04-03-2017, 04:01 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-03-2017, 09:15 PM by gregglaser.)
Good question. The verb ܗܘܐ can represent past tense (i.e., Matthew 16:11; Matthew 18:33; Matthew 19:8; Matthew 24:21; Matthew 25:27), but in the grammar of Matthew 13:55 we see the subject of the verb ܗܘܐ in that sentence fragment is not Joseph, but rather is Yahshua, so the segment must be present tense [Glaser note: or past tense re Yahshua - see my next post below]. Indeed, we read the same grammar ܠܐ ܗܘܐ ܗܢܐ ("Is not this...") as present tense toward Yahshua in John 6:42 and Mark 6:3. And for additional examples with similar present tense grammar, see Matthew 7:21; Matthew 10:20; Matthew 12:30, Matthew 15:11.
If the subject were a deceased Joseph, then the sentence structure would be organized differently and the conjugation might have been ܕܗܘܐ ("who was") to make it clear. See grammatical examples in verses like Matthew 8:33; Matthew 12:40; Matthew 13:21; Matthew 26:56. Incidentally, another alternative is for the dalet to be placed with the adjective that precedes the verb ܗܘܐ, as in Luke 7:12. See also Ezekiel 44:25 for comparison.
You do raise a very interesting question about Joseph. And certainly the grammar of Matthew 13:55 does not require Joseph to be alive at the time of that statement. I actually consider it quite probable that Mary was a widow at the time of the crucifixion, given the unique suggestions of ‘adoption’ in John 19:26-27. For some reading on widows & adoption in early Judaism, see The Establishment of Maternity & Paternity in Jewish and American Law, by Michael J. Broyde; Women in Hebrew and Ancient Near Eastern Law, by Carol Pratt Bradley, Studia Antiqua, Vol. 3, No. 1, Winter 2003, p 37 (“Widows”). See also the widow’s right to maintenance - The Widow’s Rights in Jewish and Israeli Law, by M. Chigier, The Jewish Law Annual, Vol V.
If the subject were a deceased Joseph, then the sentence structure would be organized differently and the conjugation might have been ܕܗܘܐ ("who was") to make it clear. See grammatical examples in verses like Matthew 8:33; Matthew 12:40; Matthew 13:21; Matthew 26:56. Incidentally, another alternative is for the dalet to be placed with the adjective that precedes the verb ܗܘܐ, as in Luke 7:12. See also Ezekiel 44:25 for comparison.
You do raise a very interesting question about Joseph. And certainly the grammar of Matthew 13:55 does not require Joseph to be alive at the time of that statement. I actually consider it quite probable that Mary was a widow at the time of the crucifixion, given the unique suggestions of ‘adoption’ in John 19:26-27. For some reading on widows & adoption in early Judaism, see The Establishment of Maternity & Paternity in Jewish and American Law, by Michael J. Broyde; Women in Hebrew and Ancient Near Eastern Law, by Carol Pratt Bradley, Studia Antiqua, Vol. 3, No. 1, Winter 2003, p 37 (“Widows”). See also the widow’s right to maintenance - The Widow’s Rights in Jewish and Israeli Law, by M. Chigier, The Jewish Law Annual, Vol V.