμαrhēmawordG4487
√ ῥῆμα — an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),NounNominative Neuter Singular
rhēma: an utterance, a thing spoken The hinge word of the unit’s close, and Mary will repeat it back in v. 38. Cambridge’s correction from “nothing” to “no word” is not pedantry: it converts an abstract axiom into a statement about a promise that has just been made in this room.
παρὰparafromG3844
√ παρά — properly, nearPreposition
τοῦtouG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ΘεοῦTheouGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounGenitive Masculine Singular
πᾶνpanwill everG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveNominative Neuter Singular
pas: all, every With the negative, it means none.
ἀδυνατήσειadynatēseifailG101
√ ἀδυνατέω — to be unable, iVerbFuture Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
adynateō: to be unable, powerless The Verifier finds this lexeme in only two verses of the Greek New Testament, here and Matthew 17:20. Cambridge and JFB both name Genesis 18:14 as the source of the sentence, where the LORD asks Abraham whether any word is too wonderful for him. Poole adds the necessary guard: this does not make possible to God what would contradict his nature or his will, “but God can do whatsoever he can will.”
38

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Idou hē Kyriou doulē de Mariam Eipen genoito moi kata sou to rhēma kai ho angelos apēlthen ap’ autēs

Word by word19 · parsed
ἸδοὺIdou[I am]G2400
√ ἰδού — used as imperative lo!VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
idou: look! She answers with the angel’s own word (vv. 31, 36), turning his pointer back on herself. The Verifier records the shared lexeme with Luke 1:48, where she uses it again in the Magnificat.
ἡhētheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
ΚυρίουKyriouLord’sG2962
√ κύριος — supreme in authority, iNounGenitive Masculine Singular
δούληdoulēservantG1399
√ δούλη — a female slave (involuntarily or voluntarily)NounNominative Feminine Singular
doulē: a female slave Rare: the Verifier finds it in only three verses of the Greek New Testament, and the other two are her own Magnificat (Luke 1:48) and Peter’s citation of Joel at Acts 2:18. The word she picks for herself is the one Joel picks for those on whom the Spirit is poured out.
δὲdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΜαριάμMariamMaryG3137
√ Μαρία — Maria or Mariam (iNounNominative Feminine Singular
ΕἶπενEipenansweredG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
γένοιτόgenoitoMay it happenG1096
√ γίνομαι — to cause to be ("gen"-erate), iVerbAorist Optative Middle3rd Person Singular
ginomai: to come to be Aorist optative of volition, and the theological center of the verse. The mood is neither indicative (she does not predict) nor imperative (she does not command); it is the mood of assent to another’s act. Cambridge hears her quoting 1 Samuel 3:18, and Ellicott hears the garden ahead: “Not my will, but Thine be done.”
μοιmoito meG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounDative 1st Person Singular
κατὰkataaccording toG2596
√ κατά — (prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)Preposition
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τὸtoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Singular
ῥῆμάrhēmawordG4487
√ ῥῆμα — an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),NounAccusative Neuter Singular
rhēma: an utterance The second and last rhēma, one verse after the first. His promise and her consent are named with the same noun.
καὶkaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ὁhotheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ἄγγελοςangelosangelG32
√ ἄγγελος — compare G34 (ἀγέλη)) (to bring tidings)NounNominative Masculine Singular
ἀπῆλθενapēlthenleftG565
√ ἀπέρχομαι — to go off (iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
aperchomai: to go off, to depart The narrative’s last verb. Gill sends the angel back to his master with the business done; Luke simply records that the room emptied and left her with the word.
ἀπ’ap’. . .G575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
αὐτῆςautēsherG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The sixth month, and a town nobody cites — 26-27

Luke dates the scene by a pregnancy, not by a reign: en tō mēni tō hektō, in the sixth month, counted from Elizabeth’s conception in v. 24 and confirmed by the angel himself in v. 36. Cambridge notes that this is the only datum in Scripture fixing John the Baptist’s age, half a year older than our Lord. The verb is a passive, ἀπεστάλη (apestalē), and Poole draws the right inference from it: God is the one moving, since “without whose command the angels do not move.” The Verifier records the same lexeme, apostellō, shared with Luke 1:19, where this same Gabriel told Zechariah he had been sent: two commissions, one sender, six months apart. Then the geography, which every commentator here treats as the point. Gill: the whole country of Galilee “was mean and contemptible with the Jews,” and Nazareth worse. Cambridge sees Isaiah 9:1-2 beginning to move in that very obscurity. Ellicott adds, carefully hedged as “probably,” the derivation of the town’s name from Netzer, a branch; Luke himself makes nothing of it, and we should not make more. The last two words of v. 27 are the girl’s name in its Semitic form, Μαριάμ, Miriam.

