How did Joseph know baby Jesus was in danger?

Answer 1

Joseph was a good man and he did not want to cause Mary any embarrasment so he had planed to call off the marriage quietly. But an angel of the Lord came to him and told him to stay with Mary, which he did. From the book of Matthew, chapter 1, starting with verse 19 in the King James Version it says; 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
In Jewish law, an engagement was binding. If either was discovered to have been unfathful even though they were not yet married, it was law to terminate the engagement. Joseph assumed Mary had been, since she was pregnant, but was not going to publicly disgrace her.

Answer 2

In Jesus' day, an 'engagement' was the same as a marriage, commitment-wise. If a couple was engaged to be married, they were officially committed to each other as husband and wife, and breaking the engagement was called a 'divorce'. The only thing they couldn't do while engaged,was have sexual relations, until after the actual marriage ceremony. So when Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, knowing that HE was not the father, he had the 'normal' reaction that anyone would have. He considered 'divorcing' her, but because he was a loving and kind man, he was going to do it secretly, so Mary would not suffer the shame that would follow. (Matthew 1:18-25)

Answer 3

No. Mary and Joseph were engaged before it was revealed to Mary that God had chosen her to bear His Son.

Matthew 1:18 - Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:26-28, 31 - Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" (31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. [NKJV]

Answer 4

A:

In Luke's Gospel, there was clearl neverany danger to Jesus. Shortly after Jesus was born, the young family travelled to Jerusalem, where any danger would have been at its greatest, openly presented Jesus at the Temple, then travelled peacefully back to their home in Nazareth.

It is in Matthew's Gospel that Jesus was in danger. In this Gospel, Bethlehem was the home town of Joseph, but Jesus was certainly less than two years old when danger arose. Joseph was warned in a dream of the impending danger, so fled with Mary and Jesus to the safety of Egypt. Some years later, after the death of King Herod, he began the return journey to their home in Bethlehem, but was again warned of further danger in a dream, so turned aside and travelled to Galilee, where they settled in a city called Nazareth.

Answer 5

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod's plan to kill all young male children. This warning alerted Joseph to the danger facing baby Jesus.