Bible Strands
Luke 1:28
The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — An angel speaks to Mary, a virgin pledged to Joseph of the house of David, at the moment of the annunciation.
The words — χαῖρε (chaire), "rejoice" or "be glad," is the same formula the LXX assigns to angelic greetings (Daniel 9:25; 10:19), marking this as a divine address rather than a social pleasantry.
The thread — The pattern recurs in Judges 6:12, where the angel of the LORD greets Gideon with "The LORD is with you," and in Daniel 10:19, where the angel tells Daniel "Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious."
Why it lands — Mary's immediate reaction (v. 29) is not delight but alarm; the greeting is a threat before it is a promise, and the reader is asked to hold that tension without resolving it into comfort.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
- Daniel 10:19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious,” he said. “Peace be with you! Be strong now; be very strong!” As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
- Luke 1:30 So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
- Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.
- Daniel 9:21 while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
- Jeremiah 1:18 Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land.
- Luke 1:42 In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
- Acts 18:10 For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city.”
- Luke 11:27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”
- Proverbs 31:29 “Many daughters have done noble things, but you surpass them all!”