ἐβουλήθη (eboulethe) in Matthew 1:19: Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Deponent Indicative

Verb: the form names an action, process, or state, and here it presents a deliberate act of will in the clause.

Aorist: commonly views the action as a whole event. It should not be treated as automatically punctiliar or automatically past in every context.

Passive Deponent: uses a middle or passive form traditionally read with active sense. The lexeme and sentence still govern the meaning.

Indicative: presents the verbal idea as an assertion or statement in the clause.

Third person: the form speaks about someone or something rather than directly as I/we or you.

Not applicable: this verb form is not using noun case to mark its sentence role.

Singular: the form is marked for a single subject, matching the one person under discussion in this sentence.

Not applicable: this verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.

Joseph's intended response in Matthew 1:19

The narrative description of Joseph as righteous and unwilling to disgrace Mary

The third-person singular aorist deponent indicative reports Joseph's settled intention to send Mary away quietly.

The form does not complete the action, reveal hidden motives, or let voice and tense settle more than the sentence states.

High: The form carries Joseph's intended action in a sensitive narrative moment and affects whether readers distinguish intention from completed action.

Third-person singular aorist deponent indicative governing an infinitive phrase. reports Joseph's settled intention to send Mary away quietly. Attached to Joseph as the subject of the narrative sentence. Governed by the clause describing Joseph's righteous and restrained response. The deponent label should not be treated as a normal passive agency claim.

What had Joseph decided or intended to do? He intended to send Mary away quietly, before the angel's instruction redirects him.

Direct: The verb form directly supports renderings such as "intended," "resolved," or "decided."

The aorist reports the intention compactly, but it should not be made to prove completed action. The passive deponent label does not mean Joseph is acted upon in the ordinary passive sense. The verse states Joseph's restraint, but the form itself does not expose every motive.

Aorist means once-for-all completed action: The aorist reports Joseph's intention in the narrative; Matthew 1:20 shows the intended action is redirected before completion. passive deponent means Joseph is passive: The deponent form functions with the sense of intending or resolving here; do not read ordinary passive agency into it.

In the provided text of Matthew 1:19, ???????? appears after the description of Joseph as righteous and unwilling to disgrace Mary.

The lemma ???????? carries the sense of willing, intending, desiring, or purposing. In this occurrence, the sentence uses it for Joseph's deliberate intention.

The singular indicative form fits Joseph as the subject, and the following infinitive phrase supplies the action he intended. The passive deponent label should not be treated as a normal passive claim about Joseph being acted upon.

The verse says Joseph, being righteous and not wanting public shame for Mary, intended to send her away quietly.

The form fits Matthew's portrayal of Joseph as one whose planned action is interrupted and redirected by divine instruction in the following verse.

When teaching Matthew 1:19, use this form to show that the verse reports a settled intention, not a completed divorce action and not a passing emotion.

Do not derive completed action, hidden motive, or a once-for-all claim from the aorist form alone. The verb reports Joseph's intention within the narrative.