Matthew 1:1-17
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
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1This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
3Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
4Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.
5Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
6and Jesse the father of David the king. Next: David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
7Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.
8Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.
9Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
10Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,
11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.
14Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.
15Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.
Berean Standard Bible
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Matthew introduces Jesus as the Christ, the son of David and the son of Abraham. Before telling us about His birth, he places Him within the history of God’s people. These names tell us who Jesus is and why His coming matters.
The list begins with Abraham and moves through Isaac, Jacob and Judah. It reaches David, whom Matthew calls the king, then continues through the royal family to the exile in Babylon. Even that disaster does not end the record. Another group of names carries the story forward to Joseph and Mary.
Matthew includes Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Uriah’s wife. He does not stop to tell their stories, but neither does he remove them from the family record. Kings stand in the same genealogy as people whose names might otherwise be overlooked. God’s faithfulness has endured through generations of both obedience and failure.
Near the end, the repeated pattern changes. Matthew identifies Joseph as Mary’s husband, then says that Jesus was born of Mary. He does not call Joseph Jesus’ biological father. The next reading will explain the child’s conception through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew arranges the record in three groups of fourteen: Abraham to David, David to the exile, and the exile to the Christ. We are being led through promise, kingship and loss to the arrival of Jesus. The genealogy’s hope is greater than a family surviving difficult times. The promised Christ has come into this history. God has not forgotten Abraham, abandoned His promise to David, or allowed exile to have the final word.
How We Know
God promises Abraham that all the families of the earth will be blessed through him. He later promises David an enduring house and kingdom. Matthew’s first verse names both men as ancestors of Jesus, then traces the line to the Christ. This places Jesus within those promises. The genealogy is deliberately arranged in three groups; its purpose is more than preserving an undifferentiated list of names.
Questions
1 Which two ancestors does Matthew name in his opening description of Jesus?
AnswerHe calls Jesus the son of David and the son of Abraham, placing the Christ within Israel’s history of God’s promises.
2 What events divide the genealogy’s three groups?
AnswerMatthew moves from Abraham to David, from David to the exile in Babylon, and from the exile to the Christ.
3 How does Matthew describe Joseph’s relationship to Mary and Jesus?
AnswerJoseph is Mary’s husband, and Jesus is born of Mary. Matthew does not describe Joseph as Jesus’ biological father.
4 What hope does the genealogy give when human failure seems to have ruined everything?
AnswerGod kept His promises through a history that included sin and exile. Our hope rests in the Christ He sent, rather than in a flawless family past.
What This Means for Us
We do not need an impressive family history to come to Jesus. Matthew names the promised Christ within a history of gifts, failures and painful loss. God’s faithfulness is the reason the story can carry hope.
Thank Him for someone who helped you know His Word. If your own family history makes that difficult, begin with gratitude that Christ welcomes people who need mercy. We can receive what is good, confess what is wrong, and trust Him with what we cannot repair.
Prayer
God of Abraham and David, thank you for keeping your promises through a real and complicated human history. Help our household remember its past truthfully, receive mercy humbly, and carry your faithfulness into the generations that come after us. Amen.