Elizabeth

Description

Elizabeth (also spelled Elisabeth; Hebrew: אֱלִישֶׁבַע “My God is abundance”, Standard Hebrew: Elišévaʿ, Tiberian Hebrew: ʾĔlîšéḇaʿ; Greek: Ἐλισάβετ Elisabet / Elisavet) was the mother of John the Baptist, the wife of Zechariah and the elder sister of Mary, mother of Jesus, according to the Gospel of Luke and in Islamic tradition. She was past normal child-bearing age when she conceived and gave birth to John.

According to the Gospel of Luke chapter 1, Elizabeth was “of the daughters of Aaron”. She and her husband Zechariah/Zachariah were “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (1:5–7), but childless. While he was in the temple of the Lord (1:8–12), Zachariah was visited by the angel Gabriel:

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

— Luke 1:13–15
The date on which this occurred, according to theologian Adam C. English, “is September 24, based on computations from the Jewish calendar in accordance with Leviticus 23 regarding the Day of Atonement.”

Zachariah doubted whereby he could know this since both he and his wife were old. The angel identified himself as Gabriel and told Zachariah that he would be “dumb, and not able to speak” until the words were fulfilled, because he did not believe. When the days of his ministry were complete, he returned to his house (Luke 1:16–23).

After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

— Luke 1:24–25