Matthew 1:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

NIV: All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

NASB: Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled:

CSB: Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

NLT: All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

KJV: Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

NKJV: So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

An angel of the Lord has just revealed to Joseph in a dream that his betrothed wife Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit and not another man. This puts to rest Joseph's concerns that she has been unfaithful, and ends his plans to discreetly divorce her (Matthew 1:19). Further, the angel has said the baby is a boy, a son, who "will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

Ancient writing was recorded without capitalization, or punctuation, including quotation marks. For that reason, scholars differ about whether this verse should be included in the quote by the angel. That is, it is possible the angel told Joseph about the connection between Jesus' birth and Isaiah's prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). The alternative is that these words are stated by Matthew as the narrator, not part of the declaration the angel made to Joseph.

Either way, this statement is part of the Word of God. It will be the first of several mentions of Jesus' role in fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. In this case, the prophet was Isaiah and the quote in the following verse (Matthew 1:23) is from Isaiah 7:14.

Matthew 1:18–25 tells the story of the birth of Christ from the perspective of Joseph. This man is betrothed to be married to Mary, but finds out she is pregnant. He does not realize, yet, that this child is Christ, and that she is pregnant by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. God interrupts Joseph's honorable plans to divorce Mary, and tells him through an angel in a dream not to fear taking her as a wife and that the child is from God. Jesus will fulfill Isaiah's prophecy that Immanuel, ''God with us,'' will be born to a virgin. Joseph obeys, demonstrating his faith in God.

The apostle Matthew begins his telling of Jesus' life with a genealogy. This is meant to show that Jesus is directly descended from both Abraham and King David, making Him a legal heir to the throne of Israel. He then tells the story of Jesus' birth from the perspective of Joseph, Mary's husband. Joseph had planned to divorce the woman he was betrothed to marry, once he found out she was carrying a child that wasn't his. God interrupts this plan. An angel tells Joseph in a dream that the child is from the Holy Spirit and commands Joseph to name Him Jesus, since He will save His people from their sins. Joseph obeys.

One of the original twelve disciples, Matthew begins his telling of Jesus' life with a genealogy and Jesus' birth. The listing of Jesus' ancestors shows how Jesus is directly descended from both Abraham and King David, but it also includes then-unlikely inclusions, such as women, blatant sinners, and evil kings. Instead of divorcing Mary, Joseph obeys God and takes her home. Isaiah's prophecy of the virgin birth of Immanuel, a term meaning ''God with us,'' is fulfilled. This sets the stage for pivotal events in Jesus' infancy, such as the arrival of wise men and the family's escape into Egypt.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.