παρθένος (parthenos) in Matthew 1:23: Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
παρθένος (parthenos) in Matthew 1:23
Textual Witness
The witness reads παρθένος in Matthew 1:23 within the phrase ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps identify the woman as the subject of the prophecy, which sharpens the verse's focus without adding meanings beyond the context.
How To Communicate It
In communication, this grammar supports a clear rendering such as 'the virgin' or 'the maiden,' with the surrounding clause supplying the action and significance.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Feminine gender is grammatical, not a standalone theological claim about sex or status.
- Case and number guide the sentence role, but they do not by themselves determine the full interpretation.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: this form names the person described in the clause, not an action or modifier.
Nominative: this form usually marks the subject or a closely related nominative role in the clause.
Singular: this form is grammatically singular here, pointing to one referent in the sentence.
Feminine: this noun belongs to the feminine grammatical class, which by itself does not make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
ἡ παρθένος
The article identifies the noun phrase as a specific, known referent in the sentence, while the surrounding clause gives it its function.
It functions as the subject of the future verbs in the prophecy, presenting the one who will conceive and bear a son.
It does not by itself supply the main event or decide the larger meaning of the verse; the verbs and context do that.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The nominative noun identifies the woman who will conceive and bear the promised son in the cited prophecy.
Nominative noun phrase subject. identifies the subject of the conceiving and bearing actions in the prophecy. Attached to ἡ παρθένος. Governed by ἕξει and τέξεται. The nominative form identifies the subject, while the prophecy and Matthew's context carry the theological significance.
Who is the subject of the conceiving and bearing verbs? The nominative noun phrase identifies the virgin as the subject of those actions.
Direct: The subject role directly affects the rendering of who will conceive and bear a son.
The grammar identifies the subject of the prophetic clause; the verse context determines how the prophecy is fulfilled.
Feminine case ending alone proves the doctrine: The noun and the prophetic context matter; grammatical gender by itself does not establish the full theological claim.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads παρθένος in Matthew 1:23 within the phrase ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει.
The lemma παρθένος denotes a maiden or virgin, so the form points to that lexical idea in this verse.
Its nominative form fits the subject slot in the clause and works with the article to mark a specific woman as the one described.
The verse says that this woman will conceive and bear a son, then names him Emmanuel, so the grammar supports a focused prophecy about her role.
In the immediate passage, the form helps the reader follow the prophecy fulfillment pattern without forcing extra claims from the case ending alone.
For teaching or translation, the noun should be rendered in a way that keeps the specific referent clear and preserves the flow of the prophecy.
Do not derive a full theology of gender, marriage status, or doctrinal proof from the case or feminine gender alone.