What is the meaning of Luke 1:36?

Look

• Gabriel opens with an urgent invitation to pay attention, much like the angelic “Do not be afraid, for behold…” moments in Luke 2:10 and Acts 1:11.

• This single word draws Mary’s focus away from her questions (Luke 1:34) and toward God’s tangible proof of His power.

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even Elizabeth your relative

• Gabriel appeals to someone Mary already trusts and loves (Luke 1:36a; 1:56).

• By pointing to a family member, God links two miraculous births—John’s and Jesus’—into one unfolding plan (Luke 1:17; Malachi 3:1).

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has conceived a son

• The promise to Zechariah in Luke 1:13 is now reality.

• The child’s gender fulfills prophetic expectation for the forerunner (Isaiah 40:3; Luke 7:27).

• God’s creative power echoes earlier miracles of promised sons—Isaac (Genesis 21:1-3) and Samuel (1 Samuel 1:19-20).

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in her old age

• Human limitation is underscored to spotlight divine sovereignty, recalling Sarah’s laughter turned to joy (Genesis 18:12-14).

• Age can’t hinder God; His strength is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

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and she who was called barren

• “Was called” signals a label now revoked by God’s intervention, paralleling Hannah’s story (1 Samuel 1:5-6, 19).

• God delights in rewriting hopeless narratives (Psalm 113:9).

• The community’s former verdict—barren—yields to God’s new verdict—fruitful.

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is in her sixth month

• A measurable milestone gives Mary immediate, verifiable evidence (Luke 1:39-40).

• The timeline shows John will precede Jesus by half a year, positioning him perfectly to “prepare the way” (Luke 3:2-6).

• Six months into pregnancy, Elizabeth’s visible condition turns private promise into public testimony.

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summary

Luke 1:36 stands as Gabriel’s gracious sign to Mary: the God who overcame Elizabeth’s barrenness and age will surely accomplish the greater miracle of the virgin birth. By pointing to a living, growing proof already six months along, God anchors Mary’s faith, intertwines the destinies of John and Jesus, and affirms that “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).