γυναῖκα (gunaika) in Matthew 1:24: Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γυναῖκα (gunaika) in Matthew 1:24
Textual Witness
The witness reads γυναικα in Matthew 1:24 within the phrase καὶ παρέλαβε τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, so the form is tied to Joseph's immediate action in the verse.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form reinforces that the verse reports a completed, concrete act of receiving Joseph's wife, rather than a vague or abstract idea.
How To Communicate It
In translation and teaching, this form can be rendered simply as the object in the clause, helping readers see that Joseph acted on a specific woman identified as his wife.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Accusative case shows role in the clause, but context decides whether the sense is wife or woman here.
- Feminine gender is grammatical class, not a theological statement about women.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the word names a person in the clause, and here it points to the woman involved in Joseph's action.
Accusative: the form usually marks a direct object or related object-like role, and here it fits the thing Joseph takes into his care.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, referring to one woman rather than 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
παρέλαβε
The accusative is governed by the verb παρέλαβε, which naturally takes the person or thing received, taken, or brought along.
It functions as the object of Joseph's action, naming the woman he received as his wife in the scene.
It does not by itself state motive, status, or theology, and it should not be read as changing the woman into a different lexical item.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The noun identifies the person Joseph receives in obedient response to the angelic command.
Accusative singular feminine noun governed by the receiving verb. marks his wife as the object of Joseph's completed action. Attached to Joseph's action of receiving or taking. Governed by the verb reporting Joseph's obedience. The wife sense is controlled by the article, possessive phrase, and narrative context.
Whom does Joseph receive after waking? He receives his wife.
Direct: The accusative noun directly supports object wording such as "his wife."
The grammar marks the object of Joseph's action but does not state motive by itself. The woman/wife sense is determined by context, not case ending alone. Feminine gender is grammatical agreement and should not be made an extra doctrinal claim.
Accusative case proves every relational detail: The accusative marks who receives the action; the narrative supplies marital and obedience context. gender agreement creates doctrine: Feminine agreement is grammatical and should not be overextended.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads γυναικα in Matthew 1:24 within the phrase καὶ παρέλαβε τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, so the form is tied to Joseph's immediate action in the verse.
The lemma γυνή can mean a woman or, in context, a wife, and the surrounding possessive αὐτοῦ strongly supports the marital sense here.
The accusative form fits the verb of receiving and the article plus possessive phrase, showing that Joseph took his wife into the relationship described by the verse.
In context, the grammar helps present Joseph's obedience as completed in action: he took his wife, following the command just given.
This use fits the broader biblical pattern where γυνή can mean wife in a household or marital setting, without forcing that sense in every occurrence.
For readers, the form clarifies who is acted upon and keeps the verse centered on Joseph's obedient reception of the woman as his wife.
Do not derive extra meaning about character, authority, or gender theology from the feminine case ending alone; those claims must come from the verse context.