| Matthew 1:20 | |
|---|---|
← 1:19 1:21 → | |
 Philippe de Champaigne's The Dream of Saint Joseph painted around 1636 | |
| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 1:20 is the twentieth verse of the first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Previously Joseph had found Mary to be pregnant and had considered leaving her. In this verse an angel comes to him in a dream and reassures him.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 1:20
This is the first of several dream sequences in Matthew. Like the others, but unlike those of the Old Testament, these dreams are very straightforward with no interpretation required.
Albright and Mann note that while the Greek word angelos is commonly translated as angel it could just as well mean a generic divine messenger. The portrayal of an angel in this verse does not match the more common version, which has them appear as men like beings in the physical world. [1]
The angel refers to Joseph as the "son of David". This again emphasizes Jesus' legal Davidic status, the theme of the earlier genealogy.
By "take Mary as your wife" the angel is referring to the second stage of the Jewish marriage ritual that saw the bride move into the husband's house. The Greek, and the content of the rest of the chapter, makes clear that take is not a euphemism for sexual relations. [2]
Why Joseph should "fear" to love Mary is an important question. Gundry asserts that if he suspected Mary of adultery he would not be in fear. Gundry thus feels that this choice of words demonstrates that Joseph knew of the Virgin Birth before the dream and his fear was in angering God by interfering in his divine plan. This is in keeping with Luke where Mary has already been informed for some time before about the nature of her pregnancy. [3] Boring notes that "do not be afraid" is a standard angelic opening line in the Bible that also appears in Genesis 21:17, Matthew 28:5, Luke 1:13, Luke 1:30, and Revelation 1:17. [4]
The same note about the use of the term Holy Spirit applies here as in Matthew 1:18. The author of Matthew refers to a divine spirit in general, not the specific nature of the Holy Ghost of the Trinity which would only be developed some time later.
The word most often translated as conceived, does not specifically mean biologically conceived. As in English it can also more generally mean created or imagined. Jane Schaberg argues that this verse thus does not rule out the idea that Jesus could also have had a human biological father. She notes that the same verb is used at Galatians 4:29 to refer to Isaac, and repeatedly in John to refer to all Christians. Thus to Schaberg the verse can be read as the holy spirit influencing a child already conceived by natural means. [5]
According to Saint Remigius, because Joseph was considering to put Mary away secretly, which if he had done, there would have been those who would have thought her to be a harlot and not a virgin, therefore this purpose of Joseph was changed through Divine revelation, and so it is said, "While he thought on these things."
Saint Ambrose notes that this verse shows the power of Him that appears, permitting Himself to be seen where and how He wishes. [6]
The virgin birth of Jesus is the Christian doctrine that Jesus was conceived by his mother, Mary, through the power of the Holy Spirit and without sexual intercourse. The modern scholarly consensus is that this idea, explicit only in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, rests on very slender historical foundations. The Fundamentalist movement in the U.S. adopted it as one of its five key tenets and the Roman Catholic Church taught it as official doctrine until Vatican II, but today there are many churches in which it is considered orthodox to accept the virgin birth but not heretical to deny it.
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son through a virgin birth and become the mother of Jesus Christ, the Christian Messiah and Son of God, marking the Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning "YHWH is salvation".
Matthew 1 is the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It contains two distinct sections. The first lists the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to his legal father Joseph, husband of Mary, his mother. The second part, beginning at verse 18, provides an account of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:18 is the eighteenth verse of the first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the description of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.
Matthew 1:19 is the nineteenth verse of the first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is part of the description of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Joseph has found Mary to be pregnant and in this verse considers leaving her.
Matthew 1:21 is the twenty-first verse of the first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Joseph is being spoken to in a dream by an angel. In this verse, the angel tells Joseph to call the child "Jesus", "because he will save his people from their sins".
Matthew 1:22 is the twenty-second verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Joseph has just been spoken to in a dream by an angel.
Matthew 1:25 is the twenty-fifth and last verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Joseph has awakened from a dream in which an angel gave him instructions about the birth of Jesus. He has taken Mary into his home, completing their marriage, and this verse explains what occurs once the couple is united.
Matthew 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It describes the events after the birth of Jesus, the visit of the magi and the attempt by King Herod to kill the infant messiah, Joseph and his family's flight into Egypt, and their later return to live in Israel, settling in Nazareth.
Matthew 2:10 is the tenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi, dispatched by King Herod, have been shown the location of the infant Jesus by the Star of Bethlehem. In this verse they react to this.
Matthew 2:12 is the twelfth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi, dispatched by King Herod, have found and paid homage to the Infant Jesus. In this verse this they return home rather than to Herod.
Matthew 2:13 is the thirteenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi have left after paying homage to the young Jesus. In this verse an angel warns Joseph that he must flee.
Matthew 2:16 is the sixteenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.
Matthew 2:19 is the nineteenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. King Herod has launched the Massacre of the Innocents in an attempt to kill the infant Jesus, but the Holy family having been warned have left for Egypt. In this verse Joseph is again contacted by an angel and told that it is safe to return.
Matthew 3:16 is the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just been baptized by John the Baptist and in this verse the Holy Spirit comes to him like a dove.
Matthew 4:11 is the eleventh verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just rebuffed Satan's third temptation and ordered him away. In this last verse of the temptation scene the devil departs and Jesus is serviced by angels.
Matthew 5:1 and Matthew 5:2 are the first two verses of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verses introduce the Sermon on the Mount that will be recited in the next several chapters. The previous verse mentioned the large crowds "from Galilee, and from the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan" who followed Jesus to witness him healing: these verses present Jesus as seeing the crowds and going up onto a mountain to begin teaching.
Matthew 28 is the twenty-eighth and final chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This chapter records that Jesus is risen, describes the actions of the first witnesses to this event, and ends with the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:7 is the seventh verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. An angel has appeared at the empty tomb and in this verse he continues his instructions to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary".
Matthew 27:55-56 are the fifty-sixth and fifty-seventh verses of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The crucifixion and death of Jesus have just occurred, and these verses make note of a group of women who were present at that event.
| Preceded by Matthew 1:19 | Gospel of Matthew Chapter 1 | Succeeded by Matthew 1:21 |
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