Greek Form Guide

ῥηθὲν (rethen) in Matthew 1:22: Verb Aorist Passive Participle Nominative Singular Neuter

ῥηθὲν (rethen) in Matthew 1:22

Textual Witness

ῥηθὲν rethen Verb Aorist Passive Participle Nominative Singular Neuter

The witness reads ῥηθὲν in the phrase ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, so the form is embedded in a fulfillment statement.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

The form helps the reader hear the verse as fulfillment of a definite spoken word, while keeping the emphasis on what was said and on its divine source.

How To Communicate It

In translation or teaching, it can be rendered naturally as the thing spoken or the spoken word, so the reader sees the fulfillment focus of the sentence.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • Neuter nominative singular here is descriptive, not a standalone theological signal.
  • The participle identifies a spoken word in context, but it does not by itself determine the full meaning of the verse.
  • Do not use the grammar profile as a shortcut around the wording and logic of the verse.

What Does The Label Mean?

Part of Speech

Verb: the form here is a participle, so it functions verbally while also acting like a modifier in the clause.

Tense / Aspect

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

Voice

Passive: presents the subject as receiving or being affected by the action.

Mood

Participle: carries a verbal idea while also functioning like an adjective or clause element. Context decides its role.

Case

Nominative: the form is marked for nominative use, which here fits the neuter article and participial phrase that names what was spoken.

Number

Singular: the form is grammatically singular here, matching the single item being referenced as the spoken word or statement.

Gender

Neuter: the form is neuter in grammar, which describes agreement in the phrase and does not by itself make a theological or personal claim.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

τὸ ῥηθὲν

Governed By

The participle is shaped by the article and stands in the phrase as the thing that is said, with the prepositional phrase ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου identifying the speaker in context.

Role In The Phrase

It describes the utterance as a spoken word or statement that is in view for fulfillment, not as a separate main verb of the clause.

What It Is Not Doing

It does not introduce a new action of speaking in the main flow, and it does not by itself identify who is speaking beyond the surrounding phrase.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The participle points to the spoken word that Matthew says is fulfilled.

Syntax Profile

Articular nominative neuter participle. identifies the saying that is in view. Attached to the spoken word being fulfilled. Governed by the fulfillment statement in Matthew 1:22. The passive participle points to what was spoken; the context names the Lord and prophet relation.

Reader Question

What is being fulfilled in this verse? The spoken word from the Lord through the prophet is being fulfilled.

Translation Effect

Direct: The articular passive participle directly supports a rendering like "what was spoken."

Where Caution Is Needed

The passive participle should not be separated from Matthew's wording about the Lord speaking through the prophet. The participle identifies the spoken word; it is not the main finite verb of fulfillment.

Fallacies To Avoid

Passive voice hides or removes agency: Matthew supplies the agency context with "by the Lord through the prophet." participle proves fulfillment theology alone: The participle identifies the spoken word, while the whole verse frames fulfillment.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The witness reads ῥηθὲν in the phrase ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, so the form is embedded in a fulfillment statement.

Lexical Identity

The lemma ἐρεῶ belongs to the speaking word group, so the form naturally refers to what was said, spoken, or uttered.

Grammar In Context

The article and participle together mark the utterance as a known, specific saying, and the surrounding passive and prepositional phrases show it as something that comes from the Lord through the prophet.

Passage Meaning

Matthew presents the event as occurring so that the spoken word from the Lord would be fulfilled, making the saying itself central to the verse.

Canonical Fit

This fits the Gospel pattern of linking events to prior divine speech, with grammar helping point to the remembered saying rather than to a fresh speech event.

Communication Use

For readers, the form signals that attention should rest on the content and source of the saying, not on the participle as an independent assertion.

Do Not Derive

Do not derive a claim that the participle alone defines the whole prophecy, adds extra details, or settles theology beyond the verse context.