Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 1:28
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favored, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women.
28. highly favoured ] marg. “graciously accepted” or “much graced.” Literally, having been graced (by God). Eph 1:6, “accepted.” Not as in the Vulgate “Grati plena ” but “grati cumulata.” “Not a mother of grace, but a daughter.” Bengel.
blessed art thou among women ] These words are of dubious authenticity, being omitted by B and various versions. They may have been added from Luk 1:42. With this address comp. Jdg 6:12.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Hail – This word of salutation is equivalent to Peace be with thee, or Joy be with thee; a form of speech implying that she was signally favored, and expressing joy at meeting her.
Highly favoured – By being the mother of the long-expected Messiah – the mother of the Redeemer of mankind. Long had he been predicted; long had the eyes of the nation been turned to him, and long had his coming been an object of intense desire. To be reckoned among his ancestors was accounted sufficient honor for even Abraham and David. But now the happy individual was designated who was to be his mother; and on Mary, a poor virgin of Nazareth, was to come this honor, which would have rendered infinitely illustrious any of the daughters of Adam the honor of giving birth to the worlds Redeemer and the Son of God.
The Lord is with thee – The word is is not in the original, and the passage may be rendered either the Lord is with thee, or the Lord be with thee, implying the prayer of the angel that all blessings from God might descend and rest upon her.
Blessed art thou among women – This passage is equivalent to saying thou art the most happy of women.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 28. And the angel came in unto her] Some think that all this business was transacted in a vision; and that there was no personal appearance of the angel. When Divine visions were given, they are announced as such, in the sacred writings; nor can we with safety attribute any thing to a vision, where a Divine communication is made, unless it be specified as such in the text.
Hail] Analogous to, Peace be to thee – May thou enjoy all possible blessings!
Highly favoured] As being chosen in preference to all the women upon earth, to be the mother of the Messiah. Not the mother of God, for that is blasphemy.
The Lord is with thee] Thou art about to receive the most convincing proofs of God’s peculiar favour towards thee.
Blessed art thou among women.] That is, thou art favoured beyond all others.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Virgins betrothed, until the consummation of their marriage, were ordinarily kept in their friends house: thither came this angel, and saith,
Hail, thou that art highly favoured. The word translated hail signifies, Rejoice thou, or is as much as, God save thee. It is not the form of a prayer, (as the papists use it), but an ordinary salutation, as much as, God save you, or, Good morrow, is amongst us.
Thou that art highly favoured, kecaritwmenh; the word comes originally from , which signifieth in Scripture two things:
1. The free love and favour of another bestowed on any: thus it is taken Luk 1:30 thou hast found favour. To the praise of the glory of his grace, Eph 1:6.
2. It signifies good habits in the soul; as 2Pe 3:18, Grow in grace; Col 3:16, Singing with grace in your hearts.
Hence the verb, a participle from which the word here used is, may signify, two things; either:
