And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
The Handmaid of the Lord
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Luke 1:38
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. |
The Greek word for handmaid is the word doule. It is the feminine form of the Greek word doulos. A doule was a bonded/branded servant. In the Bible lands and times there were two kinds of servants. One servant was simply an employee. A doule was considered part of the family. A doule servant was a servant who had served a family for many years and had been offered her freedom. When offered freedom, this servant responded with: "No, I do not want to go free. I love my master and I want to continue to serve the family forever." The master then treated her as a trusted member of his family. The master provided for all her needs and the handmaid served faithfully as a trusted member of the master's family.
Mary's answer to the angel who told her that she would be the mother of the Christ was the response of the doule. I will serve God as a trusted servant in His family. Be it unto me according to thy word!
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