Knowing the Word in Matthew 1:1-17

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 The book of the genealogy [“biblos geneseos” in Greek, see Genesis 2:4 and 5:1] of Jesus Christ [the reference to Genesis suggests a new beginning, a new creation in Jesus], the son of David [as such he is the Messiah], the son of Abraham [a true Jew and the father of the Jews].

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers [to illustrate solidarity with twelve patriarchs of Israel], 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar [Gen 38:24-30; 1 Chronicles 2:4], and Perez the father of Hezron [Gen 46:12], and Hezron the father of Ram [1 Chr 2:9], 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab [1 Chr 2:10], and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon [1 Chr 2:11], 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab [Joshua 6:21-25], and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth [Ruth 4:18-22], and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David [1 Chr 2:12-15] the king. [The four women mentioned in this genealogy—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba—were probably all non-Jews. Their inclusion probably points to Matthew’s interest in the universal relevance of Jesus’ coming, as we will see in the Magi in chapter 2.]

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah [1 Chr 3:5], 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam [1 Kings 11:41-2:8; 14:21-24], and Rehoboam the father of Abijah [1 Ki 15:1-5], and Abijah the father of Asaph [1 Ki 15:9-15], 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat [1 Ki 22:41-44], and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram [2 Ki 8:16-19], and Joram the father of Uzziah [three kings are omitted in this verse, probably Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah], 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham [2 Ki 15:32-16:4], and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah [2 Ki 18:1-3], 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh [2 Ki 21:1-2], and Manasseh the father of Amos [2 Ki 21:19-23], and Amos the father of Josiah [2 Ki 22:1-2], 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah [2 Ki 23:34-37] and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon [2 Ki 25:27-30].

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel [1 Chronicles 3:16-20], 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob [Matthew only has 27 generations after David compared to 42 by Luke and Luke lists Eli as Joseph’s father, Jacob perhaps being an adoptive father?], 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. [Matthew does not say “Joseph the father of Jesus, making it clear Jesus is not his physical son.]

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. [This final verse demonstrates Matthew’s tendency to arrange his material in groups, usually of threes and sevens. Here he has three groups of double sevens. Since we know that people are left out and that two of the groups only represent thirteen generations, we can understand that Matthew’s point is theological rather than statistical. This grouping highlights the turning points in the history of Israel: the calling of Abraham as father of the Jews, the kingship of David, the deportation into Babylon, and the coming of the Messiah, the son of David.]