Luke 1 · Verse 32

Luke 1:32

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luke 1:32, King James Version

Luke 1:32 in other translations

BSBHe will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
WEBHe will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
ASVHe shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
YLThe shall be great, and Son of the Highest he shall be called, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father,
DARBYHe shall be great, and shall be called Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father;
BBEHe will be great, and will be named the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his father:
WebsterHe will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.

What does Luke 1:32 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 1:32-33
32-33. This is but an echo of the sublime prediction in Is 9:6, 7.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 32. He shall be (f) great. There is undoubted reference in this passage to Isa 9:6,7. By his being great is meant he shall be distinguished or illustrious; great in power, in wisdom, in dominion, on earth and in heaven.

Shall be (g) called. This is the same as to say he shall be the Son, &c. The Hebrews often used this form of speech. Mt 21:13.

The (h) Highest. God, who is infinitely exalted; called the Highest, because he is exalted over all his creatures on earth and in heaven. Mk 5:7.

The throne. The kingdom; or shall appoint him as the lineal successor of David in the kingdom.

His father David. David is called his father because Jesus was lineally descended from him. Mt 1:1. The promise to David was, that there should not fail a man to sit on his throne, or that his throne should be perpetual, and the promise was fulfilled by exalting Jesus to be a Prince and a Saviour, and the perpetual King of his people.

(f) Mt 1:21 (g) He 1:2-8 (h) 2Sam 7:11,12, Isa 9:6,7

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 32 He shall be great - Behold the greatness of the man Christ Jesus: 1st. Because that human nature that should be born of the virgin was to be united with the Divine nature. 2dly. In consequence of this, that human nature should be called in a peculiar sense the Son of the most high God; because God would produce it in her womb without the intervention of man. 3rdly. He shall be the everlasting Head and Sovereign of his Church. 4thly. His government and kingdom shall be eternal. Revolutions may destroy the kingdoms of the earth, but the powers and gates of hell and death shall never be able to destroy or injure the kingdom of Christ. His is the only dominion that shall never have an end. The angel seems here to refer to Isa 9:7; Isa 16:5; Jer 23:5; Dan 2:44; Dan 7:14. All which prophecies speak of the glory, extent, and perpetuity of the evangelical kingdom. The kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory form the endless government of Christ.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 1:26-38

We have here an account of the mother of our Lord; though we are not to pray to her, yet we ought to praise God for her. Christ must be born miraculously. The angel's address means only, Hail, thou that art the especially chosen and favoured of the Most High, to attain the honour Jewish mothers have so long desired. This wondrous salutation and appearance troubled Mary. The angel then assured her that she had found…

Read the full comment on Luke 1:26-38 →

Luke 1:32 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

οὗτοςhoutosHeG3778
ἔσταιestaiwill beG1510
μέγαςmegasgreatG3173
καὶkaiandG2532
υἱὸςhuiosSonG5207
ὑψίστουhupsistouof [the] Most HighG5310
κληθήσεται,klēthēsetaiHe will be called,G2564
καὶkaiandG2532
δώσειdōseiwill giveG1325
αὐτῷautōto HimG846
κύριοςkurios[the] LordG2962
ὁho<the>G3588
θεὸςtheosGodG2316
τὸνtontheG3588
θρόνονthrononthroneG2362
ΔαυὶδDauidof DavidG1138
τοῦtouof theG3588
πατρὸςpatrosfatherG3962
αὐτοῦ,autouof Him,G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Luke 1:32

  • Isaiah 9:6-7

    For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

  • Isaiah 16:5

    And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

  • 2 Samuel 7:11-13

    And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

  • Psalms 132:11

    The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.

  • Luke 1:35

    And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

  • Mark 5:7

    And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

  • Hebrews 1:2-8

    Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? …

  • Matthew 28:18

    And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

  • Luke 1:76

    And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

  • Revelation 3:7

    And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

  • 2 Samuel 7:16

    And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

  • Philippians 2:9-11

    Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
shall be great.
15; 3:16; Mt 3:11; 12:42; Php 2:9-11
the Son.
35; Mr 5:7; 14:61; Joh 6:69; Ac 16:17; Ro 1:4; Heb 1:2-8
give.
2Sa 7:11-13; Ps 132:11; Isa 9:6,7; 16:5; Jer 23:5,6; 33:15-17
Eze 17:22-24; 34:23,24; 37:24,25; Am 9:11,12; Mt 28:18; Joh 3:35,36
Joh 5:21-29; 12:34; Ac 2:30,36; Eph 1:20-23; Re 3:7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Luke 1:31

    And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

  • Luke 1:32

    He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

  • Luke 1:33

    And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Read all of Luke 1

Luke 1:32 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Este será grande, y será llamado Hijo del Altísimo: y le dará el Señor Dios el trono de David su padre:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Il sera grand et sera appelé le Fils du Très-haut; et le ✶Seigneur Dieu lui donnera le trône de David son père;
German
Elberfelder 1871
Dieser wird groß sein und Sohn des Höchsten genannt werden; und der Herr, Gott, wird ihm den Thron seines Vaters David geben;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
hic erit magnus, et Filius Altissimi vocabitur, et dabit illi Dominus Deus sedem David patris ejus: et regnabit in domo Jacob in æternum,