Genesis 3:20; Luke 1:26-28; Luke 1:41-43
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
ADAM CLARKE (1760-1832): What has the word “Eve” to do with being “the mother of all living?” A man who does not understand the original cannot possibly comprehend what is said here.
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): The Hebrew word signifies either a living, or, the giver or preserver of life.
ADAM CLARKE: It is a pity our translators had not followed the Septuagint Greek translation, which is literal and correct: “And Adam called his wife’s name Life, because she was the mother of all the living.” This is a proper and faithful representation of the Hebrew text. The original Hebrew word, which we have corrupted into Eve, makes it destitute of all meaning.
JOHN GILL (1697-1771): Eve would be not only the mother of all men living in succeeding generations, but particularly of one descending from her, Who would be the mother of Him that should bring life and immortality to light, or be the Author of all life, natural, spiritual, and eternal; and Who is called ζωη, “the life,” John 1:4; 14:6, which is the same word by which the Greek version renders Eve.
THOMAS COKE (1747-1814): Adam gave her this name in reference to that great expected event: Eve, the mother of all, or universal life; for the Hebrew will bear this sense; and Jesus Christ is universal life, the life of the world.
MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714): It was likewise a confirmation of the promise now made, that the seed of the woman—of this woman, should break the serpent’s head, Genesis 3:15. The blessing of a Redeemer, and promised seed, to whom Adam had an eye, in calling his wife Eve—life; for He should be the life of all the living, and in Him all the families of the earth should be blessed.
THE EDITOR: Scripturally, therefore Eve must be the most famous mother in all human history. Still, in general popular opinion, Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is more likely to be considered as the world’s most famous mother. “Blessed art thou among women.” Do not the angel Gabriel’s words suggest that?
THOMAS COKE: She of all others was singled out to be distinguished with peculiar honour, and to be called blessed in all generations, as the mother of the Messiah. The popish plea for the adoration of the virgin Mary, drawn from this passage, is absurd and utterly unsupported; these words in no wise implying prayer or worship, but merely a friendly salutation.
ADAM CLARKE: “Hail, thou that art highly favoured.” That is, thou art favoured beyond all others. “Highly favoured,” as being chosen in preference to all the women upon earth, to be the mother of the Messiah. But not the “mother of God,” for that is blasphemy.
JOHN TRAPP (1601-1699): Whether the blessed virgin were the Mother of God, raised great storms in the Council of Ephesus in 421 A.D., and came to commotions in the secular part, and excommunications among the Bishops, inasmuch as the Emperor declared both sides heretics—but forasmuch as she was the mother of Christ, Matthew 1:23, and Christ is God; in bringing forth Christ, she was the “mother of God.”
JOHN GILL: She would be the mother of Him, as man, Who, in His divine nature, is Lord of all angels, and men, and every creature; and in an especial manner was her Lord, and the Lord of all the saints; by His Father’s gift from eternity, by His own purchase in time, and by the power of His grace on each of their souls. Thus the virgin is said to be “the mother of our Lord,” and so may be called “the mother of God;” because she was parent of that child, which was in union with Him, who is truly Lord and God.
WILLIAM KELLY (1821-1906): Mary is the mother of Him who is God; but not the “mother of God,” as the Roman Catholics say.
THE EDITOR: Our God is a self-existent Being. Christ, being God, existed in the Godhead “from everlasting to everlasting,” and thus, He Who is “God come in the flesh,” has no mother. But as the man Christ Jesus, conceived by the Holy Ghost in Mary’s womb, thus Mary may quite legitimately be called the “mother of the Man Christ Jesus,” or “mother of the Messiah,” or even “the mother of my Lord,” as Elizabeth addressed her, Luke 1:43. But to style her as “the Mother of God,” is both misleading and theologically inaccurate terminology. Scriptural terminology is important, because errors in terminology are corrupt roots that usually produce bad fruits—both in doctrine and practice.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): Papists call her “Mother of God,” but she herself never whispers such a thing in her song. No, it is “my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour,” Luke 1:47; just such words as the sinner who is speaking to you might use, and expressions as you sinners who are hearing me can use, too.
ADAM CLARKE: “All generations shall call me blessed,” Luke 1:48. This was the character by which alone she wished to be known; the blessed or happy virgin. What dishonour those do to this holy woman, who give her names and characters which her pure soul would abhor; and which properly belong to God her Saviour! By her votaries she is addressed as the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of God, titles both absurd and blasphemous.
A. W. PINK (1886-1952): Perhaps a word is called for in connection with our Lord’s form of address to her. So far as the record of the four gospels go, never once did He call her “Mother.”
JOHN CALVIN (1509-1564): Why does He reduce her to the rank of woman, and not even deign to call her mother?
A. W. PINK: It is significant that the two times Christ addressed His mother as “woman” are both recorded in John’s Gospel, which sets forth His Deity. The employment of this term “woman” denotes Christ’s omniscience; with prophetic foresight He anticipated the horrible idolatry which was to ascribe Divine honours to her. He knew that in the centuries which were to follow, men would entitle her the Queen of angels and the “Mother of God.” Hence, He refused to use a term which would in any wise countenance the monstrous system of Mariolatry. Christ would here teach us that Mary was only a woman—“Blessed among women,” but not “blessed above women.”
C. H. SPURGEON: Our Saviour, with all the love of His Manhood towards His mother, acted towards her in such a way as to forever forbid any degree of religious worship being rendered to her. He gave no countenance to the superstitious titles of “Our Lady,” “Mother of God,” and so forth; but, on the contrary, He taught that the nearest fleshly relationship to Himself was as nothing, compared with spiritual union to Him. Remember how it is written: “Then one said to Him, Behold, your mother and your brethren stand outside, desiring to speak with you. But He answered and said unto him that told Him, Who is My mother? And who are My brethren? And He stretched forth His hand towards His disciples and said, Behold My mother and My brethren! For whoever shall do the will of My Father which is in Heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother,” Matthew 12:47-50.
