Luke 1:34

Mary ¹  said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with ²  a man?”

Jud 13:8-12; Ac 9:6

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

² 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.