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But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Luke 1:43 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
  • KJV And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
  • BSB And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
  • NASB And how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me?
  • NLT Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me?

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

Elizabeth marvels that the mother of her Lord would visit her. She confesses the unborn Jesus as Lord.

Overview

Elizabeth humbly calls Mary 'the mother of my Lord,' acknowledging the deity and lordship of the unborn Christ. Her wonder reflects deep reverence rather than pride at being visited. This early confession of Jesus as Lord is striking and Spirit-given.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • John 20:28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
  • John 13:13You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I am.
  • 1 Sam 25:41She arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, “Behold, your servant is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
  • Luke 2:11For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
  • John 13:5–8Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
  • Phil 2:3doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;
  • Ps 110:1A Psalm by David. Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”
  • Ruth 2:10Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take knowledge of me, since I am a foreigner?”
  • Matt 3:14But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”
  • Phil 3:8Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ
  • Luke 20:42–44David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
  • Luke 7:7Therefore I didn’t even think myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (9)

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 1:43YouTube · 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 1:43 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.