Luke 1:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

NIV: The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'

NASB: And coming in, he said to her, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.'

CSB: And the angel came to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you."

NLT: Gabriel appeared to her and said, 'Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! '

KJV: And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

NKJV: And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

The angel Gabriel is associated with delivering several important messages in Scripture (Daniel 8:16; 9:21). It was Gabriel who told the aging priest, Zechariah, that he and his wife Elizabeth would finally have a child (Luke 1:11–13, 19). Now this angel comes to an obscure town in a rural area (Luke 1:26). The object of his mission is a virgin, unmarried but betrothed, by the name of Mary (Luke 1:27). Her status as a virgin (Luke 1:34) and member of the house of David (Matthew 1:1–17; Luke 3:23–38) are both important prophetic details (Isaiah 7:14; 2 Samuel 7:12–16).

Gabriel's words here are often misquoted, partly due to translation errors and theology related to those mistakes. The angel refers to Mary using the term "favored one," from a Greek root word which only appears twice in the New Testament (Ephesians 1:6). The expression is closely related to—but different from—the word often used for "grace." Gabriel refers to Mary using the word kecharitōmenē, a passive verb, meaning "made favored" or "made accepted." Latin translators, such as Jerome, rendered this as gratia plena, using an active tense, literally meaning "full of grace."

This significantly changes the meaning of Gabriel's greeting. Rather than Mary being called a recipient of grace, the gratia plena phrasing makes her a source, or overflow, or one who produces grace. This is no small error; over the centuries since Jesus' ascension, many false beliefs about Mary have treated her as a co-redeemer or component of human salvation.

There is no question that Mary's role in Jesus' miraculous birth (Luke 1:31–33) is an example of God's favor. Mary herself recognizes this (Luke 1:46–47), clearly acknowledging that her role is essentially passive (Luke 1:38). The work of bringing the Son of God to earth is a miracle of God, and God alone (Luke 1:49).

Of course, while Mary is faithful and willing, she is also human. As are most people, she will initially be "troubled" by the angel's appearance (Luke 1:29) and wonder how God plans to accomplish His purpose (Luke 1:34). Unlike Zechariah (Luke 1:18), her question will be about "how," not "if," the angel's message will come true.

Luke 1:26–38 relates how a virgin learned she would miraculously bear the Son of God. The angel Gabriel comes to Mary, who is engaged to a man named Joseph. Gabriel tells Mary that she will bear a son, to be named Jesus. He will be the Promised One long awaited by the people of Israel. Since Mary has never been intimate with a man, God will miraculously conceive the child. Gabriel is the same angel who predicted the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:13), and he informs Mary about this happy occurrence for her relative, Elizabeth. Mary responds in submissive faith. A parallel account is found in Matthew 1:18–25.

The angel Gabriel predicts two miraculous births. The first is a son born to Zechariah and Elizabeth: an older, childless priest and his wife. Because Zechariah initially doubts this message, he is temporarily made unable to speak. Their child will be known as John the Baptist, a powerful herald of the Messiah. The Promised One whom John will proclaim is the second birth predicted by Gabriel. He tells an engaged virgin, Mary, that God will miraculously conceive His Son in her. The two women meet and rejoice over their blessings. John's arrival sets the stage for Luke's familiar account of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Luke was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul (Acts 16:10); his book of Acts is a direct "sequel" to the gospel of Luke (Acts 1:1–3). Those two books make up more than a quarter of the New Testament. Luke begins by explaining how his orderly approach is meant to inspire confidence in Christian faith. His work is based on eyewitness interviews and other evidence. The first chapter details the miraculous conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 continues with Jesus' birth.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.