1:42a

In a loud voice she exclaimed: Elizabeth spoke out loudly because she was very excited. She spoke to Mary, and she spoke loudly enough that anyone else in the house could hear.

1:42b

Blessed are you among women: The clause Blessed are you among women means “you are more blessed than all other women.” This clause is passive. God is the implied subject. In some languages you may need to make this explicit. For example:

⌊God⌋ has blessed you more than all other women.

Mary was the most blessed woman because God had chosen her to be the mother of his Son.

Blessed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Blessed means that God had favored Mary. God had done a good thing for Mary and would continue to do good to her. See bless, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

1:42c

blessed is the fruit of your womb: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blessed is the fruit of your womb means “⌊God⌋ has favored the child you will give birth to.” God had shown favor and would continue to show special favor to the baby who was in Mary’s womb.

the fruit of your womb: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as the fruit of your womb is a metaphor. It is a poetic way to refer to a woman’s child. Here it specifically refers to the infant Jesus, who had not yet been born.

In some languages, a literal translation of the metaphor may not be clear. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate it are:

• Use a different metaphor or idiom that people normally use for a woman’s child or specifically for an unborn baby.

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor without the figure of speech. For example:

the child you will have (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the child in your womb (NET Bible)
-or-
the baby to whom you will give birth

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