To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luke 2:4,5 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) …
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
pledged in marriage
In Jewish culture, betrothal was a binding agreement, more formal than modern engagements. It was a legal contract, and breaking it required a formal divorce. This period typically lasted about a year, during which the couple was considered husband and wife, though they did not live together or consummate the marriage.
to a man named Joseph
Joseph is a key figure in the nativity story, known for his righteousness and obedience to God. He is a descendant of David, which is crucial for fulfilling the Messianic prophecies that the Messiah would come from David's lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
who was of the house of David
This phrase underscores the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah's lineage. The Davidic line is significant in Jewish history, as God promised David that his throne would be established forever (Psalm 89:3-4). Jesus, as a descendant of David, fulfills this covenant.
And the virgin’s name was Mary
Mary, a common Jewish name, is central to the Gospel narrative. Her role as the mother of Jesus is pivotal, and she is often noted for her faith and obedience. Her selection by God highlights themes of humility and divine favor, as she was chosen to bear the Son of God.
Luke writes, “to a virgin” (Luke 1:27).
• Luke is recording an historical fact: Mary had never had sexual relations. This literal virginity fulfills God’s promise hundreds of years earlier—“Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son” (Isaiah 7:14; echoed in Matthew 1:23).
• The virgin birth safeguards the sinlessness of Jesus. Because He is conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) rather than by a human father, He is “holy, blameless, pure” (Hebrews 7:26).
• Mary’s question a few verses later, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” (Luke 1:34), shows she understood exactly what Gabriel meant.
The phrase continues, “pledged in marriage.”
• In first-century Jewish life, betrothal was more binding than modern engagement. It lasted about a year, and a legal divorce was required to dissolve it (Matthew 1:18-19).
• During this period the bride still lived with her parents, maintaining sexual purity until the wedding celebration (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).
• God arranged events so Mary was already committed to Joseph. This preserved her honor and provided Jesus with a legal father while keeping the miraculous conception clear.
Mary was betrothed “to a man named Joseph.”
• Joseph is introduced simply and humbly, yet Matthew calls him “a righteous man” (Matthew 1:19). He responds to God’s directions with steady obedience—taking Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24), protecting the child in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15), and bringing the family back to Nazareth (Luke 2:39).
• By naming Jesus (Matthew 1:25), Joseph legally acknowledges Him as his son, granting Jesus legitimate standing within Israel’s community.
Joseph “was of the house of David.”
• This ties Jesus to God’s covenant with David: “I will raise up your offspring after you… I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
• Prophets repeated the promise—Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5—and the New Testament confirms it: Jesus is “descended from David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3).
• Because legal descent passed through the father, Joseph’s lineage secures Jesus’ rightful claim to the Davidic throne, even though His conception is divine.
Finally, “And the virgin’s name was Mary.”
• Luke emphasizes her virginity a second time, underscoring the miraculous nature of what follows.
• Mary’s name means “beloved” or “favored,” which aligns with Gabriel’s greeting: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28).
• Her humble faith shines: “I am the Lord’s servant… May it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). She becomes a model of obedient trust (Luke 1:46-49).
Every phrase of Luke 1:27 is loaded with purpose. Mary’s literal virginity fulfills prophecy and guarantees Jesus’ sinless humanity. Her betrothal to righteous Joseph provides protection and legal legitimacy. Joseph’s Davidic lineage anchors Jesus in the royal line, validating Him as the promised King. Mary herself embodies humble, faithful submission to God’s plan. Together, these details reveal God’s sovereign orchestration to bring His Messiah into the world exactly as Scripture foretold.
(27) To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph.--Of the parentage of Mary the canonical Gospels tell us nothing, and the legends of the apocryphal have no claim to credit. That her mother's name was Anna, that she surpassed the maidens of her own age in wisdom, that she went as a child into the Temple, that she had many who sought her hand, and that they agreed to decide their claims by laying their rods before the Holy Place and seeing which budded, and that Joseph thus became the accepted suitor--this may be worth mentioning, as having left its impress on Christian art, but it has no claim to the character even of tradition. The scanty notices in the Gospels are (1) that she was a "cousin," or more generally a "kinswoman," of Elizabeth, and may, therefore, have been, by her parentage, wholly or in part of the daughters of Aaron. (2) That she had a sister who, according to a somewhat doubtful construction of an ambiguous sentence, may also have borne the name of Mary or Mariam (the "Miriam" of the Old Testament), and been afterwards the wife of Cleophas, or, more correctly, Clopas (John 19:25). The absence of any mention of her parents suggests the thought that she was an orphan, and the whole narrative of the Nativity presupposes poverty. Assuming the Magnificat to have been not merely the sudden inspiration of the moment, but, in some sense, the utterance of the cherished thoughts of years, we may think of her as feeding upon the psalms and hymns and prophecies of the Sacred Books, and knowing, as she did, that the man to whom she was betrothed was of the house of David, this may well have drawn her expectations of redemption into the line of looking for the Christ, who was to be the son of David. Of Joseph, we know that he was, possibly by a twofold lineage (but see Note on Luke 3:23), the heir of that house, and must have known himself to be so. He was but a carpenter in a Galilean village, probably older than his betrothed, possibly a widower with sons and daughters, possibly the guardian of nephews and nieces who had been left orphans, but the documents which contained his genealogy must have been precious heirlooms, and the hopes that God would raise up the tabernacle of David that had fallen, to which one of those sons or nephews afterwards gave utterance (Acts 15:16), could never have been utterly extinguished.Verse 27. - To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; more accurately, betrothed. The formal ceremony of betrothal took place among the Jews in most cases a year prior to the marriage. The question has arisen whether the words, "of the house of David," refer to Joseph or to Mary. Grammatically, they would seem to belong to Joseph; but the fact of the Gospel being here so closely translated from a Hebrew (Aramaic) original. prevents us from laying down any strict linguistic rules which belong to the Greek language. "Who was Mary the virgin?" has been often asked. Verse 32 and 69 would lose their point altogether unless we regard Luke as being persuaded that the young Hebrew girl was a descendant of David. In respect to the virgin's family, we read that she was a cousin or kinswoman of Elisabeth. This would at least ally her closely to the priestly race. Dean Plumptre quotes one out of the many ancient apocryphal legends current respecting Mary of Nazareth, deeming it worthy of mention as having left its impress on Christian art. "The name of the virgin's mother was Anne. Mary surpassed the maidens of her own age in wisdom. There were many who early sought her in marriage. The suitors agreed to decide their claims by laying their rods before the holy place, and seeing which budded. It was thus that Joseph became betrothed to her." The same scholar adds, "The absence of any mention of her parents in the Gospels suggests the thought that she was an orphan, and the whole narrative of the nativity presupposes poverty! The name Mary is the same as Miriam or Marah." (On the question of the genealogy recorded by St. Luke, see note on chapter 3. 23.)