Helping the Expectant Mother Elizabeth: The Nature and Purpose of Mary's Travel in Luke 1:39

Abstract:The purpose of Mary's journey in Luke 1:39 is not mentioned in the narrative. A common way of interpreting this travel is to conclude that Mary travels hastily to confirm Elizabeth's pregnancy and/or in obedience to Gabriel's words. In contrast, I argue that, when Mary's travel is placed in the context of female travel in the first century c.e. and the social world of childbirth, the textual clues indicate a different way to read the narrative gaps. Mary travels to Elizabeth to help her in the final months of her pregnancy, with the birth of John, and during the early postpartum period.