Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Luke 1:35 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 35. 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Luke 1:35 answers Mary's question with the Holy Ghost's coming, divine overshadowing, and the child's holy Son-of-God identity.
Mary questions, then answers with her own yes
This verse is one part of that explanation in Luke 1:26–1:38. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Luke 1:26–1:38
Read Luke 1:35 with 1:26–1:38. In isolation, this contribution—answers Mary's question with the Holy Ghost's coming, divine overshadowing, and the child's holy Son-of-God identity—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Gabriel addresses Mary with divine favor, announces a Davidic son whose kingdom will not end, explains conception by the Holy Ghost and God's power, and receives Mary's willing response.
Follow the Context
- Identify the actors, setting, and initiating speech or action in Luke 1:26–1:38.
- Gabriel addresses Mary with divine favor, announces a Davidic son whose kingdom will not end, explains conception by the Holy Ghost and God's power, and receives Mary's willing response.
- Hold this material interpretive limit in view: The text presents Mary as a named agent who questions and answers; debates about virgin conception, consent, age, historicity, and later Marian doctrine exceed what this scene alone settles.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
This verse does not detach its specific contribution—answers Mary's question with the Holy Ghost's coming, divine overshadowing, and the child's holy Son-of-God identity—from the complete unit or override the unit's explicit boundary: The scene does not authorize sexual coercion, erase Mary's agency, shame pregnancy, or make a vulnerable person's submission available to human authorities.
What Remains True
Luke 1:35 answers Mary's question with the Holy Ghost's coming, divine overshadowing, and the child's holy Son-of-God identity. Read inside Luke 1:26–1:38, this contribution supports the unit's proportionate truth: Gabriel addresses Mary with divine favor, announces a Davidic son whose kingdom will not end, explains conception by the Holy Ghost and God's power, and receives Mary's willing response. Its use remains accountable to affected people and the unit's explicit boundary.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Luke 1:26–1:38 — Jesus' Birth Is Announced to MarySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The text presents Mary as a named agent who questions and answers; debates about virgin conception, consent, age, historicity, and later Marian doctrine exceed what this scene alone settles.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and coverage.
Exact location: Luke 1:26–1:38, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations; the edition is not treated as a complete apparatus.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Luke.txt, 1:26–1:38
Open the Luke Greek text file ↗open translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: Luke
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, KJV-language clarification, historical notes, Synoptic parallels, and textual alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Luke PDF, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to Luke 1:26–1:38
Open source ↗