And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS.
thou.
Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
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.
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
and shalt.
Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Matthew 1:21,25 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins…
you will conceive and give birth to a son,
This phrase echoes the prophecy found in Isaiah 7:14, which foretells the birth of a child to a virgin. The announcement to Mary parallels the miraculous births of other significant figures in the Bible, such as Isaac and Samuel, highlighting the divine intervention in human history. The conception is miraculous, emphasizing the divine nature of Jesus' birth.
and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
The name "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew name "Yeshua" or "Joshua," meaning "The Lord is salvation." This name signifies His mission to save His people from their sins, as explained in Matthew 1:21. The giving of a name by divine instruction underscores the authority and purpose of Jesus' life and ministry.
• The angel’s first word grabs Mary’s attention, signaling a moment of divine revelation. Similar heavenly announcements begin the same way—“Behold” in Luke 2:10 when angels speak to the shepherds, or in Isaiah 7:14 where the prophet proclaims, “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”
• Scripture uses this command to look or listen so we won’t miss what God is about to do. Here, God interrupts ordinary life with extraordinary grace, reminding us He still breaks in to our stories.
• The promise is personal and physical: Mary’s own womb will miraculously carry the Messiah. Isaiah’s centuries-old prophecy (Isaiah 7:14) comes into sharp focus.
• This is not abstract theology; it is God stepping into time and flesh. Paul later describes it: “When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4).
• The conception underscores God’s initiative—He acts first, we respond. It also assures us that every life conceived is seen and purposed by Him.
• The gender is specified because the Messiah had been foretold as the “seed” who would crush the serpent (Genesis 3:15) and as the royal “son” promised to David (2 Samuel 7:12).
• Birth language highlights Christ’s full humanity. John 1:14 affirms, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
• God’s plan progresses from conception to birth; His promises are not partial. What He begins, He completes.
• Names in Scripture reveal mission. The angel later explains to Joseph, “you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
• “Jesus” (Yeshua) means “Yahweh saves.” Every time Mary or anyone else called Him by name, they proclaimed the gospel.
• God, not Mary, chooses the name—underscoring divine authority over the child’s identity. Philippians 2:9-11 celebrates that God has “given Him the name above all names,” and every knee will bow to Jesus.
Luke 1:31 layers promise upon promise: attention-grabbing “Behold,” miraculous conception, fulfillment-rich birth, and a salvation-declaring name. The verse assures us that God faithfully moves from prophecy to reality, from announcement to arrival, so that in Jesus—fully God, fully man—our redemption is secure.
(31) Behold, thou shalt conceive.--St. Luke does not refer to the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, but it is clear from Mary's answer that she understood the words of the angel in the sense which St. Matthew gives to those of the prophet. What perplexed her was the reference to the conception and the birth in a prediction which made no mention of her approaching marriage. The absence of the reference is at least worth noticing, as showing that men were not necessarily led by their interpretation of the prophecy to imagine its fulfilment.Shalt call his name JESUS.--See Note on Matthew 1:21. The revelation of the name, with all its mysterious fulness of meaning, was made, we may note, to Joseph and Mary independently.
Verse 31. - JESUS; the ordinary Greek form, the well-known Hebrew Jehoshua, the shortened Joshua, "The Salvation of Jehovah."