Luke 1:38 (ASV)

Passage

And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:36 And behold, Elisabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren.

Luke 1:37 For no word from God shall be void of power.

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah;

Luke 1:40 and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mary", "said", "behold", "handmaid", "lord", "word", "angel", and "departed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mary" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "For no word from God shall be..." into verse 39's "And Mary arose in these days and...", so "mary" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mary" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.