Matthew 11:1

11:1 When ¹  Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

Matthew 9:1-38

Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic

9:1 After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town. ²  9:2 Just then ³  some people ⁴  brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. ⁵  When Jesus saw their ⁶  faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” ⁷  9:3 Then ⁸  some of the experts in the law ⁹  said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” ¹⁰  9:4 When Jesus saw their reaction he said, “Why do you respond with evil in your hearts? 9:5 Which is easier, ¹¹  to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 9:6 But so that you may know ¹²  that the Son of Man ¹³  has authority on earth to forgive sins” – then he said to the paralytic ¹⁴  – “Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.” ¹⁵  9:7 And he stood up and went home. ¹⁶  9:8 When ¹⁷  the crowd saw this, they were afraid ¹⁸  and honored God who had given such authority to men. ¹⁹ 

The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners

9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. ²⁰  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him. 9:10 As ²¹  Jesus ²²  was having a meal ²³  in Matthew’s ²⁴  house, many tax collectors ²⁵  and sinners came and ate with Jesus and his disciples. 9:11 When the Pharisees ²⁶  saw this they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ²⁷  9:12 When ²⁸  Jesus heard this he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. ²⁹  9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ ³⁰  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Superiority of the New

9:14 Then John’s ³¹  disciples came to Jesus ³²  and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees ³³  fast often, ³⁴  but your disciples don’t fast?” 9:15 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests ³⁵  cannot mourn while the bridegroom ³⁶  is with them, can they? But the days ³⁷  are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, ³⁸  and then they will fast. 9:16 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse. 9:17 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; ³⁹  otherwise the skins burst and the wine is spilled out and the skins are destroyed. Instead they put new wine into new wineskins ⁴⁰  and both are preserved.”

Restoration and Healing

9:18 As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” 9:19 Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. 9:20 But ⁴¹  a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage ⁴²  for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge ⁴³  of his cloak. ⁴⁴  9:21 For she kept saying to herself, ⁴⁵  “If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.” ⁴⁶  9:22 But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well.” ⁴⁷  And the woman was healed ⁴⁸  from that hour. 9:23 When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd, 9:24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep.” And they began making fun of him. ⁴⁹  9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 9:26 And the news of this spread throughout that region. ⁵⁰ 

Healing the Blind and Mute

9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, ⁵¹  “Have mercy ⁵²  on us, Son of David!” ⁵³  9:28 When ⁵⁴  he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus ⁵⁵  said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 9:29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 9:30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.” 9:31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region. ⁵⁶ 

9:32 As ⁵⁷  they were going away, ⁵⁸  a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him. 9:33 After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” 9:34 But the Pharisees ⁵⁹  said, “By the ruler ⁶⁰  of demons he casts out demons.” ⁶¹ 

Workers for the Harvest

9:35 Then Jesus went throughout all the towns ⁶²  and villages, teaching in their synagogues, ⁶³  preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. ⁶⁴  9:36 When ⁶⁵  he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, ⁶⁶  like sheep without a shepherd. 9:37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 9:38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest ⁶⁷  to send out ⁶⁸  workers into his harvest.”

Matthew 1:1-25

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1:1 This is the record of the genealogy ⁶⁹  of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

1:2 Abraham was the father ⁷⁰  of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 1:3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 1:4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 1:5 Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, 1:6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah ⁷¹ ), 1:7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, ⁷²  1:8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, 1:9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 1:10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, ⁷³  Amon the father of Josiah, 1:11 and Josiah ⁷⁴  the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

1:12 After ⁷⁵  the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, ⁷⁶  Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 1:13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 1:14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 1:15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 1:16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom ⁷⁷  Jesus was born, who is called Christ. ⁷⁸ 

1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to Christ, ⁷⁹  fourteen generations.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, ⁸⁰  she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 1:19 Because Joseph, her husband to be, ⁸¹  was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her ⁸²  privately. 1:20 When he had contemplated this, an ⁸³  angel of the Lord ⁸⁴  appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 1:21 She will give birth to a son and you will name him ⁸⁵  Jesus, ⁸⁶  because he will save his people from their sins.” 1:22 This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him ⁸⁷  Emmanuel,” ⁸⁸  which means ⁸⁹  “God with us.” ⁹⁰  1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord ⁹¹  told him. He took his wife, 1:25 but did not have marital relations ⁹²  with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named ⁹³  Jesus.

