Luke 1:27

27 to ¹a virgin ^[a]engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, ²of the ^[b]descendants of David; and the virgin's name was ^[c]Mary.

Luke 1:27 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 1:27

To a virgin
A pure virgin, that never knew man; (See Gill on Luke 1:34) and yet

espoused to a man whose name was Joseph;
but they were not come together, nor had he taken her for his wife, and home to his house, nor had they cohabited:

of the house of David;
which, according to the grammatical construction of the words, may be connected either with the virgin, or with Joseph, to whom she was espoused; and is true of both; for they both were of the house and lineage of David: and this shows what a low condition David's family was in, that the persons that were the nearest allied to it were a carpenter, and a poor virgin; and both residing in so despicable a place as Nazareth in Galilee:

and the virgin's name was Mary;
a name frequent among the Jews, and the same with Miriam; of which name was the sister of Moses and Aaron.

Luke 1:27 In-Context

25 "This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men."

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

28 And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 1:18
• 2. Matthew 1:16, 20; Luke 2:4

Footnotes

• [a] Or "betrothed;" i.e. the first stage of marriage in Jewish culture, usually lasting for a year before the wedding night. More legal than engagement
• [b] Lit "house"
• [c] Gr "Mariam;" i.e. Heb Miriam; so throughout Luke