Matthew 1

This is the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and also the first chapter of the New Testament as a whole, so it does not continue from a preceding chapter. Through its genealogy, it links the history of the Old Testament to Jesus.

Outline

• Verse 1 A heading that introduces Jesus Christ as "the son of David, the son of Abraham."
• Verses 2–6 The genealogy from Abraham to King David.
• Verses 6–11 The line continues from David to Josiah and Jechonias "about the time they were carried away to Babylon."
• Verses 12–16 The line continues from Jechonias to Joseph, the husband of Mary, and states that Jesus was born "of" Mary.
• Verse 17 The genealogy is divided into three periods, each arranged as fourteen generations.
• Verses 18–21 Mary, betrothed to Joseph, conceives by the Holy Spirit. Joseph intends to end the betrothal quietly, but the angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and tells him to take Mary as his wife and to name the child Jesus.
• Verses 22–25 These events are explained as the fulfillment of the Immanuel prophecy spoken by the prophet. Joseph takes Mary as he was commanded, and when the son is born, he names him Jesus.

Key Verses

• Matthew 1:1 "Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" serves as the heading of the entire book, presenting Jesus as the one in whom the Abrahamic covenant and the Davidic covenant are joined.
• Matthew 1:21 "He shall save his people from their sins" explains the meaning of the name "Jesus." The name comes from the Hebrew Yeshua, meaning "the LORD is salvation."
• Matthew 1:23 "They shall call his name Emmanuel" quotes Isaiah 7. Together with "I am with you alway" in Matthew 28:20, it frames the beginning and end of the book.

People and Places

• Jesus Christ is the final figure in the genealogy and the central figure of the birth narrative.
• Joseph of Nazareth is the husband of Mary. The angel addresses him as "son of David," and Joseph obeys the angel's instructions.
• Mary conceives by the Holy Spirit while betrothed to Joseph.
• Ancestors named in the genealogy include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Boaz, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, and Zerubbabel.
• The women named in the genealogy are Tamar (Judah's daughter-in-law), Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, "her that had been the wife of Urias."
• Babylon, where the people of Judah were carried into exile, serves as a dividing point between the periods of the genealogy.

Points for Reflection

• The fourteen-generation structure: A comparison with 1 Chronicles 3 shows that Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah are omitted between Joram and Uzziah. For this reason, many regard the fourteen generations not as an exhaustive list but as a deliberately arranged framework. Some interpreters also find significance in the fact that the numerical value of the Hebrew letters in David's name is 14.
• Differences from Luke: The genealogy in Luke 3 follows the line of Nathan after David, so the names differ considerably. One explanation holds that Matthew records Joseph's legal line while Luke records Mary's line. Another view explains the difference by levirate marriage (the practice in which, when a man died, his brother married the widow to continue the family line).
• The four women: Various interpretations have been offered for the inclusion of women who were of Gentile origin or had unusual histories. Some see it as showing a grace that embraces even Gentiles; others see it as anticipating Mary's extraordinary conception.
• The quotation of "virgin": The Hebrew word almah in Isaiah 7:14 means "young woman." Matthew follows the wording of the Septuagint, which renders it "virgin" (parthenos). On the basis of this text, most denominations confess that Christ was "born of the Virgin Mary," as stated in the Apostles' Creed. Some liberal scholars, however, have questioned a literal understanding of the virgin birth.
• "Till she had brought forth" in verse 25: The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church hold that this expression does not imply marital relations after the birth and teach that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life. Many Protestants read it to mean that after the birth Mary and Joseph had other children, the brothers of Jesus (Mark 6:3).
• Details such as Joseph's age do not appear in this chapter.

In Korean Churches

• During Advent and Christmas, verses 18–25, and especially the name "Emmanuel" in verse 23, are frequently used as sermon texts.