Reference: Mary, The Virgin
Fausets
(See GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST.) Probably Matthan of Matthew is Matthat of Luke, and Jacob and Heli were brothers; and Heli's son Joseph, and Jacob's daughter Mary, were first cousins. Joseph, as male heir of his uncle Jacob who had one only child Mary, would marry her according to the law (Nu 36:8). Thus the genealogy of the inheritance or succession to David's throne (Matthew's) and that of natural descent (Luke's) would be primarily Joseph's, then Mary's also (Ps 132:11; Lu 1:32; Ro 1:3). She was sister or half-sister to Mary (Joh 19:25), and related to Elisabeth who was of the tribe of Levi (Lu 1:36). (See MARY OF CLEOPHAS; ELISABETH.) In 5 B.C. (Lu 1:24, etc.) Mary was living at Nazareth, by this time betrothed to Joseph, when the angel Gabriel came from God to her in the sixth month of Elisabeth's pregnancy. (See GABRIEL.)
He came in no form of overwhelming majesty, but seemingly in human form, as is implied by the expression "he came in," also by the fact that what she was "troubled at" was not his presence but "his saying" (compare Da 10:18-19). "Hail thou that art highly favored" (kecharitomenee) cannot mean as Rome teaches in her prayer to the Virgin, "Hail Mary full of grace"; that would be pleerees charitos as in Joh 1:14; the passive of the verb implies, as usually in verbs in -oo, she was made the object of God's grace, not a fountain from whence grace flows to others; as Joh 1:30 explains it, "thou hast found favor (charin) with God"; so Eph 1:6, echaritoosen, "He hath graciously accepted us." "The Lord is (or, BE) with thee (Jg 6:12), blessed art thou among women"; not among gods and goddesses.
As Jael (Jg 5:24); "blessed" in "believing" (Lu 1:45), more than in conceiving Christ (Lu 8:19-21; 11:27-28); compare her own practice, Lu 2:51; Mt 12:49-50. "Her relationship as mother would not at all have profited Mary if she had not borne Christ more happily in the heart than in the flesh" (Augustine, Tom. 4, De Sanct. Virg.). In Lu 11:27-28, during His last journey, a month before His crucifixion (A.D. 30), upon a woman of the company exclaiming, "blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked," He said, "yea, rather (menounge) blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it"; the blessedness even of Mary is not her motherhood towards Him, but her hearing and obeying Him.
The Spirit's prescience of the abuse of the words Lu 1:28 appears in the precautions taken subsequently in the same Gospel to guard against such abuse. The Virgin's words (Lu 1:48) "all generations shall call me blessed" mean not, shall call me by that name, "the Blessed Virgin," but shall count me blessed, as in Jas 5:11 (the same Greek). The nations shall count JESUS, not the Virgin, the fountain of all blessedness (Ps 72:17). When in "fear she cast in her mind what might the meaning of the salutation be," the angel reassured her by the promise, "behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus.
He shall be great (not merely as John Baptist 'in the sight of the Lord,' Lu 1:15, but as the Lord Himself), and shall be called (i.e. shall be really what the name means) the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David (not merely His throne in heaven whereon David never sat, but on Zion, Jer 3:17), and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shi all be no end." She asked, not incredulously as Zacharias (Lu 1:18), but in the simplicity of faith which sought instruction, taking for granted it shall be, only asking as to the manner, "how shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"
The angel therefore explained, "the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee (as with a cloud, denoting the mildest, gentlest operation of the divine power, coveting, quickening, but not consuming: Mr 9:7), therefore also that Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (from whence our creed saith, "He was conceived by the Holy Spirit," etc.; compare Ge 1:2. "As the world was not created by the Holy Spirit, but by the Son, so the Son was not begotten by the Holy Spirit, but by the Father, and that before the worlds, Christ was made of the substance of the Virgin, not of the substance of the Holy Spirit, whose essence cannot be made. No more is attributed to the Spirit than what was necessary to cause the Virgin to perform the actions of a mother. And because the Holy Spirit did not beget Him by any communication of His essence, He is not the Father of Him." Pearson, Creed, 165-166.)