ii. Kecharitōmenē: the word that has been fought over — 28-30

The angel’s first word is a verb of joy in the imperative, Χαῖρε, and his second is the perfect passive participle κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitōmenē, G5487), among the rarest words in this unit: the Verifier finds it in exactly two verses of the Greek New Testament, here and Ephesians 1:6. Ellicott, JFB, Cambridge and Pulpit converge on the same reading and the same correction: the perfect passive says grace received, not grace possessed or dispensed, and the Vulgate’s plena gratia overreaches. Cambridge puts Bengel’s epigram on it: “Not a mother of grace, but a daughter.” Benson, quoting an unnamed writer, presses the same lexical point into open polemic. On the textual question the witnesses agree against the received text: Ellicott, Cambridge and Pulpit all judge “blessed art thou among women” an importation here from v. 42, and BSB rightly omits it. Mary’s reaction is measured by an intensified compound, διεταράχθη, and by the imperfect διελογίζετο, a word of reckoning rather than of feeling: she was still calculating when the angel cut in. Pulpit draws the comparison Luke plainly wants drawn, between this and Zechariah at the altar: she “simply wondered,” and asked no sign. Then mē phobou, a present imperative addressed to a fear already running, and the Septuagint formula Geneva names outright: she has found favor, as Noah and Moses and David found it.

iii. A son, a name, a throne, and no end — 31-33

The promise arrives in four plain futures: you will conceive, you will bear, you will call, he will be. συλλήμψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ is the Septuagint’s idiom, and here the commentators divide honestly. Gill says the angel “manifestly refers” to Isaiah 7:14; JFB, citing Calvin, says he “purposely conforms his language” to it; Ellicott says flatly that “St. Luke does not refer to the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14,” while granting that Mary’s own answer shows she took the words as Matthew takes the prophet’s. We record the disagreement rather than resolving it. The naming is handed to her, not to Joseph, in an imperatival future, καλέσεις; Cambridge supplies the philology of the name (Yehoshua, ‘The salvation of Jehovah’) and Matthew, not Luke, supplies its meaning. Henry supplies the affection: “Jesus, a Saviour!” The throne clause is where the Old Testament crowds in. Cambridge files the whole prophetic dossier behind v. 32 (2 Samuel 7:12, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, Ezekiel 34:24, Psalm 132:11) and lets Daniel 2:44 stand behind v. 33: “a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.” Barnes fixes the specific promise: there should never fail a man to sit on David’s throne. Gill refuses the merely ethnic reading of “the house of Jacob,” and Ellicott, who watched the disciples still asking about a restored kingdom in Acts 1:6, calls this one of the most memorable instances of a prophecy fulfilled in quite another fashion than its first hearers could have imagined. Pulpit, alone among these voices, insists the words are still unfulfilled. The last word of the sentence is τέλος, an end or limit, and it is negated.

iv. How? The overshadowing — 34-35

Mary’s question is a future indicative, not a modal: pōs estai touto, how will this be, with a causal epei and a present indicative, οὐ γινώσκω ἄνδρα. Gill names the construction for what it is, “an euphemism, or a modest way of expressing carnal copulation; see Genesis 4:1.” JFB draws the contrast with Zechariah precisely: not “whereby shall I know this?” but, taking the fact for granted, how. Cambridge sharpens it into an image, the village maiden with a readier faith than the aged priest in the Holy Place. Poole, to his credit, records the minority view that her words are “hardly excusable from all guilt,” and we keep it in view rather than flattening the tradition. The answer comes in two parallel clauses and one rare verb. ἐπισκιάσει (episkiasei, G1982) is “to cast a shade upon,” and Cambridge reads it as Shechinah language, the Cloud of Glory, cross-referencing Luke 9:34 where the same verb covers the mount of transfiguration. Pulpit hears Genesis 1:2 instead, the Spirit brooding over the deep. Poole keeps both hands open, calling the term “a modest phrase” for a divine creating power supplying what no man supplied. Then the inferential dio kai and the neuter participle: τὸ ἅγιον γεννώμενον, the holy thing being born. JFB draws the boundary we take as the mature reading: neither a double Sonship, “harshly and without all ground,” nor a denial of the connection here plainly expressed between the human birth and the personal Sonship.

