The Meaning of Matthew 1:25 Explained

Matthew 1:25

KJV: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

YLT: and did not know her till she brought forth her son -- the first-born, and he called his name Jesus.

Darby: and knew her not until she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

ASV: and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  knew  her  not  till  she had brought forth  her  firstborn  son:  and  he called  his  name  JESUS. 

What does Matthew 1:25 Mean?

Study Notes

JESUS
The Greek form of the Hebrew Jehoshua meaning saviour.

Context Summary

Matthew 1:18-25 - The Birth Of Jesus Christ
The fear that Joseph, being a just man, might withdraw from their contemplated wedlock, would have filled Mary's heart with untold anguish had she not been upheld by her faith in God. She felt that He was pledged to vindicate her character. Yield yourself to Him for His purposes and leave Him to deal with any contingent results! He becomes responsible!
That which happened historically must take place experimentally. In each of us Jesus Christ must be born through the direct action of the Holy Spirit. See Galatians 4:1-5. This is what we mean by the new birth; and when He has so entered our hearts, our Lord will become our Savior, not merely from the penalty but from the love and the power of our sins. Claim that this shall be your experience!
Let us seek after that union with God which is the height of blessedness, both in this life and the next, and in virtue of which God becomes the companion of the soul in its earthly pilgrimage. This is the Name of names-Emmanuel. See Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:1-7. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 1

1  The genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to Joseph
18  He is miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit by the Virgin Mary
19  The angel satisfies the doubts of Joseph,
21  and declares the names and office of Jesus;
25  Jesus is born

Greek Commentary for Matthew 1:25

And knew her not [και ουκ εγινωσκεν αυτην]
Note the imperfect tense, continuous or linear action. Joseph lived in continence with Mary till the birth of Jesus. Matthew does not say that Mary bore no other children than Jesus. “Her firstborn” is not genuine here, but is a part of the text in Luke 2:7. The perpetual virginity of Mary is not taught here. Jesus had brothers and sisters and the natural meaning is that they were younger children of Joseph and Mary and not children of Joseph by a previous marriage. So Joseph “called his name Jesus” as the angel had directed and the child was born in wedlock. Joseph showed that he was an upright man in a most difficult situation. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 1:25

Luke 2:5 Espoused []
Not merely betrothed. See Matthew 1:20, Matthew 1:24, Matthew 1:25; also see on Matthew 1:18. [source]
Romans 4:17 Calleth [καλοῦντος]
The verb is used in the following senses: 1. To give a name, with ὄνομα name Matthew 1:21, Matthew 1:22, Matthew 1:25; Luke 1:13, Luke 1:31; without ὄνομα Luke 1:59, Luke 1:60. To salute by a name, Matthew 23:9; Matthew 22:43, Matthew 22:45. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
2. Passive. To bear a name or title among men, Luke 1:35; Luke 22:25; 1 Corinthians 15:9. To be acknowledged or to pass as, Matthew 5:9, Matthew 5:19; James 2:23. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
3. To invite, Matthew 22:3, Matthew 22:9; John 2:2; 1 Corinthians 10:27. To summon, Matthew 4:21; Acts 4:18; Acts 24:2. To call out from, Matthew 2:15; Hebrews 11:8; 1 Peter 2:9. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
4. To appoint. Select for an office, Galatians 1:15; Hebrews 5:4; to salvation, Romans 9:11; Romans 8:30. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
5. Of God's creative decree. To call forth from nothing, Isaiah 41:4; 2 Kings 8:1. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
In this last sense some explain the word here; but it can scarcely be said that God creates things that are not as actually existing. Others explain, God's disposing decree. He disposes of things that are not as though existing. The simplest explanation appears to be to give καλεῖν the sense of nameth, speaketh of. Compare Romans 9:7; Acts 7:5. The seed of Abraham “which were at present in the category of things which were not, and the nations which should spring physically or spiritually from him, God spoke of as having an existence, which word Abraham believed” (Alford). In this case there may properly be added the idea of the summons to the high destiny ordained for Abraham's seed. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

Colossians 1:15 Of the invisible God [του τεου του αορατου]
But the one who sees Jesus has seen God (John 14:9). See this verbal adjective Predicate adjective again and anarthrous. This passage is parallel to the Λογος — Logos passage in John 1:1-18 and to Hebrews 1:1-4 as well as Philemon 2:5-11 in which these three writers (John, author of Hebrews, Paul) give the high conception of the Person of Christ (both Son of God and Son of Man) found also in the Synoptic Gospels and even in Q (the Father, the Son). This word (lxx and N.T.) can no longer be considered purely “Biblical” (Thayer), since it is found In inscriptions (Deissmann, Light, etc., p. 91) and in the papyri (Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary, etc.). See it already in Luke 2:7 and Aleph for Matthew 1:25; Romans 8:29. The use of this word does not show what Arius argued that Paul regarded Christ as a creature like “all creation” (πασης κτισεως — pāsēs ktiseōs by metonomy the act regarded as result). It is rather the comparative (superlative) force of πρωτος — prōtos that is used (first-born of all creation) as in Colossians 1:18; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 1:6; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 1:5. Paul is here refuting the Gnostics who pictured Christ as one of the aeons by placing him before “all creation” (angels and men). Like εικων — eikōn we find πρωτοτοκος — prōtotokos in the Alexandrian vocabulary of the Λογος — Logos teaching (Philo) as well as in the lxx. Paul takes both words to help express the deity of Jesus Christ in his relation to the Father as εικων — eikōn (Image) and to the universe as πρωτοτοκος — prōtotokos (First-born). [source]
Colossians 1:15 The first born [πρωτοτοκος]
Predicate adjective again and anarthrous. This passage is parallel to the Λογος — Logos passage in John 1:1-18 and to Hebrews 1:1-4 as well as Philemon 2:5-11 in which these three writers (John, author of Hebrews, Paul) give the high conception of the Person of Christ (both Son of God and Son of Man) found also in the Synoptic Gospels and even in Q (the Father, the Son). This word (lxx and N.T.) can no longer be considered purely “Biblical” (Thayer), since it is found In inscriptions (Deissmann, Light, etc., p. 91) and in the papyri (Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary, etc.). See it already in Luke 2:7 and Aleph for Matthew 1:25; Romans 8:29. The use of this word does not show what Arius argued that Paul regarded Christ as a creature like “all creation” It is rather the comparative (superlative) force of πρωτος — prōtos that is used (first-born of all creation) as in Colossians 1:18; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 1:6; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 1:5. Paul is here refuting the Gnostics who pictured Christ as one of the aeons by placing him before “all creation” (angels and men). Like εικων — eikōn we find πρωτοτοκος — prōtotokos in the Alexandrian vocabulary of the Λογος — Logos teaching (Philo) as well as in the lxx. Paul takes both words to help express the deity of Jesus Christ in his relation to the Father as εικων — eikōn (Image) and to the universe as πρωτοτοκος — prōtotokos (First-born). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 1:25 mean?

and not knew her until that she had brought forth a son he called the name of Him Jesus
καὶ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὗ ἔτεκεν υἱόν ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν

ἐγίνωσκεν  knew 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γινώσκω  
Sense: to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel.
αὐτὴν  her 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἕως  until 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἕως  
Sense: till, until.
οὗ  that 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
ἔτεκεν  she  had  brought  forth 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: τίκτω  
Sense: to bring forth, bear, produce (fruit from the seed).
υἱόν  a  son 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
ἐκάλεσεν  he  called 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: καλέω  
Sense: to call.
ὄνομα  name 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ὄνομα  
Sense: name: univ.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ἰησοῦν  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.

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