Was Joseph really 90 yrs old when he married underage mother Mary?

Question

I read this in another answer on YA, can't find it presently but I had never considered Joseph being so old before, it is kinda yucky.

Answer 1

Pedophilia was the norm then. But here is what I found...

"When forty years of age, Joseph married a woman called Melcha or Escha by some, Salome by others; they lived forty-nine years together and had six children, two daughters and four sons, the youngest of whom was James (the Less, "the Lord's brother"). A year after his wife's death, as the priests announced through Judea that they wished to find in the tribe of Juda a respectable man to espouse Mary, then twelve to fourteen years of age. Joseph, who was at the time ninety years old, went up to Jerusalem among the candidates; a miracle manifested the choice God had made of Joseph, and two years later the Annunciation took place."

Answer 2

Trying to set Joseph's age at 90 flys in the face of all reason. to many scriptures indicated they were both young.
Such as his being born in a manger? Where was his older brothers? Didn't they travel in family groups?
If they were already born why were they not in the stable with them?
By the time Jesus was 12 Joseph would be 102 traveling back and forth for days walking? When it says in the bible even then what a man's life span is.
70 or 80 years and they did not treat old people that way.

Joseph took his whole family with him when they traveled. Unless he had a big family how would he not notice his only child missing? Unless she was tending to much younger children than him?
(Luke 2:41-44) 41 Now his parents were accustomed to go from year to year to Jerusalem for the festival of the passover. 42 And when he became twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival 43 and completed the days. But when they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, and his parents did not notice it. 44 Assuming that he was in the company traveling together, they covered a day’s distance and then began to hunt him up among the relatives and acquaintances.


Psalms 90:10 Many years before Joseph it was said a man's days were 70 or 80. After this time they were not required to travel to Jersaleum.
Certainly not at 102 years of age. Nor did they teach their son a trade.
10 In themselves the days of our years are seventy years;
And if because of special mightiness they are eighty years,
Yet their insistence is on trouble and hurtful things;
For it must quickly pass by, and away we fly.

(Matthew 13:55) Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
The oldest is always mentioned first so why was Jesus mentioned first if he was not the oldest? This indicates that Joseph was still working.

If he was an older man he would not be poor, so why did he take a pair of turtledoves? Unless he had other children and mouths to feed?
Luke 2:24) and to offer sacrifice according to what is said in the law of Jehovah: “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

(Leviticus 12:8) But if she cannot afford enough for a sheep, she must then take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest must make atonement for her, and she must be clean.’”
The accounts are sketchy but using reason and logic, no one at this age could have traveled as he did down into egypt and back to Nazareth. Then finding a job.
NO one would hire some man now over or close to 100 years of age.

Answer 3

Joseph actually was 30 and Mary was only 14.

Answer 4

Very few men lived to be 90 in those days; and although it's not impossible, a 90 year old Joseph would have been very inactive and won't be able to travel to Bethlehem or to scamper to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod.

PS....
Folks in the early era of the old Testament lived hundreds of years but in New Testament times, very few folks lived over 70.

Answer 5

I have never found any concrete proof of the age of Joseph but I would presume he was around 40-50yrs old myself,I think 90yrs is too excessive when you consider the Flight into Egypt for example and the many other journey`s of the holy family.

Answer 6

I don't think Joseph was that old. I mean, he was a carpenter, come on.

As for Mary being "underage" -- when a person hit puberty back then, they were considered to be adults. She was not underage.

Answer 7

Joseph Smith was about 35 when he married a few 14-17 year old girls polygamously, but I don't think any of them were named Mary.

Answer 8

No they were both very young. The Isrealites waited until the girl was way into puberty before promiseing her in marriage.
The men were tipically 20 years of age. In fact I think I read that somewhere that he was 20. She was probably about 17.

Answer 9

I dont agree with Fatima. Do you know how many hundred years old was Moses when he left Egypt?

Answer 10

Muhammad(observed) grow to be no longer a pedophile! Neither grow to be Jospeh. It grow to be the custom returned in those days for men to marry women persons as youthful as Aisha or maybe youthful. women persons in Islam are adults as quickly as they get their era because of the fact their bodies are waiting to undergo infants and supply start. If God did no longer intend for women persons to undergo infants and supply start as quickly as they grew to grow to be childrens then he does no longer enable them to flow thorugh puberty at 8-11 years previous. no person is familiar with extra advantageous then God what's proper for us. We shouldn't merchandise to what God has made lawful because of the fact God sent regulations down for us(which contain ladies being adults as quickly as they get their first era) because of the fact this is solid for society and ladies getting married youthful as childrens cuts down on fornication and fitnah between the sexes. purely 40 years in the past in the country it grow to be criminal and lawful for men of their 40s and older to marry ladies as youthful as 11!