Lukas 1:30

1:30 So ¹  the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, ²  Mary, for you have found favor ³  with God!

Lukas 1:34

1:34 Mary ⁴  said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with ⁵  a man?”

[1:30]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Gabriel’s statement is a response to Mary’s perplexity over the greeting.

[1:30]  ² sn Do not be afraid. See 1:13 for a similar statement to Zechariah.

[1:30]  ³ tn Or “grace.”

[1:30]  sn The expression found favor is a Semitism, common in the OT (Gen 6:8; 18:3; 43:14; 2 Sam 15:25). God has chosen to act on this person’s behalf.

[1:34]  ⁴ tn Grk “And Mary.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:34]  ⁵ tn Grk “have not known.” The expression in the Greek text is a euphemism for sexual relations. Mary seems to have sensed that the declaration had an element of immediacy to it that excluded Joseph. Many modern translations render this phrase “since I am a virgin,” but the Greek word for virgin is not used in the text, and the euphemistic expression is really more explicit, referring specifically to sexual relations.