Luke 1:34 kjv
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Luke 1:34 nkjv
Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
Luke 1:34 niv
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
Luke 1:34 esv
And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"
Luke 1:34 nlt
Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin."
Luke 1 34 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 1:35 | And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you..." | Direct answer to Mary's question, revealing divine means. |
| Lk 1:37 | For with God nothing will be impossible. | Directly affirms God's boundless power in response to impossibility. |
| Lk 1:18-20 | Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this?...mute until day..." | Contrasts Mary's believing inquiry with Zechariah's doubting request. |
| Mt 1:18 | ...Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. | Matthew's account of Jesus' conception by the Spirit. |
| Isa 7:14 | Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son... | Old Testament prophecy of a virgin birth. |
| Gen 18:14 | Is anything too hard for the LORD? | God's rhetorical question about Sarah's miraculous conception. |
| Jer 32:17 | Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. | Affirmation of God's limitless power over creation. |
| Mk 10:27 | Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." | Highlights God's ability to achieve what is humanly impossible. |
| Lk 18:27 | But he said, "What is impossible with man is possible with God." | Reinforces divine capability beyond human limits. |
| Rom 4:19-21 | He did not weaken in faith... he grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. | Abraham's faith in God's power for miraculous birth (Isaac). |
| Jn 1:13 | ...who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. | Explains divine origin of spiritual birth, reflecting miraculous physical birth. |
| Gen 3:15 | I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head... | Protoevangelium; the seed of the woman as a unique bearer of redemption. |
| Heb 11:6 | And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. | Mary's faith enabled her to ask "how," believing the promise would happen. |
| Ps 139:13 | For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. | God's sovereign act of creating life in the womb. |
| Jer 1:5 | "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you..." | God's foreknowledge and sovereign plan from conception. |
| Judg 13:2-5 | There was a certain man of Zorah... whose wife was barren... angel of the LORD appeared to woman and said... "you shall conceive and bear a son." | Angelic announcement of miraculous birth to barren parents (Samson). |
| 1 Sam 1:19-20 | And the LORD remembered her. Therefore in due season Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel... | God's intervention enabling conception in a previously barren woman (Hannah). |
| Lk 1:27 | ...to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. | States Mary's virgin status explicitly before Gabriel's announcement. |
| Lk 1:26 | In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God... | Provides immediate context of Gabriel's mission to Mary. |
| Rom 1:3-4 | concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. | Articulates Jesus' human lineage (through Mary) and divine sonship. |
| 2 Cor 5:17 | Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. | Reflects divine ability to create newness where nothing previously existed, spiritually paralleling the physical. |
| Phil 2:6-7 | Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. | The divine humbling to take human form through birth. |
Luke 1 verses
Luke 1 34 Meaning
Luke 1:34 captures Mary’s humble, yet faith-filled, response to the angel Gabriel's astounding prophecy of her conceiving and bearing the Son of God. Her question, "How will this be, since I know not a man?", is not one of doubt (unlike Zechariah's), but a genuine inquiry regarding the natural impossibility of the divine promise given her present virgin state and lack of marital intimacy. It signifies her acceptance of God's will while seeking understanding on the method of its fulfillment. The verse highlights the human recognition of physical limitation against the backdrop of divine omnipotence, setting the stage for the miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1 34 Context
Luke 1:34 is situated within the "Annunciation" (Luke 1:26-38), Gabriel's divine message to Mary in Nazareth. Prior to this, Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, had expressed doubt when an angel announced his barren wife would bear a son, resulting in his temporary muteness (Luke 1:11-20). This provides a contrast for Mary’s reaction: while both received impossible news, Zechariah doubted the possibility, whereas Mary questioned the method. The verse comes immediately after Gabriel proclaims Mary will bear the Son of the Most High, who will reign on David's throne forever, linking her pregnancy directly to the messianic hope. Historically, Roman society did not typically expect divine figures to have such humble beginnings, making the angel's announcement of a child born through extraordinary means a challenging concept to human reason.
Luke 1 34 Word analysis
- Then Mary said: Indicates a direct, immediate, and personal response from Mary, demonstrating engagement with the angelic message.
- to the angel: Signifies her direct interaction with Gabriel, the divine messenger.
- How: Greek: Πῶς (Pōs). This interrogative particle expresses a request for understanding the manner or way in which something will happen, not an expression of disbelief or doubt about the truth of the promise. It seeks explanation for a logical dilemma, accepting the "what" but needing clarification on the "how."
- will this be: Refers to the previously stated promise of her conceiving and bearing the Son of God (Lk 1:31-33), which from a human perspective is physically impossible.
- since I know not a man: Greek: ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω (andra ou ginōskō).
- I know: Greek: γινώσκω (ginōskō), often used in the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) to denote intimate, experiential knowledge, specifically carnal or sexual union between a husband and wife (e.g., Gen 4:1 "Adam knew Eve his wife").
- not a man: Greek: οὐ γινώσκω (ou ginōskō). Mary is stating her virginity and the absence of any sexual relations, confirming she is not pregnant, has not been, nor has a physical basis for natural conception. This factual statement highlights the biological impossibility of the angel's prophecy without divine intervention. It implicitly underscores that the child cannot be conceived through normal human means.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- Then Mary said to the angel, "How...": Shows Mary's composure and logical thinking. She doesn't deny the message but seeks to reconcile it with her physical reality. This contrasts with common human reactions of disbelief or fear in the presence of the divine.
- "How will this be, since I know not a man": This phrase encapsulates the central human dilemma. Mary's question acknowledges the profound natural barrier to the promise while simultaneously indicating a readiness to accept it. It is a moment of profound humility and faith, as she implicitly trusts that there must be a divine explanation for the impossible. Her reference to not knowing a man emphasizes her unique situation as a virgin, setting the stage for the revelation of a supernatural conception.
Luke 1 34 Bonus section
Mary's response to Gabriel sets apart her faith from that of Zechariah. While Zechariah demanded a sign to prove the impossible, Mary asked how the impossible would occur, demonstrating a foundational belief in God's ability while acknowledging her human limitations. This nuanced difference in their reactions highlights a core principle of faith: to trust God even when the "how" seems incomprehensible. Mary's inquiry serves to highlight the entirely supernatural origin of Jesus Christ's physical body, necessary for him to be the God-Man, Immanuel. It directly points to the Holy Spirit as the active agent in creating life in her womb, a theological truth affirmed throughout the New Testament regarding Christ's unique sonship.
Luke 1 34 Commentary
Mary's question in Luke 1:34 is crucial to understanding the virgin birth of Jesus. Unlike Zechariah's query driven by skepticism concerning an aging couple, Mary's "how" is a query from a place of belief but lacking natural explanation. As a virgin, her concern highlights the physical impossibility, setting the stage for Gabriel’s answer about the Holy Spirit's unique creative power. It signifies not an obstacle to faith, but a rational inquiry concerning the divine method. This interchange underlines that the Incarnation of Christ was purely a divine act, not achieved by human effort or means, emphasizing God's omnipotence and initiative in salvation history. Mary's humble acceptance of this truth further showcases her remarkable character and obedience.