v. The sign she did not ask for, and the word that cannot fail — 36-37

She asked for no sign, so one is given. Gill states it plainly: “though Mary asked no sign, yet one is given her,” and JFB calls it an unsought sign in reward of her faith. The proof is a relative: συγγενίς, which Cambridge corrects from “cousin” to “kinswoman,” adding that what the actual relationship was “we do not know.” Luke’s grammar does the arguing: Mary’s conceiving is future (syllēmpsē, v. 31), Elizabeth’s is perfect (syneilēphen), already done and standing. And the woman in question is στείρᾳ, called barren, the word that in the Septuagint belongs to Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Hannah. Then v. 37, seven words in Greek, with a Semitic negation (ouk ... pan, “not every” for “no”) and a noun the older English hides: Cambridge corrects “nothing” to “no word,” and both Cambridge and JFB name Genesis 18:14, the LORD to Abraham at the tent door, as the source. Poole guards the sentence from abuse with a scholastic’s care: nothing is possible to God “the contrary to which he hath willed, but God can do whatsoever he can will.”

vi. Genoito: the optative of consent — 38

She answers with the angel’s own pointing word, idou, and a noun the English softens: δούλη (doulē, G1399), a female slave, which the Verifier finds in only three verses of the Greek New Testament, and one of them is Mary’s own Magnificat eleven verses later. Then γένοιτό, an aorist optative of volition, the Septuagint’s word for amen: not “it shall be” but “let it be.” Gill hears it exactly: “she set her ‘Amen’ to the angel’s message.” Cambridge finds her speaking Scripture back, 1 Samuel 3:18, “If it be the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good.” Poole guards the sentence from the use later made of it: the phrase does not speak her “the lady and queen of heaven,” but her humility. Ellicott and Pulpit both hear the cost in it, Ellicott anticipating the words of her Son in the garden, Pulpit quoting Godet on a consent “at once simple and sublime.” The last clause is the loneliest in the unit: kai apēlthen ap’ autēs ho angelos. The messenger leaves, and she is left with the word and its consequences.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Reading this unit under Scripture alone, the hinge is a single noun used twice: ῥῆμα (rhēma, G4487), an utterance, a spoken thing. In v. 37 the angel says that no rhēma from God will be powerless; in v. 38 Mary asks that it happen to her according to his rhēma. Luke puts the same word on both sides of the exchange, and the second is her answer to the first. She does not verify the promise, negotiate it, or ask for a sign; she takes the word as the operative thing and consents to its outcome in her body. That is what faith looks like here, and it is measured against three other reactions in the immediate context that the text itself supplies: Zechariah, who asked how he should know (1:18); Elizabeth, who is the accomplished proof (1:36); and Mary, who asked only how it would be done. Note also what the angel does not say. He does not quote Isaiah 7:14, although his idiom is the Septuagint’s there, and Ellicott is right to refuse the citation that Gill and Calvin supply. He does not explain the mechanism of the Incarnation; Ellicott concedes that the message was “a partial, not a complete, revelation of the mystery,” and we should not fill the gap the angel left. What he does do is speak Old Testament back into a girl’s room: the greeting of Judges 6:12, the found favor of Genesis, the throne of 2 Samuel 7, the endless kingdom of Daniel, the impossible word of Genesis 18:14, and the overshadowing cloud of Exodus 40. Not one of these is quoted with a formula. All of them are spoken as though they had been waiting. ⚙ Our own reading, offered to be tested and corrected: the annunciation is not the beginning of a new covenant so much as the arrival of an old one at an address nobody was watching, and the only human act in it is a verb in the optative.