1. Thou hast received grace or favour from God, or,
2. Thou that art full of gracious habits.
The first seems to be its sense in this place: it followeth in the verse, blessed art thou; so also it is expounded Luk 1:30, for thou hast found favour with God. So as the virgin was the object of Divine grace, as we are, and therefore not to be prayed to as the fountain of grace; she herself had nothing but what she received. This whole verse seemeth to be only a salutation, there is nothing of a prayer in it; the angel doth only take notice of her as a favourite of Heaven, one dear unto his Lord, with whom God was in an especial manner, and whom God blessed above the rate of those ordinary blessings with which he blesseth other women.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. highly favoureda wordonly once used elsewhere (Eph 1:6,”made accepted”): compare Lu1:30, “Thou hast found favour with God.” The mistake ofthe Vulgate’s rendering, “full of grace,” has beentaken abundant advantage of by the Romish Church. As the mother ofour Lord, she was the most “blessed among women” inexternal distinction; but let them listen to the Lord’s own words.”Nay, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keepit.” (See on Lu 11:27).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the angel came in unto her,…. Into her house, and into the room where she was:
and said, hail; all health, happiness, and prosperity attend thee;
Mt 28:9
thou art highly favoured; or graciously accepted, or hast obtained grace; not referring to electing, redeeming; justifying, pardoning, adopting, and sanctifying grace, which she had in common with other saints; but to that special and particular favour, in being chosen and singled out from all other women, to be the mother of the Messiah:
the Lord is with thee; so the angel to Gideon, Jud 6:12 or “be with thee”, an usual form of salutation among the Jews; Ru 2:4
thou art blessed among women; and will be pronounced so by other women, as she was by Elisabeth, Lu 1:42 and by another woman,
Lu 11:27.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Highly favoured (). Perfect passive participle of and means endowed with grace (), enriched with grace as in Eph 1:6, non ut mater gratiae, sed ut filia gratiae (Bengel). The Vulgate gratiae plena “is right, if it means ‘full of grace which thou hast received‘; wrong, if it means ‘full of grace which thou hast to bestow“‘ (Plummer). The oldest MSS. do not have “Blessed art thou among women” here, but in verse 42.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Thou that art highly favored [] . Lit., as Rev. in margin, endued with grace. Only here and Eph 1:6. The rendering full of grace, Vulgate, Wyc., and Tynd., is therefore wrong.
All the best texts omit blessed art thou among women.
Cast in her mind [] . See on Jas 2:4. The imperfect tense, “began to reason.”
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the angel came unto her, and said, Hall,” (kai eiselthon peos auten eipen chaire) “And as he entered into her presence and while approaching her, he said, Hail,” or greetings from on high, from heaven.
2) “Thou that art highly favored,” (kecharitomene) “You are an highly favored one,” graciously accepted, or much covered ‘with grace; The Greek term is rendered “made accepted,” Eph 1:6. She was much graced or much favored, Act 7:46; Gen 6:8; Gen 39:4.
3) “The Lord is with thee:” (ho kurios meta sou) “The Lord be with. you,” or exist with you, because you have found favor with God, Luk 1:30.
4) “Blessed art thou among women.” Though left out of some Greek texts at this point it is in the original in Luk 1:42. It means “most blessed of women,” for she was to become the mother of our Lord, who was to be “The seed of a woman, made of a woman,” Gen 3:15; Gal 4:4-5.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
28. Hail, thou who hast obtained favor The angel’s commission being of an astonishing and almost incredible description, he opens it with a commendation of the grace of God. And certainly, since our limited capacities admit too slender a portion of knowledge for comprehending the vast greatness of the works of God, our best remedy is, to elevate them to meditation on his boundless grace. A conviction of the Divine goodness is the entrance of faith, and the angel properly observes this order, that, after preparing the heart of the virgin by meditation on the grace of God, he may enlarge it to receive an incomprehensible mystery. For the participle κεχαριτωμένη, which Luke employs, denotes the undeserved favor of God. This appears more clearly from the Epistle to the Ephesians, (Eph 1:6,) where, speaking of our reconciliation to God, Paul says, God “ hath made us accepted ( ἐχαρίτωσεν) in the Beloved:” that is, he has received into his favor, and embraced with kindness, us who were formerly his enemies.
The angel adds, the Lord is with thee To those on whom he has once bestowed his love God shows himself gracious and kind, follows and “ crowns them with loving-kindness,” (Psa 103:4.) Next comes the third clause, that she is blessed among women. Blessing is here put down as the result and proof of the Divine kindness. The word Blessed does not, in my opinion, mean, Worthy of praise; but rather means, Happy. Thus, Paul often supplicates for believers, first “grace” and then “peace,” (Rom 1:7; Eph 1:2,) that is, every kind of blessings; implying that we shall then be truly happy and rich, when we are beloved by God, from whom all blessings proceed. But if Mary’s happiness, righteousness, and life, flow from the undeserved love of God, if her virtues and all her excellence are nothing more than the Divine kindness, it is the height of absurdity to tell us that we should seek from her what she derives from another quarter in the same manner as ourselves. With extraordinary ignorance have the Papists, by an enchanter’s trick, changed this salutation into a prayer, and have carried their folly so far, that their preachers are not permitted, in the pulpit, to implore the grace of the Spirit, except through their Hail, Mary (23) But not only are these words a simple congratulation. They unwarrantably assume an office which does not belong to them, and which God committed to none but an angel. Their silly ambition leads them into a second blunder, for they salute a person who is absent.
