Carl Conrad gave you good information here. Let me simply add that accoring
to Jewish law of the time, marriage took place in two actions. The first
was the signing of the GIT, marriage contract, between the fathers of bride
and groom. That made the woman legally the wife of the man. The second
stage was the ceremonial taking of the wife to her husband's home. In Matt
1:20 there is no need to insert an "as"; one ought to translate: "Don't be
afraid to take your wife Mary to [your] home."
In fact, the insertion of the "as" reflects lack of knowledge of Jewish
marital law.
Edgar Krentz, New Testament
emkrentz@mcs.com OR ***** NEW E-MAIL Address: ekrentz@lstc.edu
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
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