Gabriel instanced Elisabeth's being six months advanced in pregnancy, who once was barren, to confirm the Virgin's faith that "nothing is impossible with God" (Ro 4:17-21); she evinced her faith in the reply, "behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word," Her expression of humble, believing acceptance of and concurrence in the divine will (Lu 1:38,45) was required, and may be with reverence supposed to be recorded to mark the date of our Lord's conception. Mary then went in joyous haste to the hill country of Judah, to a city where Zacharias and Elisabeth lived, whether Jutta, (Jos 21:13-16) a priests' city, or Hebron, S. of Jerusalem and much further S. of Nazareth in Galilee. On Mary's saluting Elisabeth the latter hailed her as "mother of her Lord," inasmuch as at her salutation "the babe leaped in her womb for joy," adding, in contrast to Zacharias whose unbelief had brought its own punishment," blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things told her from the Lord."
Mary then under the Spirit uttered the hymn known as the "Magnificat," based on Hannah's hymn (1Sa 2:2). In it we see a spirit that drank deeply at the wells of Scripture, a humility that "magnified the Lord" not self, that "rejoiced" as a sinner in "her Savior" (disproving Rome's dogma of the immaculate conception), a lively sense of gratitude at the mighty favor which the Mighty One conferred on one so low, a privilege which countless Jewish mothers had desired (Da 11:37, "the desire of women"), and for which all generations should count ("call") her happy (makariousin, compare Ge 30:13), and an exemplification of God's eternal principle of abusing "the proud and exalting them of low degree," and a realization of God's faithfulness to His promises "to Abraham of mercy and help to Israel forever." Mary stayed with her cousin three months, and just before John the Baptist's birth returned to her own house at Nazareth.
Then followed Joseph's discovery of the conception and his tender dealing with her, and reception of her by God's command (Matthew 1), as being the virgin foretold who should bring forth Immanuel (Isa 7:14; Jer 31:22). (See JOSEPH.) Augustus' decree (Luke 2) obliged them to go to Bethlehem, God thereby causing His prophecy (Mic 5:2) to be fulfilled, Mary there giving birth to the Savior. The shepherds' account of the angels caused wonder to others, "but Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart"; so again Lu 2:51, not superficial, but reflective and thoughtfully devout. The law regarded her as unclean until the presentation 40 days after the birth (Leviticus 12). Then she was bound to offer a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or turtle dove for a sin offering, to make atonement for her poverty compelled her to substitute for the lamb a pigeon or turtle dove.
Simeon's hymn followed, at the close of which he foretold, "a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed"; the anguish of her Son should pierce the mother's heart, and be a testing probation of character to her as well as to all others (Joh 9:39; 19:25; Ps 42:10); that she had misgivings and doubts is implied in her accompanying His brethren afterward, as if enthusiasm was carrying Him too far (Mt 12:46; Mr 3:21,31-35; Joh 7:5). The flight to Egypt followed; then the return, at first designed to be back to Bethlehem, but through fear of Archelaus to Nazareth of Galilee, their former home.
Then the visit to Jerusalem when Jesus was
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And Leah said, Happy am I! For the daughters will call me happy. And she called his name Asher.
And every daughter, who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the sons of Israel, shall be wife to one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the sons of Israel may possess every man the inheritance of his fathers.
And to the sons of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the manslayer, and Libnah with its suburbs, and Jattir with its suburbs, and Eshtemoa with its suburbs, read more. and Holon with its suburbs, and Debir with its suburbs, and Ain with its suburbs, and Juttah with its suburbs, [and] Beth-shemesh with its suburbs; nine cities out of those two tribes.
Blessed above women shall Jael be, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
And the agent of LORD appeared to him, and said to him, LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.
There is none holy as LORD, for there is none besides thee, neither is there any rock like our God.
And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, LORD is able to give thee much more than this.
As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me; while they continually say to me, Where is thy God?
His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in him. All nations shall call him blessed.
LORD has sworn to David in truth. He will not turn from it: From the fruit of thy body I will set upon thy throne.
Therefore LORD himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
How long will thou go here and there, O thou backsliding daughter? For LORD has created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall encompass a man.
Then somebody like the appearance of a man touched me again, and he strengthened me. And he said, O man greatly beloved, fear not. Peace be to thee. Be strong, yea, be strong. And when he spoke to me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak, for thou have strengthened me.
Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god, for he shall magnify himself above all.
But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which are little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee he shall come forth to me who is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.
And behold, they cried out, saying, What is with us and thee, Jesus, Son of God? Did thou come here before the time to torment us?
While he was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers had stood outside, seeking to speak to him.
And having stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, he said, Behold, my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in the heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
For whoever does the will of my Father in the heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
saying, Oh no! What is with us and with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Did thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou are, the Holy man of God.
And when those with him heard it, they went out to grasp him, for they said, He is beside himself.
And when those with him heard it, they went out to grasp him, for they said, He is beside himself.
Then his brothers and mother come, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him.
Then his brothers and mother come, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting around him, and they said to him, Behold, thy mother, and thy brothers, and thy sisters, outside seek for thee.
And a multitude was sitting around him, and they said to him, Behold, thy mother, and thy brothers, and thy sisters, outside seek for thee. And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother and my brothers?
And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother and my brothers? And having looked around at those who sat about him, he says, Behold, my mother and my brothers.
And having looked around at those who sat about him, he says, Behold, my mother and my brothers. For whoever may do the will of God, the same is my brother and sister and mother.
For whoever may do the will of God, the same is my brother and sister and mother.
And a cloud developed overshadowing them. And a voice came out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son. Hear ye him.
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he should, no, not drink wine and strong drink. And he will be filled of Holy Spirit, even from his mother's belly.
And Zacharias said to the agent, How will I know this? For I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days.
And after these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she concealed herself five months, saying,
And the agent having come in near her, he said, Hail, thou who are highly favored. The Lord is with thee, thou who are blessed among women.
This man will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.
And behold, Elizabeth thy kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
And Mary said, Behold the maid-servant of Lord. May it happen to me according to thy word. And the agent departed from her.
And Mary said, Behold the maid-servant of Lord. May it happen to me according to thy word. And the agent departed from her. And having risen in these days, Mary went with haste into the hill country, into a city of Judah,
And blessed is she who believed, because there will be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from Lord.
And blessed is she who believed, because there will be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from Lord. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,
because he has looked upon the lowliness of his bondmaid. For behold, from henceforth all generations will regard me blessed,
because he has looked upon the lowliness of his bondmaid. For behold, from henceforth all generations will regard me blessed,
But Mary kept all these proclamations, pondering in her heart.
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was being subordinate to them. And his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was being subordinate to them. And his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was being subordinate to them. And his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
And his mother and brothers came to him, and they could not come near him because of the crowd. And it was reported to him, saying, Thy mother and thy brothers stand outside, desiring to see thee. read more. But having answered, he said to them, My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.
And it came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman, having lifted up her voice out of the crowd, said to him, Blessed is the belly that bore thee, and the breasts that thou suckled.
And it came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman, having lifted up her voice out of the crowd, said to him, Blessed is the belly that bore thee, and the breasts that thou suckled. But he said, Blessed rather, are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.
But he said, Blessed rather, are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This is he about whom I said, After me comes a man who has become before me, because he was before me.
His mother says to the helpers, Whatever he may say to you, do.
After this he went down to Capernaum, he and his mother and his brothers and his disciples. And they remained there not many days.
For not even his brothers believed in him.
And Jesus said, For judgment I came into this world, so that those not seeing might see, and those who see might become blind.
And his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene had stood near the cross of Jesus.
And his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene had stood near the cross of Jesus. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he says to his mother, Woman, behold thy son. read more. Then says he to the disciple, Behold, thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own place.
All these men were continuing with one accord in prayer and supplication, with women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
concerning his Son who was made from the seed of David according to flesh.
(as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations), before him whom he believed, of God who makes the dead alive, and who calls things not existing, as existing. Who, against hope, believed in hope, in order for him to become father of many nations according to that which was spoken, So thy seed will be. read more. And not being weak in faith he did not regard his body, which was now deadened (being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. And he did not waver in unbelief at the promise of God, but became strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what he promised, he was able also to perform.
for appreciation of the glory of his grace, by which he blessed us in him who is beloved.
Behold, we regard those who endured, blessed. Ye have heard of the fortitude of Job, and have seen the outcome of Lord, that he is very compassionate and merciful.