What is the meaning of Luke 1:31? Behold • The angel’s first word grabs Mary’s attention, signaling a moment of divine revelation. Similar heavenly announcements begin the same way—“Behold” in Luke 2:10 when angels speak to the shepherds, or in Isaiah 7:14 where the prophet proclaims, “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” • Scripture uses this command to look or listen so we won’t miss what God is about to do. Here, God interrupts ordinary life with extraordinary grace, reminding us He still breaks in to our stories. you will conceive • The promise is personal and physical: Mary’s own womb will miraculously carry the Messiah. Isaiah’s centuries-old prophecy (Isaiah 7:14) comes into sharp focus. • This is not abstract theology; it is God stepping into time and flesh. Paul later describes it: “When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4). • The conception underscores God’s initiative—He acts first, we respond. It also assures us that every life conceived is seen and purposed by Him. and give birth to a son • The gender is specified because the Messiah had been foretold as the “seed” who would crush the serpent (Genesis 3:15) and as the royal “son” promised to David (2 Samuel 7:12). • Birth language highlights Christ’s full humanity. John 1:14 affirms, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” • God’s plan progresses from conception to birth; His promises are not partial. What He begins, He completes. and you are to give Him the name Jesus • Names in Scripture reveal mission. The angel later explains to Joseph, “you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). • “Jesus” (Yeshua) means “Yahweh saves.” Every time Mary or anyone else called Him by name, they proclaimed the gospel. • God, not Mary, chooses the name—underscoring divine authority over the child’s identity. Philippians 2:9-11 celebrates that God has “given Him the name above all names,” and every knee will bow to Jesus. summary Luke 1:31 layers promise upon promise: attention-grabbing “Behold,” miraculous conception, fulfillment-rich birth, and a salvation-declaring name. The verse assures us that God faithfully moves from prophecy to reality, from announcement to arrival, so that in Jesus—fully God, fully man—our redemption is secure. |
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