Luke 1:34

    Luke 1:34

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

a. ASV: And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And Mary said unto the messenger, 'How shall this be, seeing a husband I do not know?' [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have no [intimacy with any man as a] husband? [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Peshitta Eastern Text: Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, for no man has known me. [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT. Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

e. NLT: Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”  [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

1. “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”

a. Then [Strong: 1161 dé, deh; a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:—also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. said [Strong: 2036 épō, ep'-o; a primary verb (used only in the definite past tense, the others being borrowed from G2046, G4483, and G5346); to speak or say (by word or writing):—answer, bid, bring word, call, command, grant, say (on), speak, tell.]

c. Mary [Strong: 3137 María, mar-ee'-ah; of Hebrew origin (H4813); Maria or Mariam (i.e. Mirjam), the name of six Christian females:—Mary.]

d. unto [Strong: 4314 prós, pros; a strengthened form of G4253; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward (with the genitive case, the side of, i.e. pertaining to; with the dative case, by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the accusative case, the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is predicated):—about, according to , against, among, at, because of, before, between, ([where-]) by, for, × at thy house, in, for intent, nigh unto, of, which pertain to, that, to (the end that), + together, to ([you]) -ward, unto, with (-in). In the comparative case, it denotes essentially the same applications, namely, motion towards, accession to, or nearness at.]

e. the [Strong: 3588. [ton] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [ton] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, Hē, hé  hē, hai, tas.]

f. angel [Strong: 32 ággelos, ang'-el-os; from ἀγγέλλω aggéllō (probably derived from G71; compare G34) (to bring tidings); a messenger; especially an "angel"; by implication, a pastor:—angel, messenger.]

g. How [Strong: 4459 pōs, poce; adverb from the base of G4226; an interrogative particle of manner; in what way? (sometimes the question is indirect, how?); also as exclamation, how much!:—how, after (by) what manner (means), that. (Occasionally unexpressed in English).]

h. [shall] this [Strong: 5124 toûto, too'-to; neuter singular nominative or accusative case of G3778; that thing:—here (-unto), it, partly, self(-same), so, that (intent), the same, there(-fore, -unto), this, thus, where(-fore).]

i. be [Strong: 2071 ésomai, es'-om-ahee; future of G1510; will be:—shall (should) be (have), (shall) come (to pass), × may have, × fall, what would follow, × live long, × sojourn.]

j. seeing [Strong: 1893 epeí, ep-i'; from G1909 and G1487; thereupon, i.e. since (of time or cause):—because, else, for that (then, -asmuch as), otherwise, seeing that, since, when.]

k. [I] know [Strong: 1097 ginṓskō, ghin-oce'-ko; a prolonged form of a primary verb; to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed):—allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know(-ledge), perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.]

1). The wording “to know” is used as an euphemism for sexual contact. 

2). In William Gesenius’s Hebrew-Chaldean Lexicon, it is listed as a “euphemism for sexual intercourse”.  It is used this way in Genesis 4:1, “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain,” Likewise in Genesis 4:17, “And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch…”  Gesenius writes, “…verbs of knowing are frequently employed for this euphemism in other languages.”  Gesenius then lists examples in Syrian, Arabic, Ethiopian, Greek, Latin, Italian, and French.

l. not [Strong: 3756 ou, oo; a primary word; the absolute negative (compare G3361) adverb; no or not:—+ long, nay, neither, never, no (X man), none, (can-)not, + nothing, + special, un(-worthy), when, + without, + yet but.]

b. [a] man [Strong: 435 anḗr, an'-ayr; a primary word (compare G444); a man (properly as an individual male):—fellow, husband, man, sir.]

1). Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

a). virgin [Strong: 5959 `almah al-maw' feminine of 5958; a lass (as veiled or private):--damsel, maid, virgin.]

2). Finis Jennings Dake: (Note under Luke 1:270 This settles the meaning of the Hebrew “almah” in Isaiah 7:14. There is no question about the Greek “parthenos”. It refers to a pure virgin who has never known a man,that is, never experienced marriage relationship.