Ἰούδαν (Ioudan) in Matthew 1:2: Noun Accusative Singular Masculine
Ἰούδαν (Ioudan) in Matthew 1:2
Textual Witness
The witness reads Ἰούδαν in Matthew 1:2 within the genealogy of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form supports a straightforward genealogical reading by marking Judah as the person named after Jacob's begetting.
How To Communicate It
In translation and teaching, it can be rendered simply as Judah, the one Jacob fathered, with the genealogy supplying the rest.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Accusative case here identifies the sentence role, but the genealogy gives the actual meaning.
- Masculine gender is grammatical and should not be turned into a theological gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the form names a person, here the individual Judah in the genealogy, and it functions as a referential noun in the sentence.
Accusative: the form usually marks a direct object or related object-like role, and here it follows the verb of begetting as the one begotten.
Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence, pointing to one named person rather than a group in the clause.
Masculine: the noun is marked with masculine grammatical class, which here matches the male personal name and does not by itself make a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ἐγέννησε
The accusative form is governed by the verb of begetting and marks the person presented as the one born in the genealogy.
It functions as the verbal object within the family line statement, identifying Judah as the next named descendant after Jacob.
It does not by itself indicate subject, agent, or a broader doctrinal role; the surrounding genealogy gives that sense.
How Much The Form Matters Here
Moderate: The accusative form marks Judah as the descendant named after Jacob in Matthew's genealogy.
Accusative proper name as object of the begetting verb. identifies Judah as the person begotten in the descent line. Attached to Ἰακὼβ δὲ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἰούδαν. Governed by the verb ἐγέννησε in the genealogy formula. The form clarifies genealogy role; the broader genealogy supplies covenant significance.
Who is named as Jacob's descendant here? The accusative name marks Judah as the person fathered by Jacob in the genealogy.
Direct: The accusative directly supports rendering Judah as the object of the begetting verb.
The form identifies Judah in the line but does not itself supply the theology of Judah's tribe. The name can refer to other persons elsewhere, but Matthew 1:2 identifies the patriarch Judah. The genealogy context controls the role more than the form alone.
Case alone proves the full interpretation: The accusative marks Judah's sentence role; Matthew's genealogy supplies the lineage significance. grammatical gender carries a theological claim: The gender label describes Greek form class or agreement and should not be made into a separate doctrinal claim.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads Ἰούδαν in Matthew 1:2 within the genealogy of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The lemma Ἰούδας is the personal name Judah, also used for Judas or Jude in other settings, but here the context is the patriarch Judah.
The accusative form works with ἐγέννησε to show who is being named as the descendant, while the genealogy itself supplies the interpretive frame.
The verse says Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, continuing the family line that Matthew traces.
Within Scripture, Judah is one of the sons of Jacob, so the form fits the genealogy without requiring any special grammatical overreading.
For readers, the form helps identify Judah as the recipient of the action in the sentence and keeps the lineage clear.
Do not derive status, theology, or extra narrative detail from case alone; the grammar supports the genealogy but does not replace it.