(23) “ Ave, Maria.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(28) Highly favoured.The verb is the same as that which is translated, hath made us accepted in Eph. 1:6; and, on the whole, this, which is expressed in one of the marginal readings, seems the truest. The plena grati of the Vulgate has no warrant in the meaning of the word.
The Lord is with thee.Better, the Lord be with thee, as the more usual formula of salutation, as in Rth. 2:4.
Blessed art thou among women.The words are omitted in many of the best MSS.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. Angel came said, Hail In a green, open space at the northwestern extremity of Nazareth there is a small fountain, whence issues a slender stream from which the maidens of Nazareth, holding beneath their pitchers, obtain water for their homes. It is called the Fountain of the Virgin; for there the tradition is that this annunciation by Gabriel took place. In commemoration of this event, there stands the Church of the Annunciation. Whether the tradition be true or false, there can be no reasonable doubt that Mary in her day, among the maidens of that village, held the pitcher and drew water from this spring.
Highly favoured This, in the Roman or Vulgate translation of the New Testament, is rendered plena grati, full of grace. See note on Mat 1:18. The Romanists in vain endeavour to prove the sinlessness of Mary from this phrase. It means, as is said in Luk 1:30, that she had found favour or grace with God. Blessed art thou among women See note on Mat 1:18.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he came in to her, and said, “Hail, you who are highly favoured, the Lord is with you.” ’
So to that little backwater of a hillside town in Galilee came the mighty Gabriel, and he came to where she was and said, “Hail, you who are highly favoured, the Lord is with you.” ‘Hail’ is a Greek greeting, possibly translating ‘shalom’. Luke’s intention is possibly to stress that he has come on behalf of the Greeks as well as the Jews. Or it may be that he wanted the mother of the Messiah to be hailed like an Emperor, as a recognition of the One Whom she was going to bear.
‘Highly favoured.’ Every woman in Israel longed to be the mother of the coming Messiah. It was seen as the distinction that outclassed all distinctions. And now this woman in this small hillside town in Galilee learned of the great favour that God was bestowing on her. She above all women was being chosen to be the mother of the Messiah. That it was not because she was supremely perfect comes out quite clearly in her subsequent behaviour, for she would later rebuke Jesus for what He saw as right (Luk 2:48-49) and would seek to interfere with His ministry and have to be put in her place (Mar 3:21; Mar 3:31-35; Joh 2:4). But nevertheless God saw in her a devoutness which meant that he could trust His son with her. She would bring Him up well until He was too big for her to be able to understand.
The word can also be used of physical beauty ( Sir 9:8 ) or moral excellence ( Sir 18:17 ). (It does not refer to something that can be passed on or signify ‘full of grace’ in that sense).
‘The Lord is with you.’ This, in contrast to ‘hail’, was very much an Old Testament idea (compare Rth 2:4; 2Ch 15:2; Zec 8:23), thus confirming that the message was for both Greek and Jew. She was about to face the humiliation of bearing a baby without a known father, but it was very much to be because the Lord was with her in a way in which He would never be with any other woman. For from her womb would come forth, as truly human as well as truly divine, the Son of God. Through the coming months, and even years, she would need ever to remember that assurance that ‘the Lord was with her’ in it all.
