Scripture never states Mary’s age explicitly, so any responsible answer must begin by saying nowhere does the Bible give a number, not one verse, not one genealogy, not one narrative detail, and therefore any claim of certainty goes beyond what is written.
What we can do is reason historically and biblically from first century Jewish marriage customs, which are well attested, and then hold conclusions with humility rather than dogmatism, keeping speculation in check.
In ancient Jewish society girls were typically betrothed shortly after puberty, often between twelve and fourteen years old, because betrothal was a legally binding covenant, not casual engagement, and this fits the social world assumed throughout the Gospels.
Mary is described as a parthenos, a virgin, in ~Luke 1:27, a term that stresses sexual status not age, yet it places her squarely within the normal category of a young unmarried Jewish woman of marriageable age under Torah custom.
Betrothal already made her legally Joseph’s wife, which explains why Joseph is called her husband in ~Matthew 1:19 even before they came together, and why divorce language is used, all of which aligns with early teenage betrothal rather than later adulthood.
Luke portrays Mary as living under parental authority, traveling with family, and offering no independent household markers, which again fits a very young woman by modern standards but culturally normative for her time.
Her response to Gabriel, “Behold, the servant of the Lord, may it be to me according to your word” ~Luke 1:38, reflects theological maturity and covenant submission, which Scripture consistently attributes to faithfulness, not age, especially in God’s redemptive acts.
Early Jewish and Greco Roman sources outside Scripture consistently place first marriages for girls in the early teens, and nothing in the Gospel narratives suggests Mary was unusually old or unusually young relative to her culture.
Therefore most historically grounded scholars conclude Mary was likely between twelve and sixteen years old when she gave birth to Jesus, with the lower end more common in traditional Jewish settings, though Scripture itself remains silent on the exact number.
Theologically the emphasis of the text is not Mary’s age but God’s sovereign grace, because the incarnation does not hinge on biology but on promise, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” ~Luke 1:35, placing the miracle squarely in divine action rather than human readiness.
The cross already stands in view even at the manger, **
because the child born of Mary was born to die,
and her youth only magnifies the humility of God’s redemptive plan, choosing what is lowly, powerless, and unseen to bring salvation to the world through Jesus Christ our Lord.
https://www.oneforisrael.org/tabernacling-with-god-at-the-feast-of-sukkot/#:~:text=THE%20MEANING%20OF%20THE%20CHUPPAH%20/%20WEDDING%20CANOPY
J.