[11:1]  ¹ tn Grk “And it happened when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:1]  ² sn His own town refers to Capernaum. It was a town of approximately 1000-1500, though of some significance.

[9:2]  ³ tn Grk “And behold, they were bringing.” Here καὶ ἰδού (kai idou) has been translated as “just then” to indicate the somewhat sudden appearance of the people carrying the paralytic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1), especially in conjunction with the suddenness of the stretcher bearers’ appearance.

[9:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:2]  ⁵ tn Traditionally, “on a bed,” but this could be confusing to the modern reader who might envision a large piece of furniture. In various contexts, κλίνη (klinh) may be translated “bed, couch, cot, stretcher, or bier” (in the case of a corpse). See L&N 6.106.

[9:2]  ⁶ sn The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.

[9:2]  ⁷ sn The passive voice here is a divine passive (ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.

[9:3]  ⁴ tn Grk “And behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the narrative.

[9:3]  ⁵ tn Or “some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[9:3]  ⁶ sn Blaspheming meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.

[9:5]  ⁵ sn Which is easier is a reflective kind of question. On the one hand to declare sins are forgiven is easier, since one does not need to see it, unlike telling a paralyzed person to walk. On the other hand, it is harder, because for it to be true one must possess the authority to forgive the sin.

[9:6]  ⁶ sn Now Jesus put the two actions together. The walking of the man would be proof (so that you may know) that his sins were forgiven and that God had worked through Jesus (i.e., the Son of Man).

[9:6]  ⁷ sn The term Son of Man, which is a title in Greek, comes from a pictorial description in Dan 7:13 of one “like a son of man” (i.e., a human being). It is Jesus’ favorite way to refer to himself. Jesus did not reveal the background of the term here, which mixes human and divine imagery as the man in Daniel rides a cloud, something only God does. He just used it. It also could be an idiom in Aramaic meaning either “some person” or “me.” So there is a little ambiguity in its use here, since its origin is not clear at this point. However, the action makes it clear that Jesus used it to refer to himself here.

[9:6]  ⁸ sn Jesus did not finish his sentence with words but with action, that is, healing the paralytic with an accompanying pronouncement to him directly.

[9:6]  ⁹ tn Grk “to your house.”

[9:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “to his house.”

[9:8]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:8]  ⁹ tc Most witnesses (C L Θ 0233 ˹³ Ï) have ἐθαύμασαν (eqaumasan; “marveled, were amazed”) instead of ἐφοβήθησαν (efobhqhsan) here, effectively turning the fearful reaction into one of veneration. But the harder reading is well supported by א B D W 0281 ˹ 33 892 1424 al lat co and thus is surely authentic.

[9:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “people.” The plural of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") usually indicates people in general, but the singular is used in the expression “Son of Man.” There is thus an ironic allusion to Jesus’ statement in v. 6: His self-designation as “Son of Man” is meant to be unique, but the crowd regards it simply as meaning “human, person.” To maintain this connection for the English reader the plural ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated here as “men” rather than as the more generic “people.”

[9:9]  ⁹ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

[9:10]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:10]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ¹² tn Grk “was reclining at table.”

[9:10]  ¹³ tn Grk “in the house.” The Greek article is used here in a context that implies possession, and the referent of the implied possessive pronoun (Matthew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[9:11]  ¹¹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[9:11]  ¹² sn The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.

[9:12]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:12]  ¹³ sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.

[9:13]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7).

[9:14]  ¹⁴ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[9:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:14]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[9:14]  ¹⁷ sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

[9:15]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).

[9:15]  ¹⁶ sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38).

[9:15]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “days.”

[9:15]  ¹⁸ sn The statement the bridegroom will be taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 16:13ff.

[9:17]  ¹⁶ sn Wineskins were bags made of skin or leather, used for storing wine in NT times. As the new wine fermented and expanded, it would stretch the new wineskins. Putting new (unfermented) wine in old wineskins, which had already been stretched, would result in the bursting of the wineskins.

[9:17]  ¹⁷ sn The meaning of the saying new wine into new wineskins is that the presence and teaching of Jesus was something new and signaled the passing of the old. It could not be confined within the old religion of Judaism, but involved the inauguration and consummation of the kingdom of God.

[9:20]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And behold a woman.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[9:20]  ¹⁸ sn Suffering from a hemorrhage. The woman was most likely suffering from a vaginal hemorrhage which would make her ritually unclean.

[9:20]  ¹⁹ sn The edge of his cloak refers to the kraspedon, the blue tassel on the garment that symbolized a Jewish man’s obedience to the law (cf. Num 15:37-41). The woman thus touched the very part of Jesus’ clothing that indicated his ritual purity.

[9:20]  ²⁰ tn Grk “garment,” but here ἱμάτιον (Jimation) denotes the outer garment in particular.

[9:21]  ¹⁸ tn The imperfect verb is here taken iteratively, for the context suggests that the woman was trying to find the courage to touch Jesus’ cloak.

[9:21]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “saved.”

[9:22]  ¹⁹ tn Or “has delivered you”; Grk “has saved you.” This should not be understood as an expression for full salvation in the immediate context; it refers only to the woman’s healing.

[9:22]  ²⁰ tn Grk “saved.”

[9:24]  ²⁰ tn Grk “They were laughing at him.” The imperfect verb has been taken ingressively.

[9:26]  ²¹ tn For the translation of τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην (thn ghn ekeinhn) as “that region,” see L&N 1.79.

[9:27]  ²² tn Grk “shouting, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:27]  ²³ sn Have mercy on us is a request for healing. It is not owed to the men. They simply ask for God’s kind grace.

[9:27]  ²⁴ sn There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).

[9:28]  ²³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:28]  ²⁴ tn Grk “to him, and Jesus.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:31]  ²⁴ tn For the translation of τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην (thn ghn ekeinhn) as “that region,” see L&N 1.79.

[9:32]  ²⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:32]  ²⁶ tn Grk “away, behold, they brought a man to him.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[9:34]  ²⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[9:34]  ²⁷ tn Or “prince.”

[9:34]  ²⁸ tc Although codex Cantabrigiensis (D), along with a few other Western versional and patristic witnesses, lacks this verse, virtually all other witnesses have it. The Western text’s reputation for free alterations as well as the heightened climax if v. 33 concludes this pericope explains why these witnesses omitted the verse.

[9:35]  ²⁷ tn Or “cities.”

[9:35]  ²⁸ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[9:35]  ²⁹ tn Grk “and every [kind of] sickness.” Here “every” was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:36]  ²⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:36]  ²⁹ tn Or “because they had been bewildered and helpless.” The translational issue is whether the perfect participles are predicate (as in the text) or are pluperfect periphrastic (the alternate translation). If the latter, the implication would seem to be that the crowds had been in such a state until the Great Shepherd arrived.

[9:38]  ²⁹ sn The phrase Lord of the harvest recognizes God’s sovereignty over the harvest process.

[9:38]  ³⁰ tn Grk “to thrust out.”

[1:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “the book of the genealogy.” The noun βίβλος (biblo"), though it is without the article, is to be translated as definite due to Apollonius’ corollary and the normal use of anarthrous nouns in titles.

[1:2]  ³¹ tn Grk “fathered.”

[1:6]  ³² sn By the wife of Uriah, i.e., Bathsheba (cf. 2 Sam 11:3).

[1:7]  ³³ tc The reading ᾿Ασάφ (Asaf), a variant spelling on ᾿Ασά (Asa), is found in the earliest and most widespread witnesses (Ì^1vid א B C [D^luc] Ë^1,13 700 pc it co). Although Asaph was a psalmist and Asa was a king, it is doubtful that the author mistook one for the other since other ancient documents have variant spellings on the king’s name (such as “Asab,” “Asanos,” and “Asaph”). Thus the spelling ᾿Ασάφ that is almost surely found in the original of Matt 1:7-8 has been translated as “Asa” in keeping with the more common spelling of the king’s name.