But we must not see in this an over-exaltation of Mary. The concentration in this passage is on Jesus. She is ‘favoured’ because of the huge part that she will play in His coming, even more favoured than the favoured Elisabeth. The favour is all from God. She is but the recipient.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The message of the angel:
v. 28 And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.
v. 29. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
v. 30. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God.
v. 31. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
v. 32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David.
v. 33. And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. The first message of the New Testament was given in the secrecy of the Holy Place in the Temple, the second in the seclusion of a virgin’s home in Nazareth. The beautiful greeting of the angel on this occasion has been abused by the Catholic Church in being made a prayer of their idolatrous practice. It is known as the Angelus and begins with the words “Ave Maria. ” But the words of the greeting and Mary’s behavior at this time prove that the Catholic claim is untenable, that praying to Mary is a custom which she would least of all have tolerated had she known about it. For the angel calls her one that has been much graced, graciously accepted, highly favored, endued with grace. Not as a mother or dispenser of grace, but as a daughter and recipient of grace she is addressed. She is given the assurance that the Lord is with her. She is fully and altogether dependent upon Him, her God and her Savior. The effect of the sudden apparition and the strange greeting was naturally a startling one. Mary was much disturbed, but not with doubting fear, but because she felt that it meant something altogether unusual, the exact nature of which did not as yet appear. Her humility made her shrink back from the fullness of such grace, for that is the natural effect of the assurance of God’s mercy upon poor, sinful mortals. She cast in her mind, she thought of possible reasons for such a manner of greeting. She was not in a state of hysterical excitement, but reasoned very calmly as to the “why” of the angel’s words. The angel quickly proceeds to enlighten her by bidding her not to fear, since she had found grace in the sight of God. Although she was the chosen mother of the Savior, yet she was in need of grace. “Though the Virgin Mary is blessed above all women, that such grace and honor was never given to any other woman, yet the angel with these words draws her down to the level of all other saints, since he clearly says: Whatever she may be she is by grace, and not by merit. Now the difference between Him that gives grace and him that receives grace must always be maintained. With Him that gives grace we should seek grace, and not with him that himself has enjoyed grace. ” And now the angel explains the extraordinary distinction which would be conferred upon her. She would, as a virgin, conceive and give birth to a son. To try to weaken this announcement by saying that Mary might have assumed, as an espoused wife, that the message had reference to a child to be born as the fruit of marriage with the man to whom she was betrothed is an effort of unbelief to eliminate miracles from the Bible. See Mat 1:21.
A true son, a true human being, though born of a virgin, He should be whose name should be called Jesus, Savior, Redeemer. Though the name was by no means unknown among the Jews, it would here be applied in its full significance for the first time. Of this miracle-child the angel says that He will be great, with a greatness of a singular nature, because His human nature was to be united with the divine nature, because He would therefore, in the most peculiar and restricted sense, be called the Son of the Highest, because the fulfillment of all the prophecies promising everlasting empire to the Son of David would be found in Him, because He would be the everlasting Head and Sovereign of the house of Jacob, of the Church of the New Testament, because His government and kingdom would be eternal. The gates and powers of death and hell shall never be able to injure or destroy the kingdom of Christ. The sum and substance of the entire Gospel-message is contained in these words of the angel; it was an inspired and inspiring announcement. “The angel asserts with powerful words that this son is at the same time true man and true God. For that He is a true man he proves with the words when he says first: ‘Thou shalt conceive,’ but, ‘in thy womb,’ that no one may understand a spiritual conception… Secondly, because he says: ‘Thou shalt bring forth a son,’ since the conception which is done in the mind does not bear children out of the body But that He is true God is clear, first of all, from the words: ‘He shall be called the Son of God. ‘ To none other is it said in particular, ‘Thou art My Son,’ but to this single One. Secondly, since to this person is given an eternal life. This cannot possibly be given to one that is a mere man, since it belongs to God only that He is a King without end. This King is immortal and eternal, therefore He has a different kingdom than that of this world.”
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Luk 1:28. Hail, thou that art highly favoured, Thou who hast found favour, or mercy with God, as it is expounded, Luk 1:38. It follows, Blessed art thou among women: so it is said of Jael, Jdg 5:24 of Rth 3:10. See also 1Sa 25:33. Again, the Lord is with thee, is said to Gideon, Jdg 6:12 and the words, Luk 1:30 thou hast found favour with God, are said of Noah, Gen 6:8 of Joseph, Gen 39:4 and of David, Act 7:46. So that here is nothing said of the blessed virgin in this salutation, which was not before said of others. Instead of among women, some read above women; which appears a just translation: for the Jews do not express their degrees of comparison by any change at the end of the words, like other nations, but by doubling or trebling the positive, or by adding a preposition, such as with, or among; and accordingly, this salutation, which is expressed in the Hebrew idiom, signifies, that she was superlatively blessed. Dr. Campbell renders it, thou happiest of women. But this salutation gives no room for any pretence of paying adoration to the virgin, as having no appearance of a prayer, or of worship offered to her.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Luk 1:28-29 . ] namely, (see the critical remarks). Paulus erroneously puts it: “ a person who came in said to her.”
] who has met with kindness (from God). [21] Well remarks Bengel: “non ut mater gratiae, sed ut filia gratiae.” See Luk 1:30 ; and on in general, see Eph 1:6
On . . in the Textus receptus (but see the critical remarks), see Winer, p. 220 [E. T. 308]. It would be not a vocative , like , but a nominative , as the added indicates: The Lord is with thee, blessed ( ) art thou among women .
Luk 1:29 . The Recepta (but see the critical remarks) would have to be explained: but she, when she looked upon him, was terrified at his saying , so that only appears as an accessory element of the narrative, not as jointly a reason of her terror (in opposition to Bornemann, de Wette, and others), which would rather be simply , as is shown by the text which follows . . .
] qualis, what sort of a: a question of wonder. Comp. on Mar 13:1 f. In accordance with its whole tenor raising her to so high distinction the greeting was to her enigmatical.
[21] Observe the ingenious similarity of sound in the words . Plays on words of a like kind are found among Roman Catholics with the contrasts of ave and Eva .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Ver. 28. Hail, thou that art highly favoured ] . A salutation and not a prayer, as Papists pervert and abuse it. And when the Ave Maria bell rings, which is at sun rising, noon, and sun setting, all men in what place soever, house, field, street, or market, do presently kneel down, and send up their united devotions to heaven by an Ave Maria. Also, where one fasteth on Friday, which they count our Lord’s day, many fast on Saturday, which they count our Lady’s day. (Sand’s Survey.)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
28. ] ., not ‘ grati plena ,’ as the Vulg.; for, though is not found in classical writers, the analogy of all verbs in – must rule it to mean, the passing on of the action implied in the radical substantive to the object of the verb the ‘ conferring of grace or favour, upon .’ And this is its meaning in the only other place (see reff.) where it occurs in the N.T. Thl. explains it as corresponding to , Luk 1:30 : , .
. ] i.e. : see ref.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Luk 1:28 . , : ave plena grati , Vulg [4] , on which Farrar (C. G. T.) comments: “not grati plena , but grati cumulata ”; much graced or favoured by God. is Hellenistic, and is found, besides here, only in Eph 1:6 in N. T. , the Lord (Jehovah) is or be with thee, or understood; the two renderings come practically to the same thing.
[4] Vulgate (Jerome’s revision of old Latin version).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Hail. See note on Mat 26:49
thou that art highly favoured = [thou] having been graced [by God] = endued with grace. Occurs only here, and Eph 1:6 = accepted through grace. “Grace” does not occur in Matthew or Mark.
with = in association with. Greek. meta. App-104. Not the same word as in verses: Luk 30:37, Luk 30:51, Luk 30:56.
blessed . . . women. Omitted by T [Tr. ] A WH R. Probably brought here from Luk 1:42, where it is unquestioned.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
28.] ., not grati plena, as the Vulg.;-for, though is not found in classical writers, the analogy of all verbs in – must rule it to mean, the passing on of the action implied in the radical substantive to the object of the verb-the conferring of grace or favour, upon. And this is its meaning in the only other place (see reff.) where it occurs in the N.T. Thl. explains it as corresponding to , Luk 1:30 :- , .
