King James Bible
"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
Gabriel responds to Mary's question about how she could conceive without knowing a man, announcing divine intervention through the Holy Spirit. This echoes the Spirit's creative activity in Genesis 1:2, hovering over the waters at creation, now initiating a new creation. The term 'overshadow' recalls the cloud of God's presence covering the tabernacle in Exodus 40:35, suggesting Mary will become a living sanctuary. This parallelism emphasizes that her conception will be a purely divine act, with 'the Highest' being a Jewish reverent term for God. The miraculous conception directly results in the child's divine identity and holy nature from the moment of conception. The title 'Son of God' here signifies both the child's unique divine origin and his messianic role, fulfilling prophecies while transcending typical messianic expectations.