1:1 The title of this genealogy introduces several important themes in Matthew. Jesus is identified as the Christ, Messiah, the King anointed by God to rule over his people. This is reiterated by identifying Jesus as Son of David (Mat 1:20; 2:2; 9:27; 12:3, 23; 15:22; 20:30–31; 21:9, 15). OT prophecies like 2Sm 7:16 and Is 9:2–7 foretold that Messiah (the “anointed one”) would be a descendant of King David. Jesus’s Davidic lineage shows that he meets this qualification. Though the genealogy is otherwise arranged in chronological order, Matthew shifted “Son of David” ahead of Son of Abraham to lay emphasis on the royal title.
The title “Son of Abraham” implies that just as Abraham was the father of national Israel, Jesus will be the founder of a new spiritual Israel. The phrase an account of the genealogy of Jesus is unusual. OT genealogies are consistently named after the earliest ancestor in the lineage because the Jews considered that person to be most significant since everyone else derived from them. That Matthew names his genealogy after Jesus, the final descendant in the lineage, implies that Jesus is more important than anyone who preceded him.
Mat 1:2–6 Matthew mentioned four women in his genealogy, all of them Gentiles. Tamar was a Canaanite. Rahab was from Jericho. Ruth was a Moabitess. Uriah’s wife Bathsheba was probably a Hittite. The mention of these women signals God’s intention to include Gentiles and women in his redemptive plan. Several kings are named also, but only David is explicitly given the title King. This highlights that the Son of David (Jesus) will likewise be a kingly figure.
Mat 1:7–16 Matthew’s genealogy agrees with the genealogies of 1Chron 1:1–3:24 and Lk 3:23–38 from the generation of Abraham down to David. After David, Matthew’s genealogy agrees with that of 1 Chronicles except for a few intentional gaps, but departs significantly from Luke’s. Some interpreters argue from this that one or both of the NT genealogies is inaccurate. However, Jews in David’s line carefully preserved their genealogies because they knew from the OT prophecies that one of their descendants would be the Messiah. David’s descendants also had the privilege of providing firewood for the altar in Jerusalem (m. Ta‘an. 4:5). Naturally, they kept careful records to demonstrate their Davidic descent and preserve their privileges. Evidence in Josephus (Life 1) and rabbinic texts suggests that genealogical archives were kept in public registers.
Scholars suggest several ways in which the genealogies of Matthew and Luke may be harmonized. First, one may preserve the genealogy of Jesus through Mary and the other through Joseph. Second, the custom of levirate marriage resulted in a child having different biological and legal fathers. Perhaps one genealogy follows the biological line while the other follows the legal. Third, one genealogy may trace David’s legal descendants who would have reigned if the Davidic kingdom had continued, while the other lists descendants in Joseph’s specific line. A combination of these approaches is also possible.
Charles L. Quarles, “Matthew,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1497.
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