And she spoke out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
Blessed art.
Luke 1:28,48 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…
Judges 5:24 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
blessed is.
Luke 19:38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
Psalm 21:6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
Blessed are you among women
Elizabeth's declaration of Mary as "blessed among women" underscores Mary's unique role in God's redemptive plan. This echoes the Old Testament blessings given to women like Jael and Judith, who were also called "blessed among women" for their roles in delivering Israel (Judges 5:24, Judith 13:18). The phrase signifies Mary's special status as the mother of the Messiah, chosen by God for this singular honor. It also reflects the fulfillment of prophecies concerning the coming of the Savior through a woman (Genesis 3:15).
and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
The "fruit of your womb" refers to Jesus, emphasizing His divine nature and the fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior. This blessing connects to the Abrahamic covenant, where God promised that through Abraham's seed all nations would be blessed (Genesis 22:18). The phrase also alludes to the Messianic prophecies, such as Isaiah 7:14, which foretold the virgin birth. The blessing acknowledges Jesus as the awaited Messiah, the one who would bring salvation to humanity. Elizabeth's recognition of Jesus' significance even before His birth highlights the divine revelation and the work of the Holy Spirit in this encounter.
• Elizabeth’s shout is Spirit-prompted. Just a verse earlier, “Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41). The volume underscores that what follows is a divinely inspired proclamation, not mere opinion.
• Public, audible praise mirrors other moments when God’s work bursts into the open—think of the healed man who “went out and began to proclaim it freely” (Mark 1:45) or the crowds on Palm Sunday crying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38).
• God’s redemptive acts are meant to be celebrated out loud. Elizabeth’s voice joins a long biblical pattern of vocal testimony, from Miriam’s song (Exodus 15:21) to the loud heavenly praises in Revelation 19:1.
• The phrase echoes angel Gabriel’s greeting: “Greetings, you who are highly favored!” (Luke 1:28). Mary’s blessing is repeated and confirmed by another Spirit-filled witness, sealing it as truth.
• Scripture occasionally singles out a woman as “most blessed” when God uses her in a pivotal way—Jael in Judges 5:24; Judith in the later Jewish tradition. Mary stands at the climax of that line, chosen to bear the Messiah promised since Genesis 3:15.
• “Blessed” points to God’s gracious action, not human merit alone. Mary’s humble response—“May it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38)—shows that genuine blessedness flows from willing obedience to God’s plan.
• While Mary is uniquely honored, Scripture reserves worship for God alone (Luke 4:8). Elizabeth’s words invite admiration and gratitude for Mary’s role, not adoration of Mary herself.
• The blessing shifts from Mary to her unborn Child. Even in utero, Jesus is recognized as the promised Redeemer: “You will name Him Jesus… He will reign over the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:31-33).
• “Fruit of your womb” reminds us that the eternal Son truly took on flesh (John 1:14). The incarnation is not symbolic but literal; God the Son entered real human history through real human birth (Galatians 4:4).
• Elizabeth’s statement anticipates later confessions of Jesus’ identity—Peter’s “You are the Christ” (Matthew 16:16) and Thomas’s “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). From the very beginning, the Spirit testifies that this Child is blessed, holy, and destined to save (Luke 2:30-32).
• Notice the order: Mary is blessed because Jesus is blessed. Her honor derives from her relationship to Him, a truth that keeps the focus where Scripture places it—on Christ.
Elizabeth’s Spirit-filled shout in Luke 1:42 proclaims two linked truths: God has graciously honored Mary by choosing her, and the Child she carries is supremely blessed—the incarnate Redeemer. The verse invites us to join Elizabeth’s joyful, public praise, recognizing Mary’s unique role while centering our worship on Jesus, the promised Savior whose arrival fulfills God’s ancient plan.
(42) Blessed art thou among women.--The language, like that of most of the utterances in these chapters, is taken from the poetry of the older Scriptures, but there is a singular contrast between its application there to the murderess Jael (Judges 5:24), and here to the mother of the Lord.Verse 42. - And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women (see Judges 5:24). The words which clothed the thoughts in these ecstatic expressions of intense joy and thankfulness on the part of the two favored women, Mary and Elisabeth, are in great measure drawn from hymn and song contained in the Old Testament Scriptures. The song of Hannah, the hymn of Deborah, many of the psalms, the songs of the Canticles, the more glorious of the prophetic utterances, had been ever familiar to both these true women of the people; and they could find no language so fitting as the words of these loved national songs to express the intense joy, the deep awe and gratitude of their hearts. Think what must have been the feeling of the two - the one finding herself the chosen out of all the thousands of Israel, after so many centuries of weary waiting, to be the mother of the Messiah; the other, long after any reasonable hope of any offspring at all had faded away, to be the mother of Messiah's chosen friend, his herald, and his preacher, the mighty forerunner of the King of whom the prophets had written!