Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 1:21

"And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins." — Matthew 1:21 (ASV)

It was no doubt divine grace that solicited Mary’s cooperation before the conception and Joseph’s cooperation only after it. Here Joseph is drawn into the mystery of the Incarnation. In patriarchal times either a mother (Genesis 4:25) or a father (Genesis 4:26; Genesis 5:3) could name a child. According to Lk 1:31, Mary was told Jesus’ name; but Joseph was told both name and reason for it.

“Jesus” (GK 2652) is the Greek form of “Joshua,” which means either “The LORD is salvation,” or “The LORD saves.” Mary’s Son is the one who brings the Lord’s promised eschatological salvation. Two Joshuas in the OT are used in the NT as types of Christ: Joshua, successor to Moses and the one who led the people into the Promised Land (cf. Hebrews 3–4), and Joshua the high priest, contemporary of Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2; Ezra 3:2–9), “the Branch” who builds the temple of the Lord . But instead of referring to either of these, the angel explains the significance of the name by referring to Ps 130:8: “He [the LORD] himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.” There was much Jewish expectation of a Messiah who would redeem Israel from Roman tyranny and even purify his people. But no one expected that the Davidic Messiah would give his own life as a ransom (20:28) to save his people from their sins. The verb “save” (GK 5392) can refer to deliverance from physical danger (8:25), disease (9:21–22), or even death (24:22); but it focuses here on what is central, namely, salvation from sins. This verse therefore orients the reader to the fundamental purpose of Jesus’ coming and the essential nature of the reign he inaugurates as King Messiah, heir of David’s throne.

To Joseph “his people” (GK 3295) would be primarily the Jews, but Matthew has a broader view. He soon writes that both John the Baptist (3:9) and

Jesus (8:11) picture Gentiles joining with the godly remnant to become disciples

of the Messiah and members of “his people,” i.e., “Messiah’s people.” 22 It is quite possible that the angel’s comments continue through v.23 (cf. 26:56). After all, if Satan can cite Scripture (4:6–7), certainly it is not strange if a good angel does. Joseph needs to know at this stage that “all this took place to fulfill” Scripture. The last clause is phrased with exquisite care, literally, “the word spoken by the Lord through the prophet.” The prepositions make a distinction between the mediate and the intermediate agent (see 2 Peter 1:21).

Regarding the idea of prophecy and fulfillment, Matthew finds in the OT not only isolated predictions regarding the Messiah but also OT history and people as paradigms that, to those with eyes to see, point forward to the Messiah .