Greek Form Guide

αὐτὴν (auten) in Matthew 1:19: Accusative Singular Feminine

αὐτὴν (auten) in Matthew 1:19

Textual Witness

αὐτὴν auten Accusative Singular Feminine

The witness reads αὐτὴν in Matthew 1:19, and the surrounding line speaks of Joseph's restraint and intended private action.

How The Form Affects Interpretation

The form clarifies who is being acted toward, reinforcing the verse's emphasis on Joseph's intended private and restrained response.

How To Communicate It

In translation and teaching, the pronoun should be rendered in a way that keeps the female referent clear and the sentence natural in context.

What Not To Say

  • Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
  • The feminine form reflects syntax and reference here, not a standalone theological statement.
  • If syntax is uncertain, stay conservative and describe only what the verse context supports.

What Does The Label Mean?

Part of Speech

Pronoun: the word points to a previously known person or thing rather than naming her directly.

Case

Accusative: the form usually marks the direct object or another closely related object-like role in the clause.

Number

Singular: the form refers grammatically to one person in this occurrence.

Gender

Feminine: the form is in the feminine grammatical class, which here matches the female referent and does not by itself make a theological claim.

What The Form Does In This Verse

Attached To

It is attached to the infinitive παραδειγματίσαι and, again, to ἀπολῦσαι in the verse.

Governed By

The accusative is governed by the verbs and infinitives in the sentence, where it functions as the person affected by Joseph's intended action.

Role In The Phrase

In context, it identifies the woman Joseph did not want to expose publicly and whom he planned to send away secretly.

What It Is Not Doing

It is not a nominative subject, and it does not by itself supply a separate theological or moral category.

How Much The Form Matters Here

Interpretive Weight

High: The pronoun identifies Mary as the person affected by Joseph's intended restraint.

Syntax Profile

Accusative object pronoun. identifies the woman affected by the planned action. Attached to the infinitives describing exposure and sending away. Governed by the verbs and infinitives that describe Joseph's intended action. The form should stay tied to the narrative's restrained description, not expanded beyond it.

Reader Question

Whom did Joseph not want to expose? The pronoun points to Mary as the person affected by Joseph's intended response.

Translation Effect

Direct: The object relation directly supports rendering the pronoun as 'her.'

Where Caution Is Needed

The pronoun's sensitive context calls for careful wording that does not add accusation or speculation.

Fallacies To Avoid

Pronoun form supplies moral judgment: The pronoun identifies the affected person; the narrative supplies the moral and pastoral context.

How The Interpretation Is Derived

Textual Witness

The witness reads αὐτὴν in Matthew 1:19, and the surrounding line speaks of Joseph's restraint and intended private action.

Lexical Identity

The lexeme αὐτός is a general pronoun that can mean he, she, it, them, or same, with the form here showing feminine singular accusative.

Grammar In Context

Here the form points back to Mary in the narrative and marks her as the one Joseph would not shame and would release secretly.

Passage Meaning

The grammar supports the sense that Joseph is choosing a quiet, non-public response toward the woman involved.

Canonical Fit

Across the passage, the pronoun keeps the narrative focused on Joseph's concern for the woman and his intended discreet handling of the situation.

Communication Use

For communication, the form helps a reader keep the object of Joseph's decision clear without repeating her name.

Do Not Derive

Do not infer more from the accusative form than the local syntax allows, and do not let grammatical gender become a doctrinal claim.