“የበኩር ልጅዋንም እስክትወልድ ድረስ አላወቃትም” (Matthew 1:25): EOTC’s Perspective Part III

This final part of the essay concludes the examination of the phrase “የበኩር ልጅዋንም እስክትወልድ ድረስ አላወቃትም” in (Matthew 1:25) from the perspective of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC). Parts I and II explored the terms "firstborn" (በኩር) and "till" (እስከ), revealing that “የበኩር ልጅ” emphasizes Christ’s distinct and eternal identity as the Son of God without origin or successor. The term "till" (እስከ) signifies an “endless till” (ፍጻሜ የሌለው እስከ). In this final part, we will focus on the interpretation of “Knew her not” (አላወቃትም) within this phrase.

The phrase “የበኩር ልጇን እስክትወልድ ድረስ ዮሴፍ ድንግል ማርያምን አላወቃትም” means that Joseph did not know who Mary truly was until the day she gave birth to the Lord. Only after the miraculous events surrounding the birth of Christ in Bethlehem—the singing of the angels and shepherds, the prostration (ስግደት) of the wise men from the East, and the heavenly star illuminating Bethlehem did Joseph come to recognize the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. Thus, the phrase "የበኩር ልጅዋንም እስክትወልድ ድረስ" underscores that Joseph did not fully grasp Mary’s divine motherhood until the birth of Christ.

The term “Knew her” (አወቀ) does not necessarily refer to an earthly marital relationship, and any interpretation suggesting otherwise leads to a severe error.

The Holy Bible provides clarification on this matter through the following passages. In Luke 24:30-31, it is written: “ከእነርሱም ጋር በማዕድ ተቀምጦ ሳለ እንጀራውን አንሥቶ ባረከው፥ ቈርሶም ሰጣቸው፤ ዓይናቸውም ተከፈተ፥ አወቁትም.” Here, “አወቁት” (knew him) signifies understanding and recognition, not a physical relationship. Those disciples only realized who Christ was after he blessed, broke the bread, and gave them.

In Genesis 4:17, it is written that “ቃየንም ሚስቱን አወቀ ጸነሰችም::” Here, the phrase “አወቀ” (knew) is directly linked to a physical marital act, clarified by the subsequent word “ጸነሰችም” (she conceived). This shows that when the Bible intends to describe marital relations, it includes specific terms like “conceived” “ጸነሰችም” or “bore” (ወለደችም ).” However, in Matthew 1:25, after stating “የበኩር ልጅዋንም እስክትወልድ ድረስ አላወቃትም,” no additional words like “ጸነሰችም” or “ወለደችም” are present. As demonstrated in the biblical verses above, without those specific additional words, the phrase “አወቀ or አወቃት” can never be interpreted as referring to a marital relationship. Importantly, there is no biblical evidence that suggests that the Holy Virgin bore anyone other than Christ the Lord.

In summary, the EOTC’s interpretation firmly upholds that “Knew her not” (አላወቃትም) means Joseph did not understood Mary’s divine role as the Theotokos, the Mother of God, until Christ’s birth. The term “አላወቃትም” does not refer to an earthly marital relationship but rather points to a profound recognition of Mary’s unique and sacred mission.

P.S. Please also refer to Genesis 4: 1 “አዳምም ሚስቱን ሔዋንን አወቀ፤ ፀነሰችም፥ ቃየንንም ወለደች”

Genesis 4: 25 “አዳም ደግሞ ሚስቱን አወቀ፤ ወንድ ልጅንም ወለደች። ስሙንም፦ ቃየን በገደለው በአቤል ፋንታ እግዚአብሔር ሌላ ዘር ተክቶልኛል ስትል ሴት አለችው።”