Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 13:55

"Is not this the carpenter`s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?" — Matthew 13:55 (ASV)

Is not this the carpenter’s son?—In Mark, the question appears in the form, “Is not this the carpenter?” and it is, of course, likely that He both helped in the workshop during Joseph’s life and assisted the “brethren” to carry on the work after his death. Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho, chapter 88) relates that in his time, articles said to have been made by Him, such as plows and yokes, were sought after as relics. The apocryphal Gospel of the Infancy, in its characteristic way, has Him instructing Joseph when he was making mistakes in his work.

And his brethren—See the note on Matthew 12:46.

Joses—The authority of the manuscripts is in favour of the reading, “Joseph.” It was, of course, probable that the father’s name would be borne by one of those who were, in some sense, his children. Joses, however, was probably just a softened form of the same name.