Misinterpretations often arise from translating 'highly favoured' as 'full of grace' to support doctrines like Mary's Immaculate Conception or sinlessness, implying an inherent personal merit rather than God's external, unmerited favor for her role; others erroneously use it to elevate Mary to a mediator or object of worship, overlooking the passage's focus on God's sovereign choice and her submissive response, or dismiss it as mere flattery without recognizing its prophetic weight in announcing the Messiah's birth.
Luke 1:28
King James Version (1769)
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
The angel Gabriel greets Mary with the announcement that she is highly favored by God, the Lord is with her, and she is blessed among women, revealing God's gracious selection of her as the virgin who would miraculously conceive and bear the Savior, Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing divine initiative, presence, and blessing in the unfolding of the incarnation and salvation plan.