παραλαβεῖν (paralabein) in Matthew 1:20: Verb Second Aorist Active Infinitive
παραλαβεῖν (paralabein) in Matthew 1:20
Textual Witness
In Matthew 1:20, the witness reads παραλαβεῖν within the angel's instruction to Joseph, in a context of reassurance and command.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form highlights the specific action Joseph is being told not to fear, so the focus falls on obedient acceptance rather than on the verb form alone.
How To Communicate It
In translation and teaching, the form can be rendered naturally as 'to take' or 'to receive,' with the context clarifying that Mary is the object and wife is the intended relationship.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Do not turn verbal aspect into an unwarranted timeline or doctrine.
- Do not read grammatical form as changing the lemma into a different word or making a gender claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Verb: the word names an action or process, here an act of taking or receiving someone.
Second Aorist: commonly views the action as a whole event. It should not be treated as automatically punctiliar or automatically past in every context.
Active: presents the subject as doing or carrying the action.
Infinitive: names the verbal idea without finite person. It often works as purpose, result, complement, or explanation in context.
Not applicable: this verb form is not using noun case to mark its sentence role.
Singular: number is not marked in a controlling way here, so the form simply presents the action as a single verbal idea.
Not applicable: this verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.
What The Form Does In This Verse
μὴ φοβηθῇς
The infinitive παραλαβεῖν is governed by the command not to fear and gives the content of what Joseph is not to do fearfully.
It functions as the action in view: Joseph is not to hesitate to take Mary as his wife.
It is not the main finite verb of the sentence, and it does not by itself state tense-like timing or a complete standalone assertion.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The infinitive states the action Joseph is told not to fear in the birth narrative.
Second aorist active infinitive. names the action in view, receiving Mary as his wife. Attached to the command do not fear. Governed by the angel's instruction to Joseph. The infinitive supplies the action Joseph must not fear; the reason comes from the following clause.
What action is Joseph told not to fear? He is told not to fear taking Mary as his wife.
Direct: The infinitive directly supports to take or to receive in the instruction.
The infinitive is not the main finite verb; it names the action governed by the command not to fear. Aorist infinitive does not by itself construct a detailed timeline. The relational meaning comes from Mary as object and wife as context.
Aorist infinitive proves completed timing: The infinitive names the action in view, while the narrative supplies timing. infinitive alone carries the theological reason: The reason Joseph should not fear comes from the following explanation about the child.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
In Matthew 1:20, the witness reads παραλαβεῖν within the angel's instruction to Joseph, in a context of reassurance and command.
The lemma παραλαμβάνω means to take or receive, and in this context it is used with a person as the object, Mary.
The infinitive presents the action as the matter in question, not as a separate event sequence. The context shows a relational act of taking Mary as wife.
The verse tells Joseph not to fear taking Mary into his household and marital relation, because the conception is from the Holy Spirit.
This use fits the broader Matthean pattern where the verb can describe taking a person to oneself, especially in family or association settings.
For readers, the form supports a direct and practical command: do not fear to proceed with accepting Mary as your wife.
Do not derive a separate theological claim from the infinitive form itself, and do not make its aspect or mood carry more meaning than the sentence gives.