There Is History That Joseph Was a Widower with Four Children. Can You Prove That the Children Attributed to Mary Were Not Indeed Inherited?
1) Direct Answer
Yes. The “widower with four children” story is not Scripture. The Bible presents Jesus’ brothers and sisters as Mary’s own children born after the virgin birth.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Psalm 69:8 says of the Messiah, “I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.” John 2:17 and Romans 15:3 apply Psalm 69 directly to Jesus. Now notice, it says “my mother’s children,” not “my father’s children.” That fits the virgin birth and shows Mary had other children.
- Matthew 1:25 says Joseph “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son.” “Till” shows normal marital union followed the birth of Jesus, and “firstborn” points to more children afterward.
- Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3 name His brothers—James, Joses, Simon, Judas—and mention His sisters as present among them. The people said, “Is not this the son of Mary… and his brethren… and his sisters…?” That is natural, household language.
- John 2:12; Matthew 12:46; John 7:5 show “his mother and his brethren” moving and standing together as one family.
- Galatians 1:19 and 1 Corinthians 9:5 speak plainly of “the Lord’s brother.”
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- The Bible never says Joseph had previous children. That’s a later story, not the Word.
- The Messianic Psalm settles whose children they are—“my mother’s children.”
- “Till” and “firstborn” align with Mary and Joseph entering normal married life after Jesus’ birth.
- Jesus giving Mary to John at the cross doesn’t deny other sons; at that time His brothers did not believe (John 7:5). He entrusted her to a believing disciple present.
4) Reinforcing Statement
We don’t build doctrine on tradition. We stay with the Scripture: Jesus had brothers and sisters, Mary’s own children, born after His virgin birth.
Existing Follow-Up Answers
- Every "thing" God Ever "borrowed" Was Paid Back with Interest. Would It Not Be Inconsistent of God's Character to Borrow Mary's Womb and Not Repay?
1) Direct Answer No inconsistency at all. God did not "borrow" Mary's womb; God created a body by His Word and overshadowed a virgin. Then He hon
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Believest thou this?
50-0716 §26
Not long ago up in the mountains, I met a man, an old trapper. And he told me, he said... He was supposed to have a real education. He was a scientist, had been. And he come up there in the winter and went to trapping, and just liked it much better; so he stayed because it was peaceful. And he said to me; he said, "You believe that story about the virgin birth?" I said, "Every Word of it." Said, "You don't really believe that, Billy." And I said, "Yes, I do, every Word of it." He said, "Why, it's impossible." Said,...
From that time
61-0520 §69
...Why, Elisabeth! You haven't changed at all." "No? Well, thank you. Well, Mary, I guess you heard the news?" "Oh, yes. I heard the news. You're to be mother." "Oh, yes! Yes, that's right." She said, "You know, I'm to be mother too." "Oh, you and Joseph are married already?" "No, no. We're not married." "Oh, you've married someone else?" "No, I haven't married yet." "And you're to be mother?" "Yes." "How do you know?" "God said so." "What's it going be? How you going to have it?" "The Holy Ghost will overshadow me."...
Questions and Answers, Part 2
64-0823E §99
Looky. You say, "Brother Branham, is that...? You said you'd only answer that by the Bible." Did you want the Bible on it? Raise your hands if you want it. Now, we got about six or eight minutes. All right. "Joseph, her husband, being a just man (her espoused husband, already called her husband) ... Joseph, her husband, being a just man, was 'mindedly' to put her away privately on this wise; but before they came together, she was found with a child of the Holy Ghost. (See?) And the angel of the Lord appeared to him...
And when their eyes were opened, they knew Him
64-0416 §16
Now, it was unusual, when Joseph before the birth, when he found Mary---his lovely little sweetheart that he was engaged to to be married---he found her ... she was to be mother without being married. So, she no doubt had told him of the visit of Gabriel, the angel. And Joseph was a just man. He was a good man. And he was ... he wanted to believe her. I could imagine that he loved her with all his heart, seeing that young Hebrew maid, and looked into her eyes. And when she'd say, "Joseph, dear, the great angel Gabr...
Works is faith expressed
65-1126 §109
Now remember, four years later, my wife, we knew we was going to have a baby. Everybody said, "Is this Joseph coming?" I said, "I guess it is, I don't know; but I'm going to have Joseph." When it was born, it was Sarah. Then a man called me up, and laughed in my face. He said, "Say, you know what? You meant Josephine!" The man died. The man died. I said, "Sir, I said God told me I was going to have a son and I'd call his name Joseph." There was three people that left a certain denominational church and come to our...