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 generations, from David until the Babylonian exile are fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian exile until the Messiah are fourteen generations. 18Now the birth of Yeshua the Messiah happened this way. When His mother Miriam was engaged to Joseph but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Ruach ha-Kodesh. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, made up his mind to dismiss her secretly. 20But while he considered these things, behold, an angel of Adonai appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Miriam as your wife, for the Child conceived in her is from the Ruach ha-Kodesh. 21She will give birth to a son; and you shall call His name Yeshua, 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“If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to another man, but not ransomed or given her freedom, they are both to be punished. But they are not to be put to death, because she was not free.
• Deuteronomy 22:23“Suppose there is a young woman who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her.
• Genesis 6:9These are the genealogies of Noah. Noah was a righteous man. He was blameless among his generation. Noah continually walked with God.
• Psalms 112:4Light shines in the darkness for the upright. Gracious, compassionate and just is he.
• Mark 6:20For Herod was in awe of John and kept him safe, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When he listened to John he was confused, but he still listened gladly.
• Luke 2:25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and pious, waiting for the consolation of Israel. The Ruach ha-Kodesh was on him.
• Acts 10:22And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well-spoken of by all the Jewish people, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message from you.”
• Genesis 38:24About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has been a prostitute—look, she’s even pregnant by prostitution.” “Bring her out!” Judah said, “and let her be burned.”
• Leviticus 20:10“The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress should surely be put to death.
• Deuteronomy 22:21then they are to bring the young woman out to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city are to stone her with stones to death, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to behave like a prostitute in her father’s house. So you are to purge the evil from your midst.
• John 8:4they say to Yeshua, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of committing adultery.
• Deuteronomy 24:1“Suppose a man takes a wife and marries her. Now if she doesn’t find favor in his eyes because he has found something indecent in her, he is to write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her and send her out from his house.
• Mark 10:4The Pharisees said, “Moses permitted a man to write a bill of divorce and to put 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