Not a verse, a synthesis line offered for testing: the promise was never repealed, only unaddressed, and in Nazareth it found a name and an answer.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

Graced, and graced in the Beloved: the two verses of charitoō verbal / quotation: confirmed

The perfect passive participle κεχαριτωμένη at v. 28 comes from a verb the Verifier finds in only two verses of the Greek New Testament. The other is Ephesians 1:6, where the same verb describes the grace “wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” Ellicott makes the link (“the verb is the same as that which is translated, ‘hath made us accepted’ in Ephesians 1:6”), JFB makes it, and Cambridge makes it; all three use it to strike down the Vulgate’s plena gratia. The force of the link is lexical and one-directional: it tells us that what was said of Mary is said in Paul of the whole church, which is the reverse of the use often made of the verse.

Ephesians 1:6

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G5487 charitoō, which occurs in only 2 verses of the Greek New Testament (Luke 1:28 and Ephesians 1:6). A rare shared lexeme within one Testament, not a quotation of one text by the other; Ellicott, JFB and Cambridge all record the link independently.

Adynateō: the only other place the word is used verbal / quotation: confirmed

Luke 1:37 turns on ἀδυνατήσει (adynatēsei, G101, future of adynateō, to be powerless). The Verifier finds the lexeme in only two verses of the Greek New Testament: here, of God’s word, and Matthew 17:20, of the faith that moves a mountain, where Jesus tells the disciples “nothing shall be impossible unto you.” The same verb thus stands once over the word God speaks and once over the faith that takes him at it. Cambridge cross-references the parallel thought at Matthew 19:26 and Jeremiah 32:17; Poole notes the saying was proverbial.

Matthew 17:20

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G101 adynateō, in only 2 verses of the Greek New Testament (Luke 1:37, Matthew 17:20). Rare shared lexeme within the Greek New Testament; neither verse cites the other.

Is anything too hard for the LORD? Genesis 18 at the tent door structural / thematic: confirmed

Both Cambridge and JFB name Genesis 18:14 as what stands behind v. 37, JFB explicitly: the angel is “referring to what was said by the angel to Abraham in like case (Ge 18:14), to strengthen her faith.” The Septuagint of Genesis 18:14 is close to Luke’s wording, and the situation is the same one twice: a barren womb, a promise, laughter or fear, and a question that is really an answer. Elizabeth in v. 36 makes the parallel concrete, since the word steira (barren) belongs first to Sarah. We do not tier this verbal, and the reason is a rule and not a hedge.

Genesis 18:14 · Genesis 11:30

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): shared Strong's numbers cannot exist between these texts, so the Verifier can compute no verbal basis and the link may never be tiered verbal. Recorded basis: the wording of Luke 1:37 follows the Septuagint of Genesis 18:14, and Cambridge and JFB each name Genesis 18:14 as the source, within the shared pattern of a barren womb receiving an impossible promise.

The throne that was promised: 2 Samuel 7 in a Galilean house structural / thematic: confirmed

The dynastic clause of vv. 32-33 (the throne of his father David, the house of Jacob, a kingdom without end) is the language of Nathan’s oracle at 2 Samuel 7:12-16, with Psalm 132:11 as its liturgical form. Cambridge files the whole dossier under v. 32 and names 2 Samuel 7:12 and Psalm 132:11 directly; Barnes fixes on the promise that there should never fail a man to sit on David’s throne (1 Kings 2:4, 8:25, 9:5); Isaiah 9:6-7 supplies the increase of government with no end, which JFB calls the sublime prediction of which this is “but an echo”; Daniel 2:44 and 7:14 supply the kingdom that shall never be destroyed, cited by Cambridge and by Gill. Luke uses no citation formula at any point. He simply has the angel speak the promise as though it were still in force.

2 Samuel 7:12-16 · Psalm 132:11 · Isaiah 9:6-7 · Daniel 2:44 · Daniel 7:14

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's numbers are computable, so the Verifier supplies no verbal basis and the tier may not be verbal, however close the borrowing. Recorded basis: Cambridge names 2 Samuel 7:12 and Psalm 132:11 on v. 32, Cambridge and Gill name Daniel 2:44 on v. 33, and JFB names Isaiah 9:6-7 on both; the shared pattern is the unending Davidic throne.

The cloud that covered the tent: episkiazō and the Shechinah typological

The verb of v. 35, ἐπισκιάσει (G1982, to cast a shade upon), is the verb the Septuagint uses at Exodus 40:35, where the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle so that Moses could not enter; 1 Kings 8:10-11 says the same of the house Solomon built. Cambridge reads it exactly so, “as with the Shechinah and Cloud of Glory,” and points to Luke 9:34, where the same verb covers the mount of transfiguration. Pulpit hears a second resonance, Genesis 1:2, the Spirit brooding on the deep, and Gill reports the Jewish reading of that verb as a bird on the nest. The figure is that the woman becomes the place the glory fills, which is a figural reading and is tiered as such.

Exodus 40:34-35 · 1 Kings 8:10-11 · Luke 9:34

basis: Figural, and cross-Testament for the first two refs, so no shared Strong's basis is computable and no verbal tier is permitted. Recorded basis: episkiazō (G1982) is the Septuagint verb at Exodus 40:35; Cambridge names the Shechinah and the Cloud of Glory, and the reading of the tabernacle and temple as types of the incarnate body is ancient and widely held, not novel to this synthesis.

The LORD is with thee: Gideon in the winepress, a girl in Nazareth structural / thematic: confirmed

Three of our voices send the same signal independently. Benson: “The Lord is with thee, was said to Gideon, Jdg 6:12.” Gill: “so the angel to Gideon, Judges 6:12.” Cambridge: “With this address comp. Jdg 6:12.” The pattern is a set piece: an angel appears to an obscure person in an obscure place, greets them with the Lord’s presence, is met with confusion, says do not fear, and gives a commission that the person cannot execute. Benson adds the other half of the pattern from the same book, Jael at Judges 5:24 (“Blessed shall she be above women”), and uses it against the elevation of Mary. Zephaniah 3:14-17 holds the same three elements in prophetic form, the daughter of Zion told to rejoice, told not to fear, and told that the LORD is in her midst.

Judges 6:12 · Zephaniah 3:14-17

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): shared Strong's numbers are not computable and the verbal tier is therefore excluded. Recorded basis: Benson, Gill and Cambridge each independently cite Judges 6:12 as the formula behind Luke 1:28, and the shared structure is the call scene (greeting of presence, fear, do not fear, impossible commission).

Isaiah 7:14: claimed, denied, and not actually quoted here flagged: verify source

This is the contested one, and we flag it rather than settle it. Gill says the angel “manifestly refers” to Isaiah 7:14. JFB, citing Calvin, says he “purposely conforms his language” to it. Poole says the angel “plainly minds her” that the prophecy should be fulfilled in her. Cambridge simply cross-references it under the word virgin. Against them all, Ellicott: “St. Luke does not refer to the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14,” while granting that Mary’s answer shows she took the angel’s words in the sense Matthew gives the prophet’s. The observable facts are these: Luke uses parthenos and the idiom syllēmpsē en gastri, both of which stand in the Septuagint of Isaiah 7:14; Luke supplies no citation formula anywhere in this unit; and it is Matthew 1:22-23, not Luke, who quotes the prophecy explicitly and names it as fulfilled. The provenance of the claim is therefore disputed among our own sources, which is what the flag records.

Isaiah 7:14 · Matthew 1:23

basis: Contested provenance: Gill, JFB (citing Calvin) and Poole assert a deliberate reference to Isaiah 7:14 at Luke 1:31; Ellicott denies it outright. Luke supplies no citation formula. Matthew 1:23 is the only explicit quotation of Isaiah 7:14 in the Gospels, and the Verifier's Matthew 1:23 candidate rests on the shared Greek lexemes G3933 parthenos (in 14 vv) and G3686 onoma (in 214 vv), which is a Greek-to-Greek overlap with Matthew and not evidence of a Lukan citation of Isaiah. Cross-Testament in any case, so the verbal tier is excluded.

Doulē: the word she chose, and where she says it again verbal / quotation: confirmed

Mary calls herself δούλη (doulē, G1399), a female slave, a word the Verifier finds in only three verses of the Greek New Testament. One of the other two is her own Magnificat, Luke 1:48, where she says God looked on the low estate of his doulē; the third is Acts 2:18, Peter quoting Joel on the day the Spirit falls on the menservants and maidservants alike. The rare noun thus runs from her consent, through her song, to Pentecost. Gill reads v. 38 as her Amen; the Verifier confirms that the same rare lexeme is the one she reaches for again when she sings.

