Greek Form Guide

Μαρίας, (Marias) in Matthew 1:16: Noun Genitive Singular Feminine

Μαρίας, (Marias) in Matthew 1:16

Textual Witness

Μαρίας, Marias Noun Genitive Singular Feminine

The witnessed form is Μαρίας in Matthew 1:16, within the phrase about Joseph and the following relative clause.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

The form supports a relational reading: Mary is identified as the woman connected to Joseph and to the birth statement, but the clause meaning comes from the full sentence, not from the case ending alone.

How To Communicate It

This grammar can be explained to readers as a simple way the verse names Mary in relation to Joseph and the birth of Jesus, without turning the form into a standalone doctrine.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • The genitive here indicates relationship in the sentence, but it does not by itself settle every syntactic detail.
  • Do not turn feminine grammatical gender into a theological claim about Mary.

What Does The Label Mean?

Part of Speech

Noun: the word names a person, here the woman identified as Mary in the genealogy and birth notice.

Case

Genitive: the form usually marks a related noun and here it most naturally signals Mary as the person linked to Joseph and the following relative clause.

Number

Singular: the form is grammatically singular in this occurrence and refers to one named individual in the verse.

Gender

Feminine: the noun belongs to the feminine grammatical class, which is a lexical feature and does not by itself make a theological gender claim.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

τὸν ἄνδρα Μαρίας

Governed By

The genitive form is connected to the nearby noun phrase and fits the relationship expressed by the wording, without forcing a more specific syntactic label than the context supports.

Role In The Phrase

It identifies Mary as the person associated with Joseph, and it prepares the reader for the next clause that speaks of the one from whom Jesus was born.

What It Is Not Doing

It does not by itself make Mary the subject of the main verb, and it does not override the broader narrative or genealogical context.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The genitive proper name identifies Mary in the genealogy and prepares for the birth-from-her clause.

Syntax Profile

Genitive singular proper name in a relational noun phrase. identifies Mary as the woman related to Joseph and then named by the following birth clause. Attached to the Joseph-husband-of-Mary phrase in Matthew 1:16. Governed by the noun phrase identifying Joseph in relation to Mary. The form is important because the sentence shifts from the genealogy pattern to the birth of Jesus from Mary.

Reader Question

How is Mary identified in the genealogy line? The genitive identifies Mary in relation to Joseph and prepares the reader for the clause about Jesus being born from her.

Translation Effect

Direct: The form supports wording such as "Joseph the husband of Mary."

Where Caution Is Needed

The genitive identifies relationship, while the following relative clause carries the birth statement. The feminine proper name form does not by itself create a theological claim beyond the sentence.

Fallacies To Avoid

Case ending carries the whole doctrine of the birth: The form identifies Mary; the clause and narrative supply the birth claim. genealogy grammar is treated as ordinary repetition only: The form belongs to a line where Matthew shifts the pattern and highlights Mary in the birth statement.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The witnessed form is Μαρίας in Matthew 1:16, within the phrase about Joseph and the following relative clause.

Lexical Identity

The lemma is Μαρία, a proper name for Mary, and the form is one inflected occurrence of that same name.

Grammar In Context

The genitive form works with the nearby noun phrase to mark relationship or association, while the surrounding clause carries the main narrative point.

Passage Meaning

The verse names Joseph as the husband of Mary and then states that Jesus was born from the woman indicated by the relative pronoun, so the grammar supports identification rather than independent emphasis on Mary.

Canonical Fit

This fits the genealogy's larger purpose of tracing Jesus' line and highlighting the final birth statement in the sequence.

Communication Use

In teaching or reading, the form helps explain why Mary is identified as Joseph's associated person and why the next clause naturally points back to her.

Do Not Derive

Do not derive extra theological claims from the feminine genitive alone, and do not make the case ending carry more meaning than the sentence context gives it.