γυναῖκά (gunaika) in Matthew 1:20: Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γυναῖκά (gunaika) in Matthew 1:20
Textual Witness
The witness reads γυναῖκά in Matthew 1:20 within the phrase παραλαβεῖν Μαριὰμ τὴν γυναῖκά σου.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The grammar sharpens the relational sense of the command and helps the reader hear that Mary is spoken of here as Joseph's wife.
How To Communicate It
This form can be communicated as the specific woman Joseph is addressed about, which makes the command personal, marital, and direct.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Case and gender help identify the phrase, but they do not replace the verse's narrative meaning.
- Do not turn grammatical gender into a theological gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the form names a person, and here it refers to Mary as Joseph's wife in the sentence.
Accusative: the form usually marks a direct object or related complement, and here it fits the infinitive phrase about taking Mary.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, so it points to one woman, not a group.
Feminine: the noun belongs to the feminine grammatical class, which helps agreement but does not by itself make a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
παραλαβεῖν ... τὴν γυναῖκά σου
The form is governed by the infinitive παραλαβεῖν, which takes the person being taken or received as its object in this warning.
It functions as the object-complement in the phrase, identifying Mary as the wife Joseph is not to fear taking to himself.
It is not the subject of the clause, and the accusative case here does not by itself create a special doctrinal emphasis.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The noun identifies Mary as the wife Joseph is commanded not to fear taking, so it shapes the relational force of the angelic instruction.
Accusative singular feminine noun in the infinitive phrase. marks Mary as the person Joseph is to take as his wife. Attached to the phrase about taking Mary as wife. Governed by the infinitive telling Joseph not to fear taking her. The wife sense comes from the marriage context and possessive language, not from case alone.
Whom is Joseph told not to fear taking? Mary, his wife.
Direct: The accusative noun supports rendering the phrase as "Mary your wife."
The lemma can mean woman or wife; the local marriage context determines the wife sense. The accusative marks object relation and should not be made a doctrinal claim by itself. Feminine gender is grammatical agreement and not an independent theological claim.
Case alone proves marital status: The accusative marks the object role; the possessive phrase and narrative context show the marital relation. feminine grammar carries gender doctrine: The feminine form agrees with the noun and should not be turned into a separate theological claim.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads γυναῖκά in Matthew 1:20 within the phrase παραλαβεῖν Μαριὰμ τὴν γυναῖκά σου.
The lemma γυνή can mean woman or wife, and this context clearly leans toward wife because of the possessive σου and the marriage setting.
The accusative form supports the action of taking or receiving, while the article and possessive make the reference specific rather than generic.
Joseph is told not to fear taking Mary as his wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
This use fits the broader biblical pattern where grammar serves the narrative and relationship context, not an abstract rule detached from the scene.
For teaching or translation, the form supports rendering the phrase plainly as Joseph's wife, while keeping the focus on the angelic command.
Do not infer extra meaning from feminine gender, and do not read the accusative alone as proving more than its role in this sentence.