. ] i.e. : see ref.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Luk 1:28. , entering in) At evening time, as is probable. Comp. Dan 9:21.-) Eph 1:6. The Vulg. renders gratia plena, in a passive sense [filled with grace], (as Ovid, Carmina plena favoris), one who has found favour, Luk 1:30. She is so called, not as the mother of grace, but as the daughter of grace, especially at that early time.- ) May the Lord be with thee [not, The Lord is with thee, as Engl. Vers.] Comp. Mat 1:23, at the end of verse, and the note. It is parallel to, , Hail. The Indicative is taken for granted,[7] and the Optative here subscribes to [seals and confirms] it. So Jdg 6:12 [the angel to Gideon, The Lord is (or rather, may the Lord be) with thee], .-, thou) The Vocative: as in Act 4:24 [, , etc.] Chrys de Sacerd., p. 322.
[7] The of the Lord, implied in , is with her.-ED. and TRANSL.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
angel
(See Scofield “Heb 1:4”)
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Hail: Dan 9:21-23, Dan 10:19
highly favoured: or, graciously accepted, or much graced, Luk 1:30, Hos 14:2, Eph 1:6
the Lord: Jdg 6:12, Isa 43:5, Jer 1:18, Jer 1:19, Act 18:10
blessed: Luk 1:42, Luk 11:27, Luk 11:28, Jdg 5:24, Pro 31:29-31, Mat 12:48
Reciprocal: Jdg 13:3 – the angel Rth 2:4 – The Lord 1Sa 3:19 – the Lord 1Ch 17:2 – for God Dan 9:23 – for Mat 28:9 – All hail Luk 1:11 – appeared Luk 1:48 – all Luk 2:9 – lo Joh 19:3 – Hail Act 10:35 – is
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
HIGHLY FAVOURED OF THE LORD
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luk 1:26; Luk 1:28
Whether Mary was in her house, or what her engagement when Gabriel visited her, we know not; but he instantly saluted herHail! After this brief salutation, Gabriel bids Mary rejoice, because being highly favoured she is to be the mother of the Messiah. This, in truth, was the honour for which every Hebrew female intensely longed from the beginning; but Mary was Divinely chosen for this signal pre-eminency.
I. Marys joy.What joy she felt when Gabriel assured her of this! When he left, she hastened to her cousin Elizabeth, in the upland country, to communicate the information and the joy to her. Only the meeting of saints in heaven can parallel the meeting of these two cousins: the two wonders of the world under one roof, declaring their mutual happiness! (Luk 1:46-47).
II. Marys dignity.High dignity, beside deep joy, was now conferred upon Mary. Thou art highly favoured, said Gabriel to her. But this dignity was not of an earthly, fleeting nature; for Mary was left by the angel in the same humble condition in which he found her; and, in truth, her humble condition was the same at the birth of Christ, and to the day of her own death. The dignity, therefore, was heavenly and lasting. So it has proved itself. No woman, from Eve downward, has been so honoured as the Blessed Virgin of Nazareth. Her very memory is fragrant as Eden.
III. Marys blessedness.Nor is this all: The Lord is with thee. This constituted her real blessedness, and was the climax of the annunciation of the angel. The Lord was with Mary in two sublime sensesto sustain and further deepen the joy of her soul, and to perform the covenant which Gabriel had made with her at His bidding. Mary, in her glorious Magnificat, says of herself, All generations shall call me blessed. This they have done since the birth of Christ, and this they will continue to do.
Illustration
The Festival of the Annunciation has been variously yet appropriately designated thus: The Day of Salutation; the Day of the Gospel; and the Festival of the Incarnation. In many parts it was for some time the first day of the ecclesiastical year, as it is now, under its vernacular nameLady-Day, the first quarterly division of the ordinary year. How the ancient Church observed the day can scarcely be ascertained now. And this is not a little remarkable, as the Christian Fathers have written numerous homilies on the day itself, and the Christian muse has for centuries been actively engaged in illustrating it. To the Christian artist, the holy mysteries of the day have ever had a special fascination, as shown by the pictures and paintingssome very grotesque, others very beautifulwhich were produced during the first ages succeeding the Annunciation itself. Christians of the present day regard it as the first stage of the Incarnation. Hence we gladly keep the day as a holy festival, and fix our mind upon its marvels.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
8. Hail is a friendly greeting, indicating that some good news is about to be given to the person addressed. This was to be given to Mary as a special favor peculiar to women, and it was to be from the Lord.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Luk 1:28. And Hebrews, i.e., the angel, as the later manuscripts (followed in the E. V.) insert. To refer it to any human being, makes sheer non-sense of the account.
