Matthew 1:25

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

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
knew	ἐγίνωσκεν eginōsken	G1097	to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applicatio… · verb — imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular
her	αὐτὴν autēn	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular feminine
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
till	ἕως he'ōs	G2193	a conjunction · preposition
forth	ἔτεκεν eteken	G5088	to produce (from seed · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
her	αὐτῆς autēs	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular feminine
firstborn	πρωτότοκον, prōtotokon	G4416	first-born (usually as noun · adjective — accusative singular masculine, superlative
son	υἱόν huion	G5207	a "son" (sometimes of animals) · noun — accusative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
called	ἐκάλεσεν ekalesen	G2564	to "call" (properly · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
his	αὐτοῦ autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
name	ὄνομα onoma	G3686	a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority · noun — accusative singular neuter
JESUS	Ἰησοῦν.¶ Iēsoun	G2424	Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua) · noun — accusative singular masculine, a proper name

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before h…
Exodus 13:2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
Exodus 22:29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them…
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethr…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 1:18–end

The mystery of Christ's incarnation is to be adored, not pried into. If we know not the way of the Spirit in the formation of common persons, nor how the bones are formed in the womb of any one that is with child (Ecc 11:5), much less do we know how the blessed Jesus was formed in the womb of the blessed virgin. When David admires how he himself was made in secret, and curiously wrought (Psa 139:13-16), perhaps he speaks in the spirit of Christ's incarnation. Some circumstances attending the birth of Christ we find here which are not in Luke, though it is more largely recorded here. Here we have, I. Mary's espousal to Joseph. Mary, the mother of our Lord, was espoused to Joseph, not complete…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 1:25

And knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son: and he called his name JESUS--The word "till" does not necessarily imply that they lived on a different footing afterwards (as will be evident from the use of the same word in Sa1 15:35; Sa2 6:23; Mat 12:20); nor does the word "first-born" decide the much-disputed question, whether Mary had any children to Joseph after the birth of Christ; for, as LIGHTFOOT says, "The law, in speaking of the first-born, regarded not whether any were born after or no, but only that none were born before." (See on Mat 13:55-56). Next: Matthew Chapter 2

John Gill on Matthew 1:25

And knew her not,.... Or "but he knew her not", answering to the Hebrew that is, had carnal knowledge of her, or copulation with her, though his wife. The words are an euphemism, or a modest way of expressing the conjugal act, and is a very ancient one, see Genesis 4:1 and what has been used in nations and languages. And this conduct of his was necessary, till she had brought forth her firstborn; that it might be manifest not only that she conceived, being a virgin, but also that she brought forth, being a virgin: for both are signified in the prophecy before related, "a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son"; which is all one as if it had been said, a virgin shall conceive, and "a vi…

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The Church Fathers

Those heretics were called Antidicomarites who denied the virginity of Mary to the point that they claim that after the birth of Christ she had intercourse with her husband.
— Augustine of Hippo, Heresies, LVI

And by a new nativity He was begotten, conceived by a Virgin, born of a Virgin, without paternal desire, without injury to the mother's chastity... for a Virgin conceived, a Virgin bare, and a Virgin she remained.
— Leo the Great, Sermon 22:2

Where are they who think that the Virgin's conception and giving birth to her child are to be likened to those of other women... The Virgin conceives, the Virgin brings forth her child, and she remains a virgin.
— Peter Chrysologus, SERMON 117: The First Adam, and the Last Adam, Born of a Virgin

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Brother — (1.) In the natural and common sense (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:1, 19). (2.) A near relation, a cousin (Gen. 13:8; 14:16; Matt. 12:46; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; Gal. 1:19). (3.) Simply a fellow-countryman (Matt.…
Mary — Hebrew Miriam. (1.) The wife of Joseph, the mother of Jesus, called the “Virgin Mary,” though never so designated in Scripture (Matt. 2:11; Acts 1:14). Little is known of her personal history. Her…
Continence · .Joseph, husband of Mary — .Joseph, husband of Mary
Human Nature Of Christ, The · Is proved by his: Birth — Is proved by his: Birth
Jesus, The Christ · .An angel appears to Joseph concerning Mary (at Nazareth) — .An angel appears to Joseph concerning Mary (at Nazareth)

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Matthew 1:25

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 1:18–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 1:25

John Gill on Matthew 1:25

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Matthew 1:25

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 1:18–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 1:25

John Gill on Matthew 1:25

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Matthew 1:18–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 1:25