Matthew 1:22

Rembrandt's Joseph's Dream in the Stable painted in 1645

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.

The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads:

τουτο δε ολον γεγονεν ινα πληρωθη το ρηθεν

υπο κυριου δια του προφητου λεγοντος

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which

was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled

which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 1:22

This verse sets up a quote from Isaiah 7:14 that appears in the following verse. Brown notes that in some alternate manuscripts this verse actually contains Isaiah's name.^[1] This is the first of ten quotes from the Old Testament that appear in Matthew to illustrate how Jesus was foretold by the prophets. The Gospel of Matthew is far more concerned than the others in proving that Jesus is the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. The phrase "that it might be fulfilled" is Matthew's standard introduction to these quotes. Boring notes that this verse is also the first of many times that a narrator takes an active role in the Gospel, something that will also continue throughout.^[2]

That the name of the prophet in question is not mentioned is generally considered because its irrelevance to Christiology. Carter disagrees with this and argues that it is because the intended audience of the verse would have immediately known which prophet the quote came from and would need no extra information.^[3]

References

1. Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.
2. Boring, Eugene "Gospel of Matthew." The New Interpreter's Bible, volume 8 Abingdon, 1995 pg. 135
3. Carter, Warren. Matthew and Empire. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2001.

• Albright, W.F. and C.S. Mann. "Matthew." The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.