Why did Joseph want to divorce Mary after she became pregnant with Jesus?

Question

Matthew 1:19 says:

"Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly."

Why did he have it in his mind to divorce her? Did he think that she had been fooling around with another man?

Answer 1

Assuming the story is true....yes, she was getting some on the side. It's a hell of a cover story to not get caught cheating, but it's kept a crap load of people on their knees for 2 thousand years.

edit: Does this mean god raped mary? She wound up pregnant against her will.

Answer 2

First, one must understand jewish marriage. There are two phases to a jewish marriage, neither of which has a good english translation. The first, called kiddushin or erusin, and often translated as betrothal, is a binding marriage which requires a divorce to dissolve. This phase is the agreement to marry but the physical union has not yet taken place. The second phase, nisuin, is what most would consider marriage by today's non-jewish standards. In other words, the wife enter the husband's home, etc etc etc.

Joseph and Mary were certainly married, at least as far as kiddushin is concerned. That they were traveling together and living openly as a married couple would suggest that they had entered 'nisuin' even if they had never consummated the marriage physically for some reason. In either case, as NT claims Joseph never to have had relations with Mary, when Mary shows up pregnant, Joseph can only conclude that Mary committed adultery. Adultery is the prototypical reason for divorce....and Joseph sought to do it in a manner not embarassing to Mary.

Answer 3

Because she WAS pregnant at the time.

They make reference to a divorce because an engagement in those times was as good as being married. The next step was simply for the girl to leave her father's home and move into the home of the man. Even Joseph had a difficult time believing her story so an angel came to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take her as wife.

Answer 4

Joseph wanted to part ways with her because he thought she was with another man, however, an angel of God appeared to him in a dream saying that she was still a virgin and was going to give birth to the Christ Child.

Answer 5

In Jewish subculture then, to be betrothed exchange into severe committment and the comparable as being married. that they had no longer consummated their marriage until after the beginning of Jesus. until he found out Mary exchange into pregnant by potential of the Holy Spirit, he might have mentioned as off the marriage and gotten a divorce..Had Mary exchange into pregnant the conventional way and out of doors marriage, she could have been stoned. To his credit Joseph complied with the heavenly plan. additionally, you undergo in recommendations the Holy Spirit instructed him in a dream that the newborn exchange into conceived by potential of Holy Spirit.

Answer 6

Before the angel came to him, he had doubts. But he didn't want to do anything publicly because he was a good man, and knew what that would mean for her. After the Angel spoke to him, he believed. We all have doubts sometimes.

Answer 7

Mary and Joseph did not marry until after she was pregnant.

Answer 8

He knew that there was something up because she was supposed to be a virgin. They were in the betrothal period which meant that for all intents and purposes they were married except they had not had sex yet.

Answer 9

Yes. He didn't know the real reason behind Mary's pregnancy. However, once an angel appeared to him and explained the situation, he was ok with it.

Answer 10

Yes, until the angel came to him and told him about the truth.