Luke 1:48 · Acts 2:18

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G1399 doulē, in only 3 verses of the Greek New Testament (Luke 1:38, Luke 1:48, Acts 2:18). A rare shared lexeme within the Greek New Testament; Acts 2:18 is itself a quotation of Joel, but the link asserted here is the lexeme, not a citation of Luke.

Steira: the barren women who keep having sons structural / thematic: confirmed

Elizabeth is “she who was called barren,” στείρᾳ (steira, G4723), a lexeme the Verifier finds in five verses of the Greek New Testament and which the Septuagint attaches to Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Hannah. Within Luke it binds this scene to 1:7, where Elizabeth is introduced as barren, and forward to 23:29, where Jesus on the way to the cross calls the barren blessed and inverts the whole motif. Gill notes the social force of the label: she was “by way of reproach, usually called so.” The sign given to Mary is thus not a new kind of thing at all; it is the oldest pattern in the Hebrew Bible, running one notch further than it ever ran before.

Luke 1:7 · Luke 23:29

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G4723 steiros (in 5 vv) links Luke 1:36 to Luke 1:7 and Luke 23:29, and the Luke 1:7 candidate also shares G1665 Elisabet (in 8 vv). We deliberately decline the verbal tier: 5 verses is only moderately rare, no text here cites another, and what we are actually claiming is a shared motif (the barren woman who bears) rather than a quotation. Tiered down on purpose.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The throne nobody was sitting on ancient/widely-held

⚙ The promise of 2 Samuel 7:12-16 had been in default for roughly six centuries when Gabriel repeated it in a house in Nazareth. Barnes states the claim in its plainest form: the promise to David was that there should never fail a man to sit on his throne, “and the promise was fulfilled by exalting Jesus to be a Prince and a Saviour, and the perpetual King of his people.” Cambridge supplies the file of prophetic texts that say the same (Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, Ezekiel 34:24, Psalm 132:11) and the apostolic texts that call it fulfilled (Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 22:16). Gill distinguishes the kingdom of nature, which the Son holds by right, from the mediatorial kingdom, which the verb dōsei says is given and which 1 Corinthians 15:24 says is handed back. Ellicott is the honest one about the shape of the fulfilment: it took events to teach men that a promise which sounded like a restored Israelite monarchy was answered in the Christ’s spiritual sovereignty, and he notes that the Evangelist who recorded this promise also recorded the crucifixion. Pulpit dissents, holding the words still unfulfilled and awaiting a literal restoration. Both readings are here on the page; the apostolic one is the older and the broader.

2 Samuel 7:12-16 · Isaiah 9:6-7 · Acts 2:30-36 · Revelation 22:16

The glory that filled the house, filling a body ancient/widely-held

⚙ When the cloud covered the tent of meeting, Moses could not enter, and when the glory filled Solomon’s house, the priests could not stand to minister. The verb for that covering in the Septuagint is the verb Gabriel uses of Mary: episkiazō. Cambridge reads it as the Shechinah and the Cloud of Glory and sends the reader to Luke 9:34, where the same verb covers the mountain and a voice says “This is my Son.” The typology is not our invention and is not novel: the tabernacle and temple have been read as figures of the incarnate body since the apostolic age, and John 1:14 says the Word tented among us. What the grammar of v. 35 adds is the conclusion drawn from the overshadowing by an inferential dio kai: because the Spirit comes and the power overshadows, therefore the one being born is called holy, Son of God. JFB marks the boundary that keeps this from collapsing into adoptionism on one side or a double Sonship on the other: the eternal Sonship is presupposed throughout the New Testament, and here that Sonship comes into “human and palpable manifestation.” Poole adds the pastoral point that the flesh taken is flesh sanctified, and Geneva the reason it must be: “he that was to take away sin must of necessity be void of sin.”

Exodus 40:34-35 · 1 Kings 8:10-11 · John 1:14 · Luke 9:34

Yehoshua, who brings them in ancient/widely-held

⚙ The name given in v. 31 is not a new name. Cambridge notes that the Greek Iēsous is used of Joshua son of Nun at Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8, so that English readers miss the identity that Greek readers could not miss. Poole draws the typology out: there were two of the name before, Joshua and Jeshua, “both of which were great types of Christ, as being great temporal saviours to the Israelites. The one brought them into Canaan; the other led them out of Babylon.” Cambridge sends the reader to Pearson on the Creed for the same reading. Notice what Luke does and does not do: he records the name and its imposition, and he supplies no etymology at all. It is Matthew 1:21 who says why: “for He Himself shall save His people from their sins,” which Cambridge, quoting Bengel, calls the Summa Evangelii. The unit thus gives the name and withholds the gloss, and the reader is left to fetch it from the other evangelist, or from the history the name already carries.

