Matthew 1:19

Matthew 1:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
• New International Version (NIV)Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

Context of Matthew 1:19

17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen; from David to the Babylonian deportation (exile), fourteen generations; and from the Babylonian deportation to the Messiah, fourteen generations. 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 power of] the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly. 20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, descendant 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 give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:19 word by word

Ἰωσὴφ δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, δίκαιος ὢν καὶ μὴ θέλων αὐτὴν δειγματίσαι, ἐβουλήθη λάθρᾳ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thenδέde · thenG1161
• JosephἸωσήφIōsēph · JosephG2501
• herαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• husbandὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• husbandἀνήρanēr · man: husbandG435
• beingεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• a justδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• notμήmē · notG3361
• willingθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• to makeπαραδειγματίζωparadeigmatizō · to disgraceG3856
• was mindedβούλομαιboulomai · to planG1014
• to putἀπολύωapoluō · to release: divorceG630
• awayἀπολύωapoluō · to release: divorceG630
• privilyλάθραlathra · quietlyG2977

Cross-references for Matthew 1:19

• Leviticus 19:20‘Now if a man has intimate relations with a woman who is a slave acquired for [marriage to] another man, but who has not been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment [after an investigation]; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free;
• Deuteronomy 22:23“If a young woman who is a virgin is engaged (legally betrothed) to a man, and another man finds her in the city and is intimate with her,
• Genesis 6:9These are the records of the generations (family history) of Noah. Noah was a righteous man [one who was just and had right standing with God], blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked (lived) [in habitual fellowship] with God.
• Psalms 112:4Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous (upright—in right standing with God).
• Mark 6:20because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he continually kept him safe. When he heard John [speak], he was very perplexed; but he enjoyed listening to him.
• Luke 2:25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout [carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
• Acts 10:22They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man well spoken of by all the Jewish people, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear what you have to say.”
• Genesis 38:24About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the [role of a] prostitute, and she is with child because of her immorality.” So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned [to death as punishment]!”
• Leviticus 20:10‘The man who commits adultery with another’s wife, even his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall most certainly be put to death.
• Deuteronomy 22:21then they shall bring her out to the doorway of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death because she has committed a deliberate sin in Israel by playing the prostitute in her father’s house. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
• John 8:4and they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the very act of adultery.
• Deuteronomy 24:1“When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she loses his favor because he has found something indecent or unacceptable about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house,
• Mark 10:4They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.”

Commentaries on Matthew 1:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19To make her a public example - , to expose her to public infamy; from , near, and , I show, or expose; what is oddly, though emphatically, called in England, showing up - exposing a character to public view. Though Joseph was a righteous man, , and knew that the law required that such persons as he supposed his wife to be should be put to death, yet, as righteousness is ever directed by mercy, he determined to put her away or divorce her privately, i.e…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19Her husband - The word in the original does not imply that they were married. It means here the man to whom she was espoused. A just man - Justice consists in rendering to every man his own. Yet this is evidently not the character intended to be given here of Joseph. The meaning is that he was kind, tender, merciful; that he was so attached to Mary that he was not willing that she should be exposed to public shame. He sought, therefore, secretly to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-25Verses 18-25 Let us look to the circumstances under which the Son of God entered into this lower world, till we learn to despise the vain honours of this world, when compared with piety and holiness. The mystery of Christ's becoming man is to be adored, not curiously inquired into. It was so ordered that Christ should partake of our nature, yet that he should be pure from the defilement of original sin, which has been communicated to all the race of Adam…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19Joseph was a righteous man. This means he obeyed the law (see Luke 1:6). He reconsidered marrying Mary because it appeared she had committed adultery. He could have cleared his name by publicly accusing Mary. This would have led to her trial and possible execution (Deuteronomy 22:23–27; compare Numbers 5:11–31). Or he could pay a fine and end the engagement (see also Mishnah Sotah 1:1–5). Joseph chose to be kind and decided to end the engagement quietly.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. Then Joseph her husband--Compare Mt 1:20, "Mary, thy wife." Betrothal was, in Jewish law, valid marriage. In giving Mary up, therefore, Joseph had to take legal steps to effect the separation. being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example--to expose her (see De 22:23, 24) was minded to put her away privily--that is, privately by giving her the required writing of divorcement (De 24:1), in presence of only two or three witnesses, and…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 1:19

• Accusation, False
• Faith
• Husband
• Integrity
• Jesus, the Christ
• Joseph
• Kindness
• Miracles
• Prudence
• Unselfishness

In the dictionaries

• Betroth
• Interpret
• Mary
• Minded
• Save
• Amaziah
• Antediluvian Patriarchs
• Divorce in the Old Testament
• Genesis
• Innocents, Massacre of the

Commentaries on Matthew 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings