A common claim is that Matthew 1:25 proves Joseph and Mary had marital relations after Jesus' birth because Joseph "did not know Her until She had given birth to a son."
But that argument assumes something the text itself never says.
In Matthew 1:25, "knew" (ginosko) is a standard biblical idiom for sexual relations. The question is not the meaning of "knew," but the meaning of "until" (heos).
In Koine Greek and throughout Scripture, heos does not inherently imply that the opposite condition began afterward. Sometimes a change follows the stated boundary; sometimes it does not. The word itself does not determine the outcome.
For example, before the flood Noah remained in the ark until the waters receded, after which he left the ark. The change comes from the context, not from the word "until" itself.
Consider also 2 Samuel 6:23:
"Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death."
No one concludes that Michal began bearing children after she died. Here, "until" marks a boundary, not a reversal of the previous condition.
Matthew uses the same construction. His concern is not Joseph and Mary's later married life. His concern is the Virgin Birth.
The surrounding context makes this clear. Matthew has just explained that Mary's child was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20-23). Then he adds:
"He did not know Her until She had given birth to a Son."
The purpose is to exclude Joseph as the source of the conception and reinforce the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. Matthew is safeguarding the truth of Christ's divine origin, not making a statement about what happened after the Nativity.
Matthew 1:25 tells us what did not happen before Jesus' birth. It tells us nothing about what did or did not happen afterward.
Matthew does not tell us what happened after Jesus' birth. Therefore, the verse itself cannot be used as proof that marital relations did occur afterward. That conclusion must come from somewhere other than Matthew 1:25.
The verse establishes the Virgin Birth. It does not tell us whether Joseph and Mary later had marital relations. Reading that conclusion into the text goes beyond what Matthew actually says.
But that argument assumes something the text itself never says.
In Matthew 1:25, "knew" (ginosko) is a standard biblical idiom for sexual relations. The question is not the meaning of "knew," but the meaning of "until" (heos).
In Koine Greek and throughout Scripture, heos does not inherently imply that the opposite condition began afterward. Sometimes a change follows the stated boundary; sometimes it does not. The word itself does not determine the outcome.
For example, before the flood Noah remained in the ark until the waters receded, after which he left the ark. The change comes from the context, not from the word "until" itself.
Consider also 2 Samuel 6:23:
"Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death."
No one concludes that Michal began bearing children after she died. Here, "until" marks a boundary, not a reversal of the previous condition.
Matthew uses the same construction. His concern is not Joseph and Mary's later married life. His concern is the Virgin Birth.
The surrounding context makes this clear. Matthew has just explained that Mary's child was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20-23). Then he adds:
"He did not know Her until She had given birth to a Son."
The purpose is to exclude Joseph as the source of the conception and reinforce the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. Matthew is safeguarding the truth of Christ's divine origin, not making a statement about what happened after the Nativity.
Matthew 1:25 tells us what did not happen before Jesus' birth. It tells us nothing about what did or did not happen afterward.
Matthew does not tell us what happened after Jesus' birth. Therefore, the verse itself cannot be used as proof that marital relations did occur afterward. That conclusion must come from somewhere other than Matthew 1:25.
The verse establishes the Virgin Birth. It does not tell us whether Joseph and Mary later had marital relations. Reading that conclusion into the text goes beyond what Matthew actually says.
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