Came in. This was not a dream, but a visit in open day. Although, of course, in a quiet hour of retirement as more befitting and satisfactory under the circumstances.
Thou that art highly favored, or, endued with grace, one on whom grace or favor has been conferred and abides. See on Eph 1:6. Hence it does not refer to any external beauty of Mary, nor does it mean full of grace (Vulgate and Roman Catholic versions). She is here presented not as the mother of grace, but as the daughter of grace.
The Lord is with thee. This might means The Lord be with thee; an angelic benediction. But it is more probably a declaration of the Divine presence and blessing as already with her. The rest of the verse is to be rejected; comp. Luk 1:42, from which it was taken. The first part of the Ave Maria, the famous Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin, is formed by this verse: Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. The second is taken from Luk 1:42 : Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. These Scripture passages were first used as a standing form of prayer in the thirteenth century. At the beginning of the sixteenth century (1508), just before the Reformation, a third part was added, which contains a direct invocation: Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The concluding words (in italics) were, however, a still later addition.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Luk 1:28. The angel said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured Greek, , who hast found mercy, or favour, with God, as it is explained, Luk 1:30. The Lord is with thee Or, The Lord be with thee, as Dr. Campbell renders : Blessed art thou among women That is, according to the Hebrew idiom, thou art the happiest of all the women that ever lived. It must be observed, that this salutation gives no room for any pretence of paying adoration to the virgin; as having no appearance of a prayer, or of worship offered to her. Besides, similar expressions are applied to others. Hail, is the salutation used by our Lord to the women after his resurrection: thou art highly favoured, or, hast found favour with God, is no more than was said of Noah, Moses, and David. The Lord is with thee, was said to Gideon, Jdg 6:12; and, Blessed shall she be above women, of Jael, Jdg 5:24. The Church of Rome, observes a pious writer, saying ten Ave Marias for one Pater Noster, idolatrously uses these words as a prayer to the holy virgin, whereas they are only a salutation, declaring that she above all women had the honour freely conferred by God upon her, to be the mother of the Messiah. The original word, , signifies, not full of grace, but freely beloved. Compare Mary with other renowned women, and what had she, besides this favour, more than they? Had she the spirit of prophecy? so had they. Had she the spirit of sanctification? so had they: and she had no more immunity and freedom from sin and death than they. Accordingly the angel says, Blessed art thou among women, not, Blessed art thou above women. How senseless are they, 1st, In turning a salutation into a prayer! 2d, In making use of these words upon every occasion, which were spoken by an angel upon a special occasion! 3d, In applying these words to her now in heaven, which suited with her only when she was here on earth, saying, Full of grace, to her who is full of glory, and, The Lord is with thee, to her who is with the Lord!
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] {z} highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: {a} blessed [art] thou among women.
(z) It might be literally rendered, “full of favour and grace”, and he shows immediately after, laying out plainly unto us, what that favour is in that he says, “The Lord is with thee”.
(a) Of God.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. The angel’s announcement to Mary 1:28-38
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The fact that Gabriel greeted Mary as he did and did not greet Zechariah the same way shows Mary’s favored position. Gabriel’s greeting was customary: Hail! or Greetings! (Gr. chaire). Mary was highly "favored" (Gr. kecharitomene) because God chose to bestow special grace ("favor," Gr. charis) on her (cf. Eph 1:6, the only other New Testament occurrence of kecharitomene). She would be the mother of the Messiah, which was an honor most Jewish mothers prayed would be hers. God did this without any special merit of her own (cf. Luk 1:47). Roman Catholic commentators dispute this point, but competent scholars have refuted their arguments. [Note: See Marshall, The Gospel . . ., p. 65, for further discussion.] The Lord’s presence with Mary guaranteed His help in the assignment she would have to fulfill (cf. Jdg 6:12; Rth 2:14-16).