Meaning of the Name Mary
The Turkish form of the Hebrew name Miriam, first borne by the sister of Moses. Its precise etymology is debated: proposals include the Egyptian root 'beloved' (mry) and a connection with Hebrew 'sea' (yam); one traditional interpretation is 'drop of the sea'. Its meaning is therefore honestly given as unsettled.
Origin
The name Mary is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Mary in the Bible?
Mary is the mother of Jesus in the Gospels. She receives the angel Gabriel's announcement, gives birth to Jesus in Bethlehem and remains in the story as far as the foot of the cross. The song of praise in Luke (the Magnificat) is given from her lips.
The story of Mary in the Bible
We first meet Mary in Nazareth of Galilee: a young woman engaged to Joseph, when the angel Gabriel brings her startling news — she has found favor with God, will bear a son, and is to name him Jesus. Her answer is simple trust: let it happen as God has said. Visiting her relative Elizabeth, she breaks into a song of praise that generations have echoed; in this hymn, known as the Magnificat, she exalts the God who lifts up the humble. She gives birth to her son in Bethlehem, wraps him, and lays him in a manger. The Gospels show her at moments throughout Jesus' ministry, and most movingly at the foot of the cross, where John records Jesus entrusting his mother to the beloved disciple. Acts mentions her once more, praying with the first believers after the resurrection. The name goes back to the Hebrew Miriam, first borne by the sister of Moses; its exact meaning is uncertain, but the story of the woman who bore it is clear.
Is Mary mentioned in the Quran?
The name Mary (Maryam) also appears in the Quran, where she holds a special place as the only woman mentioned by name. In the Bible, she appears in the Gospels as the mother of Jesus.
Verses where Mary appears
- Luke 1:26-38 —
Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.…
- Luke 1:46-55 —
Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for he has looked at the humble state of his handmaid. For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. For he who is…
- John 19:25-27 —
But there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he…