One of the charges of contradiction brought by skeptics against the bible is the surface appearance of contradiction between matthews genealogical list 1. The list begins prestigiously enough with abraham, isaac and jacob. The book of the genealogy of jesus christ the son of david, the son of abraham. Matthew 1 dlnt the book of the genealogy of jesus bible. As do all four gospel accounts, matthew focuses on christs threeyear ministry and his death and resurrection.
Matthew places only nine links between zorobabel and st. The book of the genealogy the genealogy proceeds to establish jesus s identitytraced back to david, the descendent of judah, the descendent of abraham, whom we know from the old testament. Nov 28, 2012 matthew borrows these words from genealogies in genesis, especially the genealogy of adam, for which the book of genesis was named not only in english but also in greek. Matthews account traces the lineage from abraham to jesus 41 generations, while luke records the ancestry from adam to jesus 76 generations matthews genealogy is condensed and divided into three groups of 14, representing a movement through three time periods. The main point of these 17 verses is that the promised king is on the scene. At luke chapter 3 is a genealogy back to adam, son of god. English standard version the book of the genealogy of jesus. The opening verses of the gospel of matthew trace the ancestry of jesus back to the patriarch abraham. The symbol for the gospel of matthew is a winged man. So matthews genealogy highlights that while jesus is not the physical son of. In the first chapter of matthew we find the genealogy of jesus running from abraham forward. Free reading plans and devotionals related to matthew 1. Luke enumerates eighteen generations for the same period, a number which harmonizes better with the ordinary course of events. The lists are identical between abraham and david, but differ radically from that point.
The old testament predicted that the messiah would come from the line of david. Their inclusion has been a source of continuous debate. How to read jesus genealogy in the gospel of matthew. Matthew s gospel is, at best, an absurd concatenation of sounds. Matthew s account traces the lineage from abraham to jesus 41 generations, while luke records the ancestry from adam to jesus 76 generations matthew s genealogy is condensed and divided into three groups of 14, representing a movement through three time periods. To begin with, the first two greek words of the new testament, biblos geneseos the book of the genealogy. Jan 02, 2020 matthew traces the genealogy from jesus to abraham. Part of his genealogy appears at 1 chronicles chapters 1 to 3, running from adam through solomon and zerubbabel. In fact, matthew wants to highlight this 14david idea so much that hes intentionally left out multiple generations of the line of. And it opens with the line, the genealogy of jesus, the. Matthew probably wrote his gospel in the 50s or 60s a. The new testament provides two accounts of the genealogy of jesus, one in the gospel of matthew and another in the gospel of luke. The book of matthew opens with the genealogy of the king. The new testament provides two accounts of the genealogy of jesus, one in the gospel of matthew matthew 1.
Matthew 1 niv the genealogy of jesus the messiah bible gateway. Jesus is clearly presented as the fulfillment of all that the prophets of old were longing for. New international version this is the genealogy a of jesus the messiahb the son of david, the son of abraham. Join our sunday visitor in a series of 12 in focuses dedicated to exploring some central themes and texts in the gospel of matthew. From the statement in the ancient greek text, it is difficult to tell what the book of the genealogy refers to.
The book of the generation of jesus christ, the son of david, the son of abraham. Jun, 2017 to a jewish audience, including these women created questions, and this genealogy begins the book of matthew by telling a story of gods redemption. In fact, matthew wants to highlight this 14david idea so much that hes intentionally left out multiple generations of the line of david three, to be exact to make the numbers work. To modern man the genealogy of jesus as found in the first sixteen verses of st.
Matthews introductory title, book of generations has been interpreted in various ways, but most likely is simply a title for the genealogy that follows, echoing the septuagint use of the same phrase for genealogies. During this liturgical year, the church reads primarily from the gospel of matthew. One of the ways each book does this is by recounting jesus genealogy. Additionally, matthew divides the genealogy into three groups of fourteen generations, separated by important historic points matthew 1. Why are jesus genealogies in matthew and luke zondervan. For example, matthew gives josephs father as jacob matthew 1. Joseph for a period covering some 530 years, so that each generation must have lasted more than 50 years.
Dec 03, 2015 four features of matthews listing of jesuss family tree deserve comment. Abraham was the father of isaac, isaac the father of jacob, jacob the father of judah and his brothers, judah the father of perez and zerah, whose mother was tamar, perez the father of hezron, hezron the father of ram, ram the father of amminadab, amminadab the father of. Tamar, rahab, ruth, and bathsheba matthew calls her the wife of uriah. Dec 06, 2019 during this liturgical year, the church reads primarily from the gospel of matthew. Irenaeus famously associated symbols from ezekiel 1. Matthews genealogy traces the ancestors of joseph, the legal father of jesus. During advent pastor did a series of sermons on matthew 1. Lukes genealogy highlights that jesus through his mother, mary, is the natural heir of david. Both matthew and luke provide genealogies of jesus that confirm he was a descendent of davidtherefore, a legitimate messiah.
