The Birth (genesis) of Jesus Christ, Part II

Matt 1:20
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
KJV

“For that which is conceived (gennao, a verb, 1080) in her is of [the] holy ghost.” First of all, there is no definite article “the” in the texts. When there is no article, there should be no capital letters. It should read: “for that which is to be born in her is of holy spirit.” “That which is conceived” is the single word gennao* (1080, from ginomai, 1096), meaning to procreate, regenerate, or engender. In the Bible, it is variously translated as “begat,” “should be born,”“were born,” “been born,” “shall bear,” “bear,” “brought forth,” “be born(again),” “was born (Moses),” “is delivered,” “which gendereth,” “is born (us who believe),” “free born (Paul),” “is begotten (us),” etc. In Matthew 1:20, it should have been translated as “that which is to be born,” instead of “conceived.” This distinction will become more succinct in the following verses.

Unfortunately there is not a Bible in print, that I know of, that makes the necessary distinction between The Giver (The Holy Spirit, who is God) and The Gift of (holy spirit). The presence or absence of the definite article “the” determines which one The Bible is talking about.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive (sullambano, 4815)8 in thy womb, and bring forth (tikto) a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called [the] son of the Highest: and [the] Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not (never had intercourse with) a man? And the angel answered, saying unto her, holy spirit shall come upon thee, and power (dunamis, 1411) of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also [that] holy thing which shall be born [of thee] shall be called [the] son of God. ( Lk 1:31–35, AT)

First, notice that this passage is in the future tense (some of which is still in the future), while the previous one from Matthew was in the past tense. Second, notice that the word translated as “conceive” is totally different than the word used in Matthew. Sullambano (to seize, take, conceive) is made up of two words: sun (4862) and lambano (2983). Lambano means to take or receive objectively. Sun denotes union; with or together by companionship or process. The same word is used in Luke 1:46:

“And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her,who was called barren.”

In Luke 1:35, the angel said, “holy spirit shall come upon thee.” “Come (1904)” and “upon (1909)” are the same words used in Acts 1:8a:

“But ye shall receive (lambano) power (dunamis, 1411), [after that] the holy spirit is come upon you.”

“Come (eperchomai)” means to supervene and to arrive, and “upon (epi)” is a superimposition, as a relation of distribution, rest, or direction. In this verse from Acts, Jesus is instructing his disciples as to what they should expect on the day of Pentecost. The gift from the Holy Spirit came upon them just as it came upon Mary, accompanied by the power needed to be “witnesses unto the uttermost part of the earth.” In these two passages, the word “power (dunamis)” denotes the inherent, miraculous, power of God, which shall “overshadow (episkiazo, 1982)” or cast shade upon. Every usage of the word dunamis in the Bible is in relation to the power of God, whether in a cloud casting a shadow or the shadow of Peter cast over people who desired healing.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, [which] said (saying), This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.                ( Mt 17:5)

Jesus was born, came into existence, just like you and I were, with the exception of how he was conceived! God’s spirit, of or from God, took care of the conception with the accompaniment of His inherent, miraculous power! The same power that raised Christ and Lazarus from the dead. Jesus did not pre-exist his birth. God did not take on the form of a man and come down from His throne and decide to become a baby and leave Mike & Gabe in charge of the heavenly hosts for 31 years! He did not die for 72 hours then somehow wake Himself up and raise Himself up from the dead. Too many people in the Christian world are far too entrenched in Greek Mythology and Mysticism. There are no Scriptures as absolutely clear as these that show the coming into existence of my Lord, Jesus Christ.

* gennao (1080), is used 97 times in the NT and this is the only time it is translated as conceive.

8 NT:4815 sullambano (sool-lam-ban’-o); from NT:4862 and NT:2983; to clasp, i.e. seize (arrest, capture); specifically, to conceive (literally or figuratively); by implication, to aid: KJV – catch, conceive, help, take. Strong’s