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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_1:18-25
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, wanted to send her away secretly. 20But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." 22Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23" Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." 24And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Mat_1:18 "the birth" There is a Greek manuscript variant between "beginning" [genesis] and "birth" [gennasis]. The term genesis was probably original (cf. MSS P1, à , B, C; UBS4 rated it B). While both terms can mean "birth," the first had wider connotations (creation, generation, i.e., "the new Genesis in Jesus as the second Adam, cf. Rom_5:12-21) and could have meant "begotten." It has been supposed that later scribes changed the first term to "birth" deliberately to counteract later Christological (gnostic) heresies (cf. The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture by Bart P. Ehrman, pp. 75-77).
▣ "betrothed to Joseph" Betrothal was a legally binding Jewish custom, usually lasting about a year before marriage. The parties lived separately but were considered contractually married. Only death or divorce could break the betrothal arrangement.
NASB "she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit"
NKJV "she was found with child of the Holy Spirit"
NRSV "she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit"
TEV "she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit"
NJB "she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit"
This refers to the virgin birth, which was not a sexual experience for Mary or the Spirit. This was a prophetic fulfillment of Gen_3:15 (" And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel"), and in a multiple fulfillment sense, of Isa_7:14 (" Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel"). Surprisingly, no apostolic sermons in Acts or the Epistles mention this, possibly because it could have been confused with Greco-Roman mythology (the Mount Olympus gods often took human women and bore children by them).
Mat_1:19 "being a righteous man" A "righteous man" meant a lawful man by the standards of the Mosaic Law and the oral traditions of his day. It does not imply sinlessness; Noah and Job were righteous in the same sense (cf. Gen_6:9 and Job_1:1).
▣ "to send her away secretly" Joseph could have accomplished this through two legal procedures: (1) open renunciation in court or (2) the presentation of a written bill of divorce in front of two witnesses (cf. Deuteronomy 24). Mary had not shared the vision concerning her pregnancy with Joseph. OT Law demanded the death penalty for sexual unfaithfulness (cf. Deu_22:20-21; Deu_22:23-24).
Mat_1:20 Joseph was informed about the pregnancy of his betrothed wife by an angelic messenger. In Luk_1:26 the angel is identified as Gabriel (cf. Mat_1:19; Dan_8:16; Dan_9:21).
The word "dream" (onar) occurs five times in the first two chapters of Matthew (cf. Mat_1:20; Mat_2:12-13; Mat_2:19; Mat_2:22), but not again until Mat_27:19 and no where else in the NT.
▣ " an angel of the Lord" This phrase is used two ways in the OT.
1. an angel (cf. Gen_24:7; Gen_24:40; Exo_23:20-23; Exo_32:34; Num_22:22; Jdg_5:23; 1Sa_24:16; 1Ch_21:15 ff; Zech. 1:28)
2. as a way of referring to YHWH (cf. Gen_16:7-13; Gen_22:11-15; Gen_31:11; Gen_31:13; Gen_48:15-16; Exo_3:2; Exo_3:4; Exo_13:21; Exo_14:19; Jdg_2:1; Jdg_6:22-24; Jdg_13:3-23; Zec_3:1-2
Matthew uses the phrase often (cf. Mat_1:20; Mat_1:24; Mat_2:13; Mat_2:19; Mat_28:2), but always in the sense of #1 above. The NT does not use sense #2 except Act_8:26; Act_8:29, where, "an angel of the Lord" is paralleled to the Holy Spirit.
Mat_1:21 "you shall call His name Jesus" This name (Hebrew, Joshua) meant "YHWH saves," " YHWH brings salvation," or "YHWH is Savior" (some verb must be supplied, cf. Luk_1:31). See hyperlink at Mat_18:20.
The name YHWH means
1. This is the name which reflects deity as the covenant making God; God as savior, redeemer! Humans break covenants, but God is loyal to His word, promise, covenant (cf. Psalms 103).
This name is first mentioned in combination with Elohim in Gen_2:4. There are not two creation accounts in Genesis 1-2, but two emphases: (1) God as the creator of the universe (the physical) and (2) God as the special creator of humanity. Gen_2:4 begins the special revelation about the privileged position and purpose of mankind, as well as the problem of sin and rebellion associated with the unique position.
2. In Gen_4:26 it is said "men began to call upon the name of the Lord" (YHWH). However, Exo_6:3 implies that early covenant people (the Patriarchs and their families) knew God only as El-Shaddai. The name YHWH is explained only one time in Exo_3:13-16, esp. Mat_1:14. However, the writings of Moses often interpret words by popular word plays, not etymologies (cf. Gen_17:5; Gen_27:36; Gen_29:13-35). There have been several theories as to the meaning of this name (taken from IDB, vol. 2, pp. 409-11).
a. from an Arabic root, "to show fervent love"
b. from an Arabic root "to blow" (YHWH as storm God)
c. from a Ugaritic (Canaanite) root "to speak"
d. following a Phoenician inscription, a causative participle meaning "the One who sustains," or "the One who establishes"
e. from the Hebrew Qal form "the One who is," or "the One who is present" (in future sense, "the One who will be")
f. from the Hebrew Hiphil form "the One who causes to be"
g. from the Hebrew root "to live" (e.g., Gen_3:20), meaning "the ever-living, only-living One"
h. from the context of Exo_3:13-16 a play on the imperfect form used in a perfect sense, "I shall continue to be what I used to be" or "I shall continue to be what I have always been" (cf. J. Wash Watts, A Survey of Syntax in the Old Testament, p. 67
The full name YHWH is often expressed in abbreviation or possibly an original form.