However, there is good reason to believe that matthew and luke are in fact tracing entirely different genealogies. Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy of jesuss ancestors extending from abraham to jesuss father joseph mathew 1. Matthews account traces the line of descent from abraham to jesus, while lukes account. But whats really fascinating is that we see five specific women called out in this passage of scripture. This is the record of the genealogy of jesus christ, the son of david, the son of abraham. Matthew has designed the genealogy, so it links jesus to david explicitly, and also in the very literary design of the list. The genealogy of jesus the messiah this is the genealogy of jesus the messiah the son of david, the son of abraham. In the day that god created man, in the likeness of god made he him. It simply says that joseph was the husband of mary, of whom jesus was born. Tamar, rahab, ruth and bathsheba who is the one to whom the pronoun her in verse six refers. This is a record of the ancestors of jesus the messiah, a descendant of david and of abraham. The first article of meeting christ in matthew addresses the genealogy of jesus. So, matthew begins his account of the life of jesus christ. What is the significance of 14 generations in matthews.
Why are jesus genealogies in matthew and luke different. Somewhat unusually, however, the list includes four women from the hebrew bible. Matthew borrows these words from genealogies in genesis, especially the genealogy of adam, for which the book of genesis was named not only in english but also in greek. Is there an error in the counting of the 14 generations in. Matthew was writing only for jews, and they, by reason of their old testament prophecies, looked for the messiah to be born of a certain family, he begins his gospel with a pedigree of jesus. In the list of ancestors, matthew includes four women. So matthews genealogy highlights that while jesus is not the physical son of joseph, he is his adoptive son and therefore a legal heir of david. Matthew turns immediately to a genealogy, placing the jesus story into the story of israel, with a special emphasis on david. In the book of matthew, the author gives us the list of jesus ancestors in the first chapter. The genealogy tells of jesus descent from abraham and. The genealogy, of course, is a wellknown old testament genre that is frequently used to demonstrate the historical unfolding of gods redemptive activities among his people.
Patrick schreiner explains why matthew starts his gospel with a genealogy from abraham to jesus, how it summarizes the bibles story, and. Contextual overview 1 the book of the genealogy of jesus christ, the son of david, the son of abraham. Abraham was the father of isaac, isaac the father of jacob, jacob the father of judah and his brothers, judah the father of perez and zerah, whose mother was tamar, perez the father of hezron, hezron the father of ram, ram the father of amminadab. The structure of the genealogy descends from father to son, beginning with abraham. Jeromesuggested that these women were included because they were sinners, foreshadowing jesus as the savior of sinful humans.
The book of the genealogy of jesus christ, the son of david, the son of abraham. And david was the father of solomon by the wife of uriah, and josiah the father of jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to babylon. Not surprisingly, jesus genealogy is an illustrious one, including jacob, judah, david, solomon and hezekiah. Genealogy of jesus christ watchtower online library. In fact, the truth about jesus genealogy was so wellknown that even the pharisees and sadducees could not deny it. We purchased this book for his son as a fun and interesting way to study jesus genealogy. And right at the beginning of the new testament, we see the gospel of matthew. Apologetics press the genealogies of matthew and luke. Study the bible online using commentary on genealogy of jesus. Today, both matthews and lukes genealogical records remain a part of the foundation of our faith and a testimony to the sureness of the promises of god. This title therefore properly relates to the verses that immediately follow. The genealogy of jesus in matthew bible background.
Read more share copy show footnotes a service of faithlife logos bible software. The greek pronoun rendered whom is feminine and can refer only to mary. The gospel of matthew begins with the words the book of genealogy in greek, genesis of jesus christ, deliberately echoing the words of genesis 2. Five noteworthy women are included in matthews genealogy of jesus. The family tree of jesus in the gospel of matthew starts with abraham, while in luke it begins with adam, but that is not the only difference. Sep 27, 2018 one of the ways each book does this is by recounting jesus genealogy. Why did matthew call out these women in particular. The first group lists the patriarchs, the second names the kings, and the third contains private. Matthews account does not use the expression became father to see study note on mt 1. Why do matthews and lukes genealogies of jesus differ. It was contrary to jewish practice to name women in a genealogy.
Why is jesus genealogy different in matthew and luke duration. Matthews gospel is, at best, an absurd concatenation of sounds. What is the significance of the genealogy of jesus in the gospel of. Matthew traces the genealogy from jesus to abraham. Matthew starts with abraham, while luke begins with adam. In his genealogy, matthew breaks with jewish tradition and custom. New living translation this is a record of the ancestors of jesus the messiah, a descendant of king david and of abraham. It seems like he was trying to get us to think about these stories, specifically. The genealogy, of course, is a wellknown old testament genre that is frequently used to demonstrate the historical unfolding of gods redemptive activities among his. Jesus genealogy is the only one given in the christian greek scriptures. Matthews genealogy includes four women, tamar, rahab, ruth, and bathsheba, who played important roles in ot history but at the end it is joseph, the legal father of jesus, who is named.
What is the significance of the genealogy of jesus in the gospel of matthew. Four features of matthews listing of jesuss family tree deserve comment. And it opens with the line, the genealogy of jesus, the messiah, the son of david, the son of abraham. What is the significance of the genealogy of jesus in the. The purpose of matthew here is to show that jesus is the legitimate heir to the throne of david, who is mentioned five times in 1. Women in jesus genealogy the good book blog biola university. When we examine jesus genealogy in matthew 1, we see a whole lot of names, some familiar and some not. Nov 16, 2017 what is the significance of the genealogy of jesus in the gospel of matthew. How to read jesus genealogy in the gospel of matthew bible. It was not customary to list the names of women in a genealogy. Matthew 1 the book of the genealogy of jesus christ, the son of david, the son of abraham.