[1:10]  ³⁴ tc ᾿Αμώς (Amws) is the reading found in the earliest and best witnesses (א B C [D^luc] γ δ θ ˹ 33 pc it sa bo), and as such is most likely original, but this is a variant spelling of the name ᾿Αμών (Amwn). The translation uses the more well-known spelling “Amon” found in the Hebrew MT and the majority of LXX mss. See also the textual discussion of “Asa” versus “Asaph” (vv. 7-8); the situation is similar.

[1:11]  ³⁵ sn Before the mention of Jeconiah, several medieval mss add Jehoiakim, in conformity with the genealogy in 1 Chr 3:15-16. But this alters the count of fourteen generations (v. 17). It is evident that the author is selective in his genealogy for a theological purpose.

[1:12]  ³⁶ tn Because of the difference between Greek style, which usually begins a sentence with a conjunction, and English style, which generally does not, the conjunction δέ (de) has not been translated here.

[1:12]  ³⁷ sn The Greek text and the KJV read Salathiel. Most modern English translations use the OT form of the name (cf. Ezra 3:2).

[1:16]  ³⁷ tc There are three significant variant readings at this point in the text. Some mss and versional witnesses (Θ Ë¹³ it) read, “Joseph, to whom the virgin Mary, being betrothed, bore Jesus, who is called Christ.” This reading makes even more explicit than the feminine pronoun (see sn below) the virginal conception of Jesus and as such seems to be a motivated reading. The Sinaitic Syriac ms alone indicates that Joseph was the father of Jesus (“Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the virgin, fathered Jesus who is called the Christ”). Although much discussed, this reading has not been found in any Greek witnesses. B. M. Metzger suggests that it was produced by a careless scribe who simply reproduced the set formula of the preceding lines in the genealogy (TCGNT 6). In all likelihood, the two competing variants were thus produced by intentional and unintentional scribal alterations respectively. The reading adopted in the translation has overwhelming support from a variety of witnesses (̹ א B C L W [˹] 33 Ï co), and therefore should be regarded as authentic. For a detailed discussion of this textual problem, see TCGNT 2-6.

[1:16]  ³⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[1:17]  ³⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[1:18]  ³⁹ tn The connotation of the Greek is “before they came together in marital and domestic union” (so BDAG 970 s.v. συνέρχομαι 3).

[1:19]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “husband.” See following note for discussion.

[1:19]  ⁴¹ tn Or “send her away.”

[1:20]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “behold, an angel.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[1:20]  ⁴² tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[1:21]  ⁴² tn Grk “you will call his name.”

[1:21]  ⁴³ sn The Greek form of the name Ihsous, which was translated into Latin as Jesus, is the same as the Hebrew Yeshua (Joshua), which means “Yahweh saves” (Yahweh is typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT). It was a fairly common name among Jews in 1st century Palestine, as references to a number of people by this name in the LXX and Josephus indicate.

[1:23]  ⁴³ tn Grk “they will call his name.”

[1:23]  ⁴⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 7:14.

[1:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “is translated.”

[1:23]  ⁴⁶ sn An allusion to Isa 8:8, 10 (LXX).

[1:24]  ⁴⁴ tn See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20. Here the translation “the angel of the Lord” is used because the Greek article (ὁ, Jo) which precedes ἄγγελος (angelos) is taken as an anaphoric article (ExSyn 217-19) referring back to the angel mentioned in v. 20.

[1:25]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “did not have sexual relations”; Grk “was not knowing her.” The verb “know” (in both Hebrew and Greek) is a frequent biblical euphemism for sexual relations. However, a translation like “did not have sexual relations with her” is too graphic in light of the popularity and wide use of Matthew’s infancy narrative. Thus the somewhat more subdued but still clear “did not have marital relations” was selected.

[1:25]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “and he called his name Jesus.” The coordinate clause has been translated as a relative clause in English for stylistic reasons.