Matthew 1:1–17:
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Correct Interpretation of Matthew 1:1–17

Matthew begins his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus. Far from being merely a list of names, this text establishes from the outset the identity of the Messiah and shows that Jesus belongs to the line through which God’s promises were being fulfilled. Before recounting His birth, Matthew establishes that He is the Son of Abraham, in whom the promises made to the patriarch move toward their fulfillment, and the Son of David, heir to the royal line promised by God.

(v. 1)
«A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:»

He first calls Him “son of David”. Although Abraham lived before David, Matthew places David first, emphasizing from the outset the royal identity of the Messiah. God had promised David that He would raise up from his descendants a King whose kingdom would endure (2 Samuel 7:12–16), and Matthew begins by showing that Jesus belongs precisely to that line.

He also calls Him “son of Abraham”. God had promised Abraham that through his descendant all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1–3; Genesis 22:18). Thus, the coming of Jesus is connected both with the hope of Israel and with God’s purpose to extend His blessing to the nations.

From his opening statement, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah in whom the great promises made to Abraham and David converge.

(vv. 2–6)
«2 Abraham begot Isaac, then Isaac begot Jacob, then Jacob begot Judah and his brothers; 3 then Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, then Perez begot Hezron, then Hezron begot Ram; 4 then Ram begot Amminadab, then Amminadab begot Nahshon, then Nahshon begot Salmon; 5 then Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, then Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, then Obed begot Jesse, 6 then Jesse begot David the king, then King David begot Solomon by her who was of Uriah.»

The genealogy begins with Abraham and proceeds to David.

Matthew draws particular attention to Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. The inclusion of women in this genealogy is noteworthy, and their stories show that God carried forward His purpose even through unexpected family circumstances. Moreover, Rahab and Ruth came from Gentile peoples, anticipating from the very beginning that the work of the Messiah would not be limited to Israel alone.

The section deliberately culminates with “David the king”. In this way Matthew once again emphasizes the royal line from which the Messiah was to come.

(vv. 6–11)
«6 then Jesse begot David the king, then King David begot Solomon by her who was of Uriah. 7 Then Solomon begot Rehoboam, then Rehoboam begot Abijah, then Abijah begot Asa; 8 then Asa begot Jehoshaphat, then Jehoshaphat begot Joram, then Joram begot Uzziah; 9 then Uzziah begot Jotham, then Jotham begot Ahaz, then Ahaz begot Hezekiah; 10 then Hezekiah begot Manasseh, then Manasseh begot Amon, then Amon begot Josiah; 11 then Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time of the Babylonian captivity.»

Matthew continues with the line of the kings of Judah.

The reference to “her who was of Uriah” recalls David’s sin without even mentioning Bathsheba by name. In this way, the Gospel does not conceal the failings of the Messiah’s ancestors.

The section ends with the Babylonian captivity, one of the great moments of judgment in Israel’s history.

David’s descendants had received great promises, but the unfaithfulness of the people and their kings ultimately led to captivity. The kingdom fell, Jerusalem was conquered, and the people were carried away captive.

Yet judgment did not nullify God’s promise concerning David. The line continues even after the Babylonian captivity and ultimately leads to Christ.

Thus, Matthew presents a history marked both by human unfaithfulness and its consequences and by God’s faithfulness to what He had promised.

(vv. 12–16)
«12 After the Babylonian captivity Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, then Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel; 13 then Zerubbabel begot Abiud, then Abiud begot Eliakim, then Eliakim begot Azor; 14 then Azor begot Zadok, then Zadok begot Achim, then Achim begot Eliud; 15 then Eliud begot Eleazar, then Eleazar begot Matthan, then Matthan begot Jacob; 16 then Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was begotten Jesus, who is called Christ.»

After the captivity, Matthew traces the genealogical line until it reaches Joseph.

However, when he reaches Jesus, Matthew deliberately changes the way he expresses the relationship. He no longer says that Joseph begot Jesus, but that Joseph was the husband of Mary, by whom was begotten Jesus.

In doing so, he prepares for the account of the virgin birth that follows immediately afterward. Jesus belongs legally to the line of David through Joseph, but His birth did not occur through ordinary human generation.

Matthew concludes by identifying Him as the Christ, that is, the promised Messiah.

(v. 17)
«So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the Babylonian captivity are fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian captivity until the Christ are fourteen generations.»

Matthew deliberately arranges the genealogy into three groups of fourteen generations.

This does not mean that he is attempting to provide an exhaustive list of every generation. As was possible in biblical genealogies, Matthew omits some names known from the Old Testament in order to arrange the genealogical line according to the purpose of his account.

The three stages highlight the major moments in the history leading to the Messiah: from Abraham to the establishment of the kingdom with David; from David to the judgment of the Babylonian captivity; and from the captivity to the coming of the Christ.

The number fourteen probably also reinforces the emphasis on David, since the consonants of his name in Hebrew together have the numerical value of fourteen. If so, even the structure of the genealogy would once again point to Jesus as the promised Son of David.

In any case, the central point is clear: the promises made to Abraham and David did not disappear with the passing of generations or with the judgment of the captivity. The history continues until it reaches Jesus, the Christ.

Implications

• Jesus is the promised Messiah: From the very beginning, Matthew presents Jesus as the Christ awaited by Israel.
• Jesus is the promised Son of David: He belongs to David’s royal line and is the King toward whom God’s promise pointed.
• Jesus is the Son of Abraham: In Him the promises made to Abraham move toward their fulfillment, including the blessing intended for the nations.
• Judgment did not nullify God’s promises: Even after the Babylonian captivity, God preserved the line that would lead to the Messiah.
• God’s faithfulness remains despite human frailty: Sin, failure, and difficult circumstances could not cause what God had promised to fail.

Applications

• Trust in God’s faithfulness: He remains faithful to His promises even when their fulfillment spans many generations.
• Do not let delay cause you to doubt God: The passing of time does not mean that He has forgotten what He promised.
• Do not think that human frailty can frustrate God’s purposes: The history contained in this genealogy is filled with imperfect people, yet God remained faithful.
• Recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah and King: Matthew wants you to read his entire Gospel in light of this identity.
• Read biblical history looking for the fulfillment of God’s promises: The coming of Christ does not appear in isolation, but as the culmination of a long history of promise and hope.

Summary

In Matthew 1:1–17, Matthew presents Jesus as the Christ, the Son of David and the Son of Abraham. The genealogy traces the history from Abraham to the establishment of the kingdom with David, from David to the judgment of the Babylonian captivity, and from the captivity to the coming of the Messiah. Although that history was marked by sin, failure, and judgment, God’s promises were not nullified. The line continued until it reached Joseph and Mary, by whom was begotten Jesus. Thus, from the beginning of the Gospel, Matthew shows that Jesus is the promised King and the One in whom the great promises made to Abraham and David converge.

Prayer

Our Father, we thank You because You remain faithful to Your promises through the generations.

Thank You that in Jesus Christ we see the fulfillment of the great promises You made to Abraham and David, and that neither human frailty nor the judgment of the captivity could cause Your word to fail.

Help us trust in Your faithfulness even when we must wait and do not yet understand how You will fulfill what You have promised.

And as we study this Gospel, enable us to know Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah and our King, more and more, and to respond to Him with obedience and trust.

We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.