 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
The Meaning of Gennao in Matthew 1:20
Matthew 1:20 reads, "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost" (King James Version). Of the 96 times the Greek word gennaö appears in the New Testament, this is the only place where it has been rendered "conceived." That should tell us something. "Conceived" is not the intended meaning of the original Greek.
According to A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich, gennaö means "to beget — literally to become the father of" as in Matthew 1:2-16 and Acts 7:8, 29. For a woman, to "bear" would be the rendering, though gennaö is used of a woman less frequently. Gennaö could also be use figuratively as of anything "brought forth," "produced," "generated" or "caused" (see 2 Timothy 2:23).
As the above definition states, gennaö can figuratively refer to something that is "brought forth," "produced," "caused" or "generated." In English, we might use "beget" figuratively by saying, "hatred begets violence." By that, we do not mean hatred literally gives birth to violence, but that hatred produces or causes it. Notice 2 Timothy 2:23, where Paul says, "stupid arguments...produce (gennaö) quarrels." In this instance, stupid arguments "produce" or "cause" or "beget" something — quarrels. Matthew 1:20 uses gennaö in a similar way.
Remember, Joseph was about to put away his wife for fornication, but he received a dream to assure him that the cause (gennaö in its figurative sense) of the pregnancy was not another man, but the Holy Spirit. Gennaö is the verb used by Matthew to indicate the cause of the pregnancy, not the pregnancy itself. In other words, "that which is in her [the conception] was begotten [produced] of the Holy Spirit" (Young's Literal Translation).
Fenton's translation says the conception was "produced by the Holy Spirit." Rotherham's translation says, "the source of the pregnancy being the Holy Spirit." William's translation renders the passage, "for it is through the influence of the Holy Spirit that she has become an expectant mother." You could substitute the word "produced" with "caused," "generated," "brought forth" or "begotten" and the meaning would still be the same. Gennaö refers here to the action of the Holy Spirit in producing or causing the conception. Gennaö does not mean "conception" in this verse any more than it means "quarrels" in 2 Timothy 2:23.
Contrary to what some have thought, Strong's dictionary does not say gennaö means conceived. Strong says the word gennaö means "to procreate (properly of the father, but by extension the mother); fig. to regenerate." That's where the definition ends. Strong goes on to cite the various ways the King James translators render gennaö. But a rendering is not a definition. Strong merely indicates the fact that the King James translators rendered gennaö in various ways. He lists "conceived" as a rendering only because of Matthew 1:20. Renderings are an attempt by translators to interpret one language into another, and this is as much an art as it is a science.
The goal of translators is not always perfect accuracy. Perfect accuracy is impossible when two languages are incompatible at certain points of meaning. At times, translators will even sacrifice a little accuracy for a clearer reading of the text. That is the approach most translations take on Matthew 1:20. It just reads better to say, "That which is in her was conceived" than it does to say "produced" or "begotten."
In the preface to his lexicon, Strong wrote: "The additions of the renderings in the common translation [KJV] will greatly contribute to fixing and...correcting their occasionally wrong translations." Strong intended his readers to match the definitions he gave with the various renderings so they could spot the occasional mistranslations. Instead, some have used the mistranslations to "correct" the definition! This carelessness has caused no end of confusion.
Gene Nouhan
1
Marginal references in many editions of the King James Version say the Greek word for conceived means "begotten." English dictionaries tell us that "beget" means to procreate, to sire, to bring a child into the world or become the father of. It is not used of a woman. It takes two to have (or get) a child, and the English word describing the man's contribution to the birth of his child is "beget." So while women give birth to children, men beget them.
Copyright 1993 Worldwide Church of God
To other articles on this subject