Real Bible Translation - Matthew 1:19

And He Adds, the Male of Herself, he who is a just one and not one who desires to make a public show of herself,⁴ he purposed to secretly set free herself.^4b

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And Joseph her husband being just, and not willing to expose her to disgrace, wished to let her go in secret.

LITV Translation:
But her husband to be Joseph being just, and not willing to make her a public example, he purposed to put her away secretly.

ESV Translation:
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

Footnotes

Greek ὤν, καὶ μὴ θέλων αὐτὴν. he who is and not he who desires. A "just one" (δίκαιος) is an adjective in the nominative and "he who is" (θέλων) is a masculine participle verb. μὴ θέλων "not he who desires" is also a negated masculine participle verb. Participle verbs are not inconsequential.

Will vs. Desire

βούλομαι (boulomai) to will:
- This verb often conveys a more deliberate or intentional desire. It can imply a desire that is reasoned or planned.
- "βούλομαι" is frequently used in contexts involving decision-making, choice, or intentionality.
- It can also convey a wish or desire that is considered more seriously or with greater consideration.
- Example: "Βούλεσαι τοῦτο ποιήσαι;" (Boulesai touto poiēsai?) - "Do you wish/intend to do this?"
θέλω (thélo) to desire:
- "θέλω" generally denotes a more immediate or spontaneous desire. It often implies a want or wish that arises more from impulse or inclination.
- This verb is used in a wide range of contexts and can express desires ranging from simple preferences to strong wishes.
- "As respects the distinction between βούλομαι and θέλω, the former seems to designate the will which follows deliberation, the latter the will which proceeds from inclination. This appears not only from Matthew 1:19, but also from the fact that the Sept. express the idea of pleasure, delight, by the verb θέλειν" - Thayers Greek Lexicon (Thayer, Joseph Henry. "STRONGS NT 2309: θέλω." Thayer's Greek Lexicon.)

not he who desires to make a show of herself. The following infinitive "to make a show of, example of" is a compound word not found in Greek writings, and therefore a special NT word derived from the noun "δεῖγμα" (deígma), meaning "example" or "demonstration," and the verb δεικνύω (deiknúo), meaning "to show" or "to demonstrate." So, δειγματίσαι refers to the act of demonstrating or proving a thing/person publically.

αὐτός The True Self

The pronoun αὐτός, used "inordinately" throughout the New Testament, is a word that fundamentally denotes one’s true self, often distinguishing the soul from the body (Od. 11.602) or, conversely, the body from the soul (Il. 1.4). It functions reflexively as “self” and, in oblique cases, as a personal pronoun (“him, her, it”).

It emphasizes individual identity in contrast to others, such as a king vs. his subjects (Il. 6.18), Zeus vs. the other gods (Il. 8.4), or a warrior vs. his weapons (Il. 1.47).

With the article (ὁ αὐτός, ἡ αὐτή, τὸ αὐτό), it signifies "the same" or "the very one."

In prose, αὐτός can appear without the article for proper names (αὐτὸς Μένων, X. An. 2.1.5) and is used impersonally in phrases like αὐτὸ δείξει ("the result will show," Cratin. 177). It also expresses volition (“of one’s own accord,” Il. 17.254) or personal presence (“in person,” D. 1.2).

The most frequent noun word used in the NT is not "God" (θεός), found 1,317 times, but rather αὐτός the self, found over 5,600 times. The only words more frequent are "and" (9,000 times) and "the" (20,000 times).

Greek word frequency chart