(1) Yah (e.g., Hallelu - yah)
(2) Yahu (names, e.g., Isaiah)
(3) Yo (names, e.g., Joel)
3. In later Judaism this covenant name became so holy (the tetragrammaton) that Jews were afraid to say it lest they break the command of Exo_20:7; Deu_5:11; Deu_6:13. So they substituted the Hebrew term for "owner," "master," " husband," "lord" -adon or adonai (my lord). When they came to YHWH in their reading of OT texts they pronounced "lord." This is why YHWH is written Lord in English translations.
4. As with El, often YHWH is combined with other terms to emphasize certain characteristics of the Covenant God of Israel. While there are many possible combinations of terms, here are some.
a. YHWH - Yireh (YHWH will provide), Gen_22:14
b. YHWH - Rophekha (YHWH is your healer), Exo_15:26
c. YHWH - Nissi (YHWH is my banner), Exo_17:15
d. YHWH - Meqaddishkem (YHWH the One who sanctifies you), Exo_31:13
e. YHWH - Shalom (YHWH is Peace), Jdg_6:24
f. YHWH - Sabbaoth (YHWH of hosts), 1Sa_1:3; 1Sa_1:11; 1Sa_4:4; 1Sa_15:2; often in the Prophets)
g. YHWH - Ro'I (YHWH is my shepherd), Psa_23:1
h. YHWH - Sidqenu (YHWH is our righteousness), Jer_23:6
i. YHWH - Shammah (YHWH is there), Eze_48:35
hyperlink
▣ "for He will save His people from their sin" Jesus came for three distinct purposes.
1. to fully reveal the Father
2. to give humans an example to follow
3. to redeem mankind from sin
Genesis 3 affected all life on this planet (cf. Rom_8:20-23). Jesus came to die in our place (cf. Mar_10:45; Joh_1:29; 2Co_5:21; Php_2:6-11; Isaiah 53). The promise of Gen_3:15 is fulfilled in Him!
Mat_1:23 Matthew uses the fulfillment of OT prophecy as a major evidence for Jewish people to believe in Jesus as the promised Messiah.
1. Mat_1:22 ¯ Isa_7:14
2. Mat_2:15 ¯ Hos_11:1 and Exo_4:22-23
3. Mat_2:23 ¯ possibly Isa_11:1
4. Mat_3:15 ¯ "fulfill all righteousness"
5. Mat_4:14 ¯ Isa_9:1-2
6. Mat_5:17 ¯ ". . .but to fulfill"
7. Mat_8:17 ¯ Isa_53:4
8. Mat_12:17 ¯ Isa_42:1-4
9. Mat_13:14 ¯ Isa_6:9-10
10. Mat_13:35 ¯ Psa_78:2
11. Mat_21:4 ¯ Isa_62:11 or Zec_9:9
12. Mat_27:9 ¯ Zec_11:12-13
▣ "virgin" This is a quotation of Isa_7:14 from the Septuagint. In Isaiah the Hebrew word used was almah (BDB 761 II), meaning a "chaste young woman of marriageable age." There was a special birth in Ahaz's day (cf. Isa_7:15-16). Only one virgin birth has ever occurred, not two; therefore, the historical fulfillment in Isaiah's day was a sign to Ahaz, but not an impregnation by the Holy Spirit. This is an example of a multiple fulfillment of prophecy. The sign to Ahaz was the child's name. See my commentary of Isaiah 1-39 online at hyperlink
NASB, NKJV,
NJB "Immanuel"
NRSV, TEV "Emmanuel"
NJB "God-is-with-us"
Immanuel meant "God with us" (BDB 769). This shows that the OT passage pointed beyond its own day. Isaiah 7-12 (the Syro-Ephramitic War) ultimately referred to incarnate Deity, Jesus of Nazareth (cf. Joh_1:1; Joh_5:18; Joh_10:33; Joh_14:9-10; Php_2:6). However, it must be remembered that the Jews did not expect the Messiah to be divine. They would have seen the powerful names from Isa_9:6 as metaphors. It is not until the NT that the Messiah as God Incarnate was clearly revealed.
Mat_1:24-25 These verses reaffirm a truly supernatural virgin birth. They also imply that the couple had a normal married life after the birth of Jesus. The Textus Receptus, following the Greek uncial manuscripts C and D*, K, W add "her firstborn son," implying other children.
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