Monday, August 1, 2016

BDAG on συνέρχομαι in Matthew 1:18

I have written on the perpetual virginity of Mary, including Matthew 1:18, 25 and the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, where I show that lexicons define the verb "to come together" (συνέρχομαι) in Matt 1:18 is used as a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Further evidence for this can be seen in BDAG (emphasis added):


7073  συνρχομαι
συνρχομαι (since Il. 10, 224 [in tmesis]; ins, pap, LXX, pseudepigr., Philo, Joseph., Just.; Ath., R. 23, p. 77, 8) impf. συνηρχμην; fut. συνελεσομαι; 2 aor. συνλθον (συνλθα B-D-F §81, 3; W-S. §13, 13; Mlt-H. 208); pf. ptc. συνεληλυθς; plpf. 3 pl. συνεληλθεισαν, ptc. fem. pl. συνεληλυθεαι.

1. to come together w. others as a group, assemble, gather συνρχεται χλος Mk 3:20. συνρχονται πντες ο ρχιερες 14:53.Ac 1:6 (s. B-D-F §251; Rob. 695); 2:6, 37 D; 5:16; 10:27; 16:13; 19:32; 21:22 v.l.; 22:30; 28:17; 1 Cor 14:26. W. the addition of ες w. acc. of place (Pla., Leg. 6, 13, 767c; Diod. S. 13, 100, 7 συνλθον ες φεσον; Zech 8:21) Ac 5:16 v.l.; ν w. dat. of place (POxy 1187, 6) ν κκλησίᾳ 1 Cor 11:18; ατο Mk 6:33 v.l.; που J 18:20; π τ ατ (s. ατς 3b; σ. π τ ατ Josh 9:2; Syntipas p. 75, 16) 1 Cor 11:20; 14:23; B 4:10. Foll. by a dat. come together with someone, assemble at someone’s house (PTebt 34, 4 [I BC] συνελθεν ρ; Jos., Bell. 2, 411) Mk 14:53 v.l.; D 14:2. πρς τινα come together to (meet) someone (Ex 32:26) Mk 6:33 v.l. Foll. by an inf. of purpose Lk 5:15; by ες denoting purpose 1 Cor 11:33; IEph 13:1. ες can also introduce a result that was not intended οκ ες τ κρεσσον λλ ες τ σσον συνρχεσθε you hold your meetings in such a way that they turn out not to your advantage, but to your disadvantage 1 Cor 11:17. ες κρμα vs. 34 (on the solemnity of a celebration cp. the schol. on Aristoph., Pax 967f: to the question ‘τς τδε;’ [=``who is here?"] the group answers ‘πολλο κγαθο. τοτο δ ποουν ο σπνδοντες, να ο συνειδτες τι αυτος τοπον κχωροεν τ. σπονδν=``many good men." Now, those who pour the libations were accustomed to do this [ask the question], so that those who were aware of anything inappropriate about themselves might absent themselves from the libation). W. indication of the nature and manner of the meeting συνρχεσθε ν μι πστει IEph 20:2.

2. to come/go with one or more pers., travel together with someone (BGU 380, 13; 596, 4 [84 AD]) τιν (EpArist 35; Jos., Ant. 9, 33) τος συνελθντας ατ ουδαους J 11:33. σαν συνεληλυθυαι κ τς Γαλιλαας ατ Lk 23:55. Cp. Ac 1:21; 9:39; 10:23, 45; 11:12. σ. τινι ες τ ργον 15:38. σν τινι instead of the dat. alone 21:16. συνελθντων νθδε prob. means (because of συνκαταβντες 25:5) they came back here with (me) 25:17.

3. to unite in an intimate relationship, come together in a sexual context (X., Mem. 2, 2, 4; Diod. S. 3, 58, 4; Ps.-Apollod. 1, 3, 3; Philo, Virt. 40; 111; Jos., Ant. 7, 168; 213) π τ ατ σ. 1 Cor 7:5 v.l. In πρν συνελθεν ατος Mt 1:18 domestic and marital relations are combined. (In marriage contracts in pap πρς γμον τιν συνελθεν means ‘marry’. Also without πρς γμον: BGU 970, 13 [II AD] συνηρχμην τ προγεγραμμν μου νδρ).—M-M. TW.


As is often the case, the Roman Catholic apologist faces an uphill battle against sound exegesis and biblical scholarship to support her man-made dogmas.

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