Matthew 1:25 tells us that Joseph did not have a physical marriage relationship with Mary until after she gave birth to Jesus, and that he then named the child Jesus, as the angel had instructed. The verse is written by Matthew, who is describing the events surrounding the birth of Jesus for Jewish readers who knew the Old Testament well. It is the narrator speaking, not a direct quote from Joseph or Mary.
And didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
Matthew 1:25 (WEB)
What Matthew 1:25 Means
The phrase “didn’t know her sexually” is a plain, direct way of saying that Joseph had no sexual relationship with Mary during this period. It does not describe anything about their relationship after the birth, so the verse cannot be used to settle that question either way. What it does establish is that the conception of Jesus happened in a way that did not involve Joseph, and that Joseph respected the miraculous nature of what God was doing.
The phrase “until she had given birth to her firstborn son” marks a clear turning point. The timing matters because it shows that Joseph waited, and that the child was not his own biological son. The word “firstborn” is a standard term in the Old Testament for the first child of a family, and Matthew uses it to show that Mary had no other pregnancies prior to Jesus. The verse then closes simply: he named him Jesus. Naming a child was normally the father’s responsibility, so Joseph’s act here confirms that he accepted Jesus as his legal son.
The Context of Matthew 1:25
Matthew’s Gospel was written for an audience that was largely Jewish, and it is concerned throughout with showing how Jesus fulfills what the Hebrew Scriptures promised. The verses just before this one, Matthew 1:22-23, quote Isaiah 7:14 about a virgin who will conceive and bear a son called Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” Matthew’s point in verse 25 is that Joseph’s obedience and his restraint fit into that larger story of God keeping his word.
The verse makes more sense when you read it with verse 24, where Joseph wakes from sleep and does exactly what the angel of the Lord commanded. Taken together, these verses show a man who trusts God’s word even when he does not fully understand it. Joseph is not presented as a figure of ambiguity here, but as someone who acts in faith, and the careful wording of verse 25 protects the reader from assuming anything beyond what the text says.
Key Phrases in Matthew 1:25
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
(WEB)
This verse is the prophecy Matthew quotes in the verses just before 1:25. Reading it alongside Matthew 1:25 shows how the birth of Jesus was seen as the fulfillment of a promise made centuries earlier, and it helps explain why Matthew cares so much about the details of the nativity.
Matthew 1:21
She shall give birth to a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
(WEB)
This verse records the angel’s words to Joseph about the name Jesus and its meaning. Reading it next to verse 25 helps you see why Joseph named the child as he did, and how the name points directly to Jesus’s mission to save his people from their sins.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 1:25
Lord, thank you for the faithfulness of Joseph, who trusted your word even when he could not understand all that you were doing. Help me to listen for your voice in my own life and to respond with obedience, even when the path ahead feels unclear. Teach me to rest in your plan and to honor the people you have placed in my care with patience and integrity. Thank you that Jesus came to save, and that his name still means hope for everyone who calls on you. Amen.
