Luke 1:34 (WEB)
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Luke 1:34 (KJV)
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Key words
- πῶς ἔσται τοῦτοpōs estai touto · Greek
- 'How shall this be?' — not doubt (contrast Zechariah in 1:18) but a question about the manner.
- ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκωepei andra ou ginōskō · Greek
- 'seeing I know not a man' — present tense, 'I am not knowing a man,' describing a standing condition rather than only her past. 'Know' is the Hebrew idiom for marital relations.
Why it matters
Mary, a betrothed woman, asks how she will conceive since she does not know man. Pitre's first evidence for a vow of virginity is that the question makes no sense for a bride expecting ordinary married life; it makes sense only if she intended to remain a virgin. Augustine and many others read it the same way, and the present tense of the Greek supports a settled resolve.