Devine Scripture

Luke 1:7

What does Luke 1:7 mean?

A plain-English look at Luke 1:7 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Luke 1:7 means

Luke reports their painful reality: Elisabeth was barren and both were advanced in years. This explains why a child would be surprising and why God’s intervention would be perceived as miraculous. In the ancient world, barrenness was socially stigmatizing and heartbreaking. By adding their age, Luke emphasizes the impossibility from a human standpoint, making God’s forthcoming action more remarkable and pointing the reader to divine sovereignty over nature and destiny.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And they were without children, because Elisabeth had never given birth, and they were at that time very old.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And they had no son, for that Elizabeth was barren: and they both were well advanced in years.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

Context

This verse comes immediately after their description as righteous; it heightens the tension. The reader now understands the couple’s longing and the improbability of offspring. It sets the stage for the angelic announcement that follows, making the miracle memorable and meaningful.

v.6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

v.7This passage

v.8Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Genesis 30:1

    And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.

  • Genesis 17:17

    Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

  • Romans 4:19

    And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;

  • Genesis 16:1

    Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

  • 2 Kings 4:14

    And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old.

  • Hebrews 11:11

    By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised:

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