Luke 1:31 (WEB)
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Luke 1:31 (KJV)
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Key words
- συλλήμψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τέξῃ υἱόνsyllēmpsē en gastri kai texē huion · Greek
- 'thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son' — future tense; Gabriel does not say the conception has happened or will happen at once.
Why it matters
Gabriel promises a future conception. Pitre points out that the angel says only that Mary 'will' conceive, not that she already has (pp 93–94). A betrothed woman told she would have a son would assume it would come after the marriage was consummated — which is exactly what Mary does not assume. Her 'How shall this be?' therefore implies she did not intend ordinary married life.