LUKE 1:34 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not known a man?”

UST Then Mary said to the angel, “But I am a virgin. So how can this happen?”

AICNT And Mary said to the angel, “[How can this be, since][fn] I do not know a man?”[fn]

1:34, How can this be, since: Absent from Latin(b).

1:34, know a man: That is sexually.

OEB ‘How can this be?’ Mary asked the angel. ‘For I have no husband.’

WEBBE Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”

WMBB Miriam said to the angel, “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?”

NET Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”

LSV And Mary said to the messenger, “How will this be, seeing I do not know a husband?”

FBV “How is this possible?” Mary asked. “I'm still a virgin.”

TCNT Mary said to the angel, “How will this [fn]be, since I am a virgin?”

1:34 be ¦ happen to me ANT

T4T Then Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin, so how can I have a baby?”

LEB And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”

BBE And Mary said to the angel, How may this be, because I have had no knowledge of a man?

Moff "How can this be?" said Mary to the angel, "I have no husband."

Wymth "How can this be," Mary replied, "seeing that I have no husband?"

ASV And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

DRA And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?

YLT And Mary said unto the messenger, 'How shall this be, seeing a husband I do not know?'

Drby But Mary said to the angel, How shall this be, since I know not a man?

RV And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

SLT And Mary said to the messenger, How shall this be, since I know not man?

Wbstr Then said Mary to the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

KJB-1769 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

KJB-1611 Then said Marie vnto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
(Then said Mary/Maria unto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?)

Bshps Then said Marie vnto ye Angel: How shall this be, seing I knowe not a man?
(Then said Mary/Maria unto ye/you_all Angel: How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?)

Gnva Then sayde Marie vnto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I knowe not man?
(Then said Mary/Maria unto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not man? )

Cvdl Then sayde Mary vnto the angell: How shal this be, seinge I knowe not a ma?
(Then said Mary unto the angel: How shall this be, seeing I know not a ma?)

TNT Then sayd Mary vnto the angell: How shall this be seinge I knowe not a man?
(Then said Mary unto the angel: How shall this be seeing I know not a man? )

Wycl And Marie seide to the aungel, On what maner schal this thing be doon, for Y knowe not man?
(And Mary/Maria said to the angel, On what manner shall this thing be done, for I know not man?)

Luth Da sprach Maria zu dem Engel: Wie soll das zugehen, sintemal ich von keinem Manne weiß?
(So spoke Maria to/for to_him angel: How should the zugehen, since I from none man white?)

ClVg Dixit autem Maria ad angelum: Quomodo fiet istud, quoniam virum non cognosco?
(He/She_said however Maria to a_messenger/angel: How/In_what_manner will_be_done this, since/because husband not/no cognosco? )

UGNT εἶπεν δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον, πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω?
(eipen de Mariam pros ton angelon, pōs estai touto, epei andra ou ginōskō?)

SBL-GNT εἶπεν δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον· Πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;
(eipen de Mariam pros ton angelon; Pōs estai touto, epei andra ou ginōskō;)

RP-GNT Εἶπεν δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον, Πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;
(Eipen de Mariam pros ton angelon, Pōs estai touto, epei andra ou ginōskō;)

TC-GNT Εἶπε δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον, Πῶς [fn]ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ [fn]γινώσκω;
(Eipe de Mariam pros ton angelon, Pōs estai touto, epei andra ou ginōskō; )

1:34 εσται ¦ εσται μοι ANT

1:34 γινωσκω ¦ γεινωσκω TH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:26–38: An angel told Mary that Jesus would be born

God sent an angel to tell Mary that she would have a son and that his name would be Jesus. He would be a king forever. This surprised and frightened Mary. She asked the angel how this would happen, as she was a virgin. She had never had sexual relations with a man. The angel said that the power of God would overshadow her and cause her to become pregnant. She would give birth to a son, and he would be called the Son of God. Mary believed God’s message, and she was willing for this to happen to her.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

The angel Gabriel predicts the virgin birth of Jesus the Christ

Angel Gabriel announces to the virgin Mary that God will cause her to give birth to a son

The Birth of Jesus is Announced (GNT)

1:34

The BSB divides Mary’s question in 1:34 into two parts, and it puts the words “Mary asked the angel” between these parts. In many languages it is more natural to put the phrase “Mary asked the angel” at the beginning of the sentence. That is the word order in Greek. See the Display for 1:34a for an example. Follow the order that is natural in your language.

1:34a

“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel,

Mary asked the angel, “How will this happen
Mary said to the angel, “How can I have a baby?
Mary asked the angel how this could happen

How can this be: The word this refers to the angel’s words in 1:31a, “You will conceive.” So the question How can this be means “How shall this happen?” Mary was asking the angel for information. She was not implying that she did not believe what the angel had said. She did not understand how she could have a baby when she had not had sexual relations. You should express the question in a respectful way.

Some other ways to say this are:

But how can I have a baby? (NLT96)

How can/will I become pregnant?

Mary asked the angel: The BSB has placed the words Mary asked the angel in the middle of what Mary asked the angel in 1:34a–b. Place these words where it is natural in your language.

1:34b

“since I am a virgin?”

because I have never had sexual intercourse with a man?
I have not yet been with a man.”
since she was a virgin.

since I am a virgin: The basis for Mary’s question in 1:34a is that she was a virgin. That is, because she was a virgin, she concluded that she could not have a baby. So she asked the angel to explain how this could happen.

I am a virgin: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as I am a virgin is literally “I do not know a man.” This phrase is a polite way to refer to the fact that Mary had never had sexual intercourse with a man. In some languages there may be an idiom for this. Be careful to use an expression that is not vulgar in your language.

Some other ways to say this in English are:

I have not been intimate with a man (NET)

I am still a virgin (REB)

I have not had sexual relations with a man

General Comment on 1:34a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of 1:34a and 1:34b. For example:

^34b“I have no husband, ^34a so how can this happen?” Mary asked the angel.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ Μαριάμ πρός τόν ἄγγελον Πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο ἐπεί ἄνδρα οὒ γινώσκω)

The implication is that even though Mary did not understand how this could happen, she did not doubt that it would happen. This is clear from the way that Gabriel responds positively and encouragingly to her, by contrast to the way he rebuked Zechariah in [1:18](../01/18.md) for his similar-sounding question. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this explicitly. Alternate translation: [I believe you, though I do not understand how this could happen]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / euphemism

ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω

˓a˒_man (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ Μαριάμ πρός τόν ἄγγελον Πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο ἐπεί ἄνδρα οὒ γινώσκω)

Mary uses a polite expression to say that she had not engaged in sexual activity. Alternate translation: [I have never had sexual relations with a man]

Parallel LUKE 1:34

Section 1:26–38: An angel told Mary that Jesus would be born

1:34

1:34a

1:34b

General Comment on 1:34a–b