Bible Character Explorer
Gospels • 1st century BC / AD
Elizabeth
Mother of JohnA priest's wife whose barrenness was reversed in old age, Elizabeth bore John the Baptist and was the first to recognize Mary's unborn Son as Lord.
"And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"
Luke 1:43 (KJV)
Overview
Elizabeth was the wife of Zacharias, a priest of the course of Abia, and was herself of the daughters of Aaron. Luke records that she and her husband were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, yet she remained barren into old age, a source of reproach in her culture. While Zacharias was serving in the Temple, the angel Gabriel announced that Elizabeth would bear a son who would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, and Zacharias was struck mute for his disbelief. Elizabeth conceived and, in her sixth month, was visited by her relative Mary, newly pregnant with Jesus. At Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in Elizabeth's womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, became the first person recorded in Scripture to recognize and proclaim Jesus as Lord, even before his birth. She gave birth to John, and at his circumcision insisted on the name Gabriel had given, restoring her husband's speech.
Gospel Connection
Elizabeth's Spirit-filled recognition of Mary as 'the mother of my Lord' (Luke 1:43) is the first confession in the Gospels that the unborn Jesus is Lord. Her son John would go on to prepare the way directly for Christ's public ministry, and her own story of God overturning barrenness anticipates the greater reversal the Gospel brings to every hopeless situation.
Discover More
See how this life points to Christ in the Gospel Connection section above.