According to the New Testament and first‑century Jewish custom, Mary and Joseph were legally bound to each other (betrothed, which counted as a real marriage), but they had not yet begun normal married life or had sexual relations when Jesus was born.

Betrothal and legal marriage

  • The Gospels say Mary was “pledged to be married” or “betrothed” to Joseph when she became pregnant with Jesus, using a term for a formal, binding arrangement stronger than modern engagement.
  • In Matthew, Joseph is already called Mary’s “husband,” and he considers “divorcing” her quietly, which only makes sense if the betrothal itself was a legally recognized marriage in Jewish law.

Living together and consummation

  • Matthew also says Joseph later “took Mary home as his wife,” but he did not “consummate their marriage” until after Jesus’ birth, showing that sexual relations and full married life began only afterward.
  • Many scholars and Christian interpreters therefore describe their status at Jesus’ birth as legally married (through betrothal and Joseph accepting her as his wife) but not yet consummated, which safeguards the claim of the virgin birth.

How different Christians describe it

  • Some traditions emphasize that they were “engaged” or “betrothed” to stress Mary’s virginity and the miraculous nature of Jesus’ conception.
  • Others simply say they were already “married” in the eyes of the law and of their community, noting that betrothal in that culture carried the same legal weight as marriage even before the couple lived together.

Simple takeaway

  • In modern terms, they were more than just engaged but not yet a fully cohabiting, consummated couple when Jesus was born.
  • So the most accurate short answer is: yes , they were legally married by betrothal, but their marriage had not been physically consummated at the time of Jesus’ birth.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.