Μαρίας (Marias) in Matthew 1:18: Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
Μαρίας (Marias) in Matthew 1:18
Textual Witness
The witness reads Μαρίας in Matthew 1:18 within the phrase τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας τῷ Ἰωσήφ.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps the verse read as a relational identification of Mary as Jesus' mother, not as a standalone assertion apart from the birth narrative.
How To Communicate It
In teaching or translation, this form can be explained as part of a genitive chain that identifies Mary in the birth account before the sentence moves to Joseph and the conception report.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Genitive case can signal relationship here, but it does not by itself settle every syntactic detail.
- Do not turn feminine grammatical gender into a doctrinal claim about sex, status, or theology.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: this form names Mary as a person, and here it functions as a named referent in the sentence.
Genitive: this form usually marks a relationship, source, or association, and here it belongs in a genitive phrase.
Singular: this form is grammatically singular and refers to one individual in this occurrence.
Feminine: this noun is in the feminine grammatical class, which is a language form and not a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας
The form sits in the genitive phrase that identifies Jesus' mother before the sentence describes Mary being betrothed to Joseph.
It names Mary as the mother connected with Jesus in the birth account and prepares the reader for the conception report that follows.
It does not identify a maternal relation to Joseph, and it does not by itself state the main action of the verse.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The genitive proper name identifies Mary as Jesus' mother in the birth narrative introduction.
Genitive singular proper name in an appositional mother phrase. names Mary as the mother associated with Jesus in the birth account. Attached to the his-mother-Mary phrase in Matthew 1:18. Governed by the genitive phrase identifying Jesus' mother before the betrothal clause. The form identifies Mary in relation to Jesus and then places her in the betrothal context with Joseph.
Who is identified as Jesus' mother in the verse opening? The genitive phrase names Mary as his mother before describing the betrothal setting.
Direct: The form supports wording such as "his mother Mary" or "Mary his mother."
The genitive phrase identifies Mary as Jesus' mother, not as Joseph's maternal relation. The form introduces relationship and setting; the following clause carries the conception report.
Genitive phrase is assigned to the wrong relationship: The pronoun points to Jesus in the birth account, so Mary is identified as his mother. case ending alone supplies a doctrine of Mary: The form identifies Mary in the sentence; theology must come from the broader narrative and canon.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads Μαρίας in Matthew 1:18 within the phrase τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας τῷ Ἰωσήφ.
The lemma Μαρία is the personal name Mary, and this form is one inflected occurrence of that same name.
In context, the genitive form works with the surrounding mother phrase to identify Mary as Jesus' mother before the betrothal-to-Joseph phrase continues the sentence.
The verse introduces Jesus' birth by naming Mary as his mother, locating her betrothal to Joseph, and then reporting that she was found with child from the Holy Spirit.
This fits Matthew's birth narrative, where Mary is named in relation to Jesus and Joseph while the conception report is governed by the full sentence.
For readers and translators, the form supports a smooth relational reading such as "his mother Mary" or "Mary his mother," depending on the target style.
Do not derive from the genitive form alone any hidden status, theological title, or extra relationship beyond what the verse context states.