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Matthew 1:19

in Matthew 1

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

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.

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This verse in Matthew 1

Commentary

4 notes on this verse

on Matthew 1:18-23

For the one and the same Spirit of God, who proclaimed by the prophets what and of what sort the advent of the Lord should be, did by these elders give a just interpretation of what had been truly prophesied; and He did Himself, by the apostles, announce that the fulness of the times of the adoption had arrived, that the kingdom of heaven had drawn nigh, and that He was dwelling within those that believe on Him who was born Emmanuel of the Virgin.

This site's exposition

his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph

on Matthew 1:18-19

Betrothal in first century Judea was legally binding, broken only by divorce, so Mary's pregnancy before the marriage was consummated placed Joseph exactly where Deuteronomy 22 already addressed the case. Matthew states the true cause to the reader before Joseph learns it, of the Holy Ghost, so the coming crisis is read with the answer already known. Called a just man, Joseph resolves to end the betrothal privily rather than expose her to public shame or legal danger, the law's own mercy carried out by a righteous man who still believed himself wronged.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Jerome

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 420.

But how is Joseph thus called just, when he is ready to hide his wife's sin? For the Law enacts, that not only the doers of evil, but they who are privy to any evil done, shall be held to be guilty. Or this may be considered a testimony to Mary, that Joseph, confident in her purity, and wondering at what had happened, covered in silence that mystery which he could not explain.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Her 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.

The words behind it

16 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

14 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Deuteronomy 22:21–24she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house, and there the men of her city will stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by being promiscuous in her father’s house. So you must purge the evil from among you.11 worksDeuteronomy 24:1–4If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.9 worksJohn 8:4–5and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.8 worksMark 6:20because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.5 worksMark 10:4They answered, “Moses permitted a man to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.”5 worksLeviticus 20:10If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.4 works
The other 8 cross-references, with their words ▾
Luke 2:25Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.4 worksGenesis 38:24About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”4 worksPsalms 112:4–5Light dawns in the darkness for the upright— for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.3 worksMatthew 19:7“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”3 worksActs 10:22“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”2 worksJudges 19:3her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back, taking his servant and a pair of donkeys. So the girl brought him into her father’s house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.2 worksLeviticus 19:20If a man lies carnally with a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed.1 worksGenesis 6:9This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.0 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Leviticus 20:10

    If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.

    it leads to

    • John 8:4–5

      and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

    • Deuteronomy 22:22–24

      If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

    • Deuteronomy 5:18

      You shall not commit adultery.

    • 2 Samuel 12:13

      Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.

    • Exodus 20:14

      You shall not commit adultery.

  • Through

    Mark 6:20

    because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened to him gladly.

    it leads to

    • Matthew 21:26

      But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.”

    • Matthew 14:5

      Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.

    • 2 Chronicles 24:15–22

      When Jehoiada was old and full of years, he died at the age of 130.

Where this verse is studied

About Matthew

John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)
John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)
Matthew: the study guide →Read Matthew 1 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Irenaeus, Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 21), Section 4; Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Matthew 1 →