The following analysis investigates the grammatical and rhetorical function of the perfect tense verb γέγονεν in Matthew’s fulfillment formulas, with a particular focus on Matthew 1:22. The central exegetical issue revolves around the precise temporal and aspectual force of the perfect in this context, especially concerning its reference to events in the narrator’s past, and the identification of the speaker of this parenthetical comment. This study will employ textual critical considerations, lexical data from standard Greek lexica, and a close examination of the grammatical and rhetorical implications for translation.
τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος·
(Nestle 1904, Matthew 1:22)
Key differences with SBLGNT (2010):
- No significant differences in wording or major textual variants are found for Matthew 1:22 between the Nestle 1904 edition and the SBLGNT (2010). The text is highly stable in this verse.
Textual Criticism (NA28) and Lexical Notes (KITTEL, BDAG)
The text of Matthew 1:22 is exceptionally stable across major textual traditions, with no significant variants affecting the verb γέγονεν or the overall fulfillment formula. The phrase is consistently attested in all critical editions (e.g., NA28, UBS5). This stability underscores its integral role in the Matthean narrative.
Lexical Notes:
- γίνομαι (perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular: γέγονεν): BDAG defines the perfect of γίνομαι in various ways, including “to come into being, happen, occur” (BDAG, s.v. γίνομαι, 1.c.β). Crucially, the perfect tense in Koine Greek, while often retaining its classical sense of a completed action with ongoing results, can in some contexts refer to a past event whose *result* is presently emphasized, or simply signify that something *has happened* (Porter, *Verbal Aspect in the Greek New Testament*, 1993). In narrative contexts, it typically functions to *comment* on a situation rather than advance the narrative action directly. The phrase ὃ γέγονεν in John 1:3 (“that which has come into being” or “that which exists”) exemplifies the perfect’s capacity to refer to a present reality resulting from a past act of creation, aligning with a “resultative” emphasis.
- πληρόω (aorist passive subjunctive, 3rd person singular: πληρωθῇ): “to fill, fulfill, complete.” In the context of prophecy, it consistently means “to bring to completion, to fulfill” (BDAG, s.v. πληρόω, 2.a). The passive voice indicates that the fulfillment is an action initiated by an external agent, i.e., God. Kittel (TDNT, s.v. πληρόω) emphasizes its theological significance in the Septuagint and New Testament as the divine actualization of prophetic utterances.
- ῥηθέν (aorist passive participle of λέγω): “that which was spoken.” This participle indicates a completed act of speaking in the past, underscoring the divine origin of the prophecy.
- διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος: “through the prophet saying.” This construction further clarifies the means by which the divine word was conveyed.
Translation Variants and Grammatical & Rhetorical Analysis
The perfect tense γέγονεν in Matthew 1:22 presents a nuanced challenge for translation. Classically, the perfect denotes a completed action with continuing results, distinguishing it from the simple past (aorist) which merely states an action occurred. The discussion identifies a key tension: whether γέγονεν refers to events in the narrator’s “remote past” and, if so, how a non-narrative tense functions in a narrative context.
Grammatically, the perfect γέγονεν here does not advance the narrative sequence. Instead, it functions as a *commentative* or *parenthetical* statement by the evangelist. The events leading up to this statement (Joseph’s decision, the angel’s appearance, the virginal conception) are indeed in the narrator’s “remote past.” The perfect tense, by emphasizing the *result* or *present state* derived from these past events, underscores their theological significance: these events *have indeed transpired* and *stand as the fulfillment* of prophecy.
Rhetorically, the fulfillment formula (τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῇ…) is a distinctive Matthean motif. Its consistent use throughout the gospel (e.g., Matthew 21:4, 26:56) strongly suggests that it is the voice of the evangelist, not that of an character (such as the angel in Matthew 1:20-21). The phrase serves to guide the reader’s interpretation, explicitly linking the narrative events to God’s overarching redemptive plan as foretold in the Old Testament Scriptures.
The contrast between Matthew’s use of γέγονεν and Mark’s use of aorist forms in similar fulfillment contexts (e.g., Mark 14:49, ἵνα πληρωθῶσιν αἱ γραφαί) highlights Matthew’s specific theological emphasis. While Mark simply states that the Scriptures *were fulfilled*, Matthew’s perfect tense γέγονεν implies a more profound, divinely orchestrated *state of affairs* that *has come into being* and *remains in effect* as an intentional fulfillment. The comparison with John 1:3, ὃ γέγονεν, is instructive, as it also uses the perfect to refer to a lasting reality that has come into existence, further supporting the resultative emphasis of γέγονεν.
Conclusions and Translation Suggestions
The perfect tense γέγονεν in Matthew 1:22 is a crucial element of the evangelist’s fulfillment formula. It signals a comment by the narrator, serving to interpret the preceding narrative events. While the events themselves occurred in the “remote past” relative to the narrator, the perfect tense emphasizes not merely their occurrence, but their *present reality* and *divinely ordained status* as fulfillment. The action of “coming to pass” is complete, but its theological result—the fulfillment of prophecy—is ongoing and foundational to the narrative. Therefore, translations should strive to capture both the past event and its present, resultative significance.
Translation Suggestions:
- “Now all this has happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled.”
This translation emphasizes the completed nature of the event while retaining the perfect’s implication of an ongoing result. - “Now all this has taken place in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled.”
This rendering uses a slightly more idiomatic phrase (“has taken place”) to convey the same sense of a completed event with present theological ramifications. - “Indeed, these entire events have come to pass to bring to completion the word spoken by the Lord through the prophet.”
This translation focuses on the collective nature of “all this” (ὅλον τοῦτο) and emphasizes the divine purpose and efficacy of the fulfillment.