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Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and will call his name ‘Jesus.’
Luke 1:31 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
  • BSB Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
  • ESV And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
  • NKJV And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
  • NASB And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
  • NLT You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Mary will conceive and bear a son to be named Jesus. The Savior's coming is announced.

Overview

The name Jesus means 'the Lord saves,' revealing the child's mission. This is the heart of the annunciation: God himself will enter the world through Mary. The promised Messiah is now named and his birth foretold.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Isa 7:14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
  • Matt 1:21She shall give birth to a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
  • Matt 1:25and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
  • Luke 2:21When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
  • Matt 1:23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel”; which is, being interpreted, “God with us.”
  • Gal 4:4But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,
  • Luke 1:13But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
  • Luke 1:27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 1:31YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.

How Luke 1:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.