[B-Greek] Mt 1:18 hEUREQH EN GASTRI ECOUSA
L. Harris
ljoharris at ckt.net
Wed Feb 1 22:28:59 EST 2006
The whole discussion on the blog could have been settled if anyone had taken
the time to find out a little about Jewish law regarding betrothal.
According to Jewish custom, the betrothal was one year. The main purpose of
this was to make sure the bride was not pregnant and thus one way to prove
her purity.
Therefore when it says "she was found with" child, it literally means she
was "found" with child.
This dose not imply that it became evident, like she just finally started
showing and couldn't hide it any longer. Nor dose it refer to her finding
out herself.
Mary knew she was or was going to be pregnant from the moment she said "Be
it unto me according to thy word."
If you remember she went straight away and made a visit to her cousin
Elizebeth, who was already pregnant with John the Baptist.
The word from HEUREMA literally means to find or discover. Sophicles used it
to refer to a child the same way we call a child a "foundling", a child
who's been found and who's parents are unknown.
When it states "she was found to be with child" it refers to that point in
time durring the betrothal when she would literally have been examimed for
that exact thing.
Linda Harris
k
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