How old was Mary when she gave birth to Jesus?
The Bible Answer
The Bible does not give a specific age for how old Mary was when she gave birth to Jesus. Neither or there any historical documents that states the age of Mary at the time Jesus was born. Even so, we can make some reasonable assumptions based on what the Jewish customs were back in that day and time.
Mary Was Most Likely Between The Ages 12-16 Years Old According To Scholars
While many of the pictures that we see today of Mary holding baby Jesus depict her as a young woman who was probably in her early 20’s, a majority of scholars and historians believe she was most likely between the ages of 12-16 years old when she had Jesus. This may seem to be a very young age to us today, but under Jewish customs of that time it was common for females to become betrothed (engaged) to a man at a very early age, even as early as 12. While there is no age given for Mary in the Bible, it does say she was a virgin who was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. (Luke 1:27) Regardless of her age when Jesus was born, Mary was greatly blessed and a highly favored mother (Luke 1:28).
Of course, knowing how old Mary was isn’t near as important as knowing the one who she gave birth to!
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