King James Bible
"Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?"
Mary responds directly to Gabriel's announcement that she will bear a son. Her addressing the angel shows both her acceptance of the supernatural encounter and her boldness to seek clarification despite the messenger's divine authority. Mary's question focuses on the mechanism rather than doubting the possibility, contrasting with Zechariah's earlier skepticism in the same chapter. She accepts the prophecy's truth while seeking to understand the practical means of its fulfillment. Using a Hebrew euphemism for sexual relations, Mary confirms her virginity as a betrothed but unmarried woman. This detail emphasizes both her purity according to Jewish custom and the miraculous nature of the conception that must occur outside normal human means.