Luke 1:26-27

Luke 1:26-27

[26] And  in  the sixth  month  the angel  Gabriel  was sent  God  unto  a city  of Galilee,  named  Nazareth,  [27] To  a virgin  espoused  to a man  whose  name  was Joseph,  of  the house  of David;  and  the virgin's  name  was Mary. 

What does Luke 1:26-27 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The time reference and the same angel connect this incident directly with what precedes ( Luke 1:24). Luke presented God as taking direct action not only here but throughout his Gospel and Acts. He may have generously called Nazareth a city (Gr. polis) to give it status in the eyes of his readers. The Greek language had no word for "town," and the alternative would have been to call it a "village." It would have been unknown to almost everyone outside Palestine, so Luke described it as being in Galilee. [1] Gabriel now visited a small town in Galilee, on the northern border of Zebulun, contrasted with the big city of Jerusalem in Judea, where he had met Zechariah. [2] Because of Gentile influence the Galilean Jews were not as strict in their observance of the law and Pharisaic tradition as their southern brethren. [3]
Young Mary also contrasts with old Zechariah and Elizabeth. Her name, the equivalent of Miriam in the Old Testament, apparently meant "exalted one." [4] The Greek word parthenos ("virgin") refers to a young, unmarried girl and implies virginity. [5] It clearly means virgin here (cf. Luke 1:34). [6] Betrothal often took place shortly after puberty. [7] Consequently Mary may have been a young teenager at this time. During betrothal a man and a woman were considered husband and wife even though they lived apart and did not have sexual relations. [8] Only divorce or death could terminate the betrothal, and from then on society considered them widow and or widower.
Luke identified Joseph as a descendant of David. He evidently considered Jesus a legitimate heir to David"s throne since Joseph was Jesus" guardian (cf. Luke 3:23). In Semitic society it was not necessary to be a blood descendant to possess family inheritance privileges ( Genesis 15:3; Genesis 17:12-13; cf. Genesis 48:5; Exodus 2:10; 1 Kings 11:20; Esther 2:7). Since Joseph was Jesus" legal guardian, Jesus thereby qualified to inherit as a legitimate son of Joseph. This fact has important bearing on the promise in Luke 1:32 b.