Matthew 1:21 · Acts 7:45 · Hebrews 4:8

The word that cannot fail, and the Word received novel

⚙ A reading we offer as our own and mark as such. Luke uses ῥῆμα twice at the close of this unit and nowhere else in it: in v. 37 no rhēma from God will be powerless, and in v. 38 let it be to me according to your rhēma. Between the two stands a woman’s consent, and after them a conception. The New Testament elsewhere makes the spoken word of God the agent of creation and of new birth (Hebrews 11:3, 1 Peter 1:23-25 quoting Isaiah 40:8), and John 1:14 makes the Word itself the thing conceived. We do not claim that Luke is writing a Logos theology here; he uses rhēma, not logos, and his interest is plainly the reliability of a promise rather than the person of the Son. The observation we do offer, to be tested and corrected, is structural: in this unit the word that cannot fail and the flesh that is formed are not two events but one, and Mary’s optative is the human hinge between them.

John 1:14 · Hebrews 11:3 · 1 Peter 1:23-25

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

⚙ Text. BSB follows the critical text throughout this unit. At v. 28 the clause “blessed art thou among women” is absent, and our voices agree on why: Ellicott says it is “omitted in many of the best MSS,” Cambridge that it is “of dubious authenticity, being omitted by B and various versions” and probably imported from v. 42, and Pulpit that the words “must be struck out.” Readers using the Authorized Version will find it there, and several of the older comments below (Benson, Gill, Geneva, Barnes) comment on it as genuine. At v. 35 Cambridge prefers “which is in thy womb” to “which shall be born of thee”; BSB reads “to be born,” and the participle gennōmenon is present, which leaves the timing open in Greek as it is not in English.

⚙ Interlinear. A few Berean interlinear cells in this unit carry placeholder glosses (“vvv” and “. . .”) where one English phrase covers several Greek words, and the article is sometimes duplicated in the alignment at v. 26. We have treated the Greek surface, transliteration, Strong's number and parse as the sourced data and have not built any claim on the English gloss column alone.

⚙ Sources. Benson comments on vv. 26-27, 29-30, 31-33 and 34-38 in blocks, and Poole on vv. 26-27, 31-33 and 36-37, so several of their entries under single verses read “See Poole on” and carry no text; Henry comments on the whole section 26-38 in one paragraph repeated under each verse. Where we quote those authors we have anchored inside the entry that actually carries the words. Two of the longer entries in the brief (Pulpit on v. 26, Gill on v. 35, Benson on v. 34, Poole on v. 31) are capped in our source extract; we have quoted only from the visible portion and have not inferred what the remainder says.

⚙ Disputed among the sources themselves, and left disputed here: whether “of the house of David” in v. 27 attaches to Joseph or to Mary (Cambridge and Pulpit for Joseph on the grammar, Benson and Geneva for Mary on the sense); whether Luke 1:31 deliberately cites Isaiah 7:14 (Gill, JFB and Poole yes, Ellicott no); whether the kingdom promise of vv. 32-33 is fulfilled in the church (Ellicott, Barnes, Gill) or still awaits a literal restoration (Pulpit); and how Elizabeth, of the daughters of Aaron, is kin to Mary (Ellicott, Poole, Geneva, Gill and Cambridge each offer a different reconciliation, and Cambridge concedes “what the actual relationship was we do not know”).

⚙ Thread tiers. Every link in this unit that pairs the Greek of Luke with a Hebrew text of the Old Testament is tiered structural or typological and never verbal, because shared Strong's numbers cannot be computed across the Testaments and the Verifier therefore supplies no verbal basis, however close the borrowing. That rule bears hardest on two threads where the borrowing is in fact closest: 2 Samuel 7 behind vv. 32-33, and Genesis 18:14 behind v. 37. The basis line on each says so explicitly. The Isaiah 7:14 thread is flagged, not because the connection is implausible, but because our own named sources contradict each other about whether Luke intends it.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)