What is the meaning of Matthew 1?

* The two F.O.G. Bibles and Commentary below are currently a work in progress.

The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18–22; Luke 3:23–38)

¹  The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

²  Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; ³ And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; ⁴ And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; ⁵ And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; ⁶ And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; ⁷  And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; ⁸ And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; ⁹ And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; ¹⁰ And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; ¹¹ And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

¹² And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; ¹³ And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; ¹⁴ And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; ¹⁵ And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; ¹⁶ And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

The Birth of Jesus
(Isaiah 7:10–16; Luke 2:1–7)

¹⁸  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. ²⁰ But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ²²  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ²³  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. ²⁴  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: ²⁵  And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18–22; Luke 3:23–38)

¹ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

² Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac became the father of Jacob. Jacob became the father of Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram. ⁴ Ram became the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon. Nahshon became the father of Salmon. ⁵ Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse. ⁶ Jesse became the father of King David. David became the father of Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. ⁷ Solomon became the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam became the father of Abijah. Abijah became the father of Asa. ⁸ Asa became the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat became the father of Joram. Joram became the father of Uzziah. ⁹ Uzziah became the father of Jotham. Jotham became the father of Ahaz. Ahaz became the father of Hezekiah. ¹⁰ Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh. Manasseh became the father of Amon. Amon became the father of Josiah. ¹¹ Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the exile to Babylon.

¹² After the exile to Babylon, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel became the father of Zerubbabel. ¹³ Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim. Eliakim became the father of Azor. ¹⁴ Azor became the father of Sadoc. Sadoc became the father of Achim. Achim became the father of Eliud. ¹⁵ Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob. ¹⁶ Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations.

The Birth of Jesus
(Isaiah 7:10–16; Luke 2:1–7)

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this; for after his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. ²⁰  But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹  She shall bring forth a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.” ²² Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ²³  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.” ²⁴  Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself; ²⁵  and didn’t know her sexually until she had brought forth her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.

The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18–22; Luke 3:23–38)

¹  This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

and Hezron the father of Ram. a

⁴ Ram was the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

⁶ and Jesse the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,

⁷  Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

and Abijah the father of Asa. b

⁸ Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

and Joram the father of Uzziah.

⁹ Uzziah was the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

¹⁰ Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon, c

Amon the father of Josiah,

¹¹ and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers

at the time of the exile to Babylon.

¹² After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

¹³ Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,

Abiud the father of Eliakim,

and Eliakim the father of Azor.

¹⁴ Azor was the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Achim,

and Achim the father of Eliud.

¹⁵ Eliud was the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

¹⁶ and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,

of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

¹⁷ In 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.

The Birth of Jesus
(Isaiah 7:10–16; Luke 2:1–7)

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹   She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, d because He will save His people from their sins.”

²²  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

²³   “Behold, the virgin will be with child

and will give birth to a son,

and they will call Him Immanuel” e

(which means, “God with us” f).

²⁴  When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and embraced Mary as his wife. ²⁵  But he had no union with her g until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

Footnotes:

3 a Greek Aram , a variant of Ram ; also in verse 4; see 1 Chronicles 2:9–10.
7 b Greek Asaph , a variant of Asa ; also in verse 8; see 1 Chronicles 3:10.
10 c Greek Amōs , a variant spelling of Amon; twice in this verse; see 1 Chronicles 3:14.
21 d Jesus  means The LORD saves .
23 e Literally they will call His name Immanuel ; Isaiah 7:14 (see also DSS)
23 f See Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 8:8, and Isaiah 8:10.
25 g Literally he did not know her

The Genealogy of Jesus
(Ruth 4:18–22; Luke 3:23–38)

¹  A roll of the birth of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.

²  Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judah and his brethren, ³ and Judah begat Pharez and Zarah of Tamar, and Pharez begat Hezron, and Hezron begat Ram, ⁴ and Ram begat Amminadab, and Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, ⁵ and Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab, and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse begat David the king. And David the king begat Solomon, of her who had been Uriah's, ⁷  and Solomon begat Rehoboam, and Rehoboam begat Abijah, and Abijah begat Asa, ⁸ and Asa begat Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat begat Joram, and Joram begat Uzziah, ⁹ and Uzziah begat Jotham, and Jotham begat Ahaz, and Ahaz begat Hezekiah, ¹⁰ and Hezekiah begat Manasseh, and Manasseh begat Amon, and Amon begat Josiah, ¹¹ and Josiah begat Jeconiah and his brethren, at the Babylonian removal.

¹² And after the Babylonian removal, Jeconiah begat Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begat Zerubbabel, ¹³ and Zerubbabel begat Abiud, and Abiud begat Eliakim, and Eliakim begat Azor, ¹⁴ and Azor begat Sadok, and Sadok begat Achim, and Achim begat Eliud, ¹⁵ and Eliud begat Eleazar, and Eleazar begat Matthan, and Matthan begat Jacob, ¹⁶ and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was begotten Jesus, who is named Christ.

¹⁷ All the generations, therefore, from Abraham unto David are fourteen generations, and from David unto the Babylonian removal fourteen generations, and from the Babylonian removal unto the Christ, fourteen generations.

The Birth of Jesus
(Isaiah 7:10-16; Micah 5:1-6; Luke 2:1-7)

¹⁸  And of Jesus Christ, the birth was thus: For his mother Mary having been betrothed to Joseph, before their coming together she was found to have conceived from the Holy Spirit, ¹⁹ and Joseph her husband being righteous, and not willing to make her an example, did wish privately to send her away. ²⁰ And on his thinking of these things, lo, a messenger of the Lord in a dream appeared to him, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, thou mayest not fear to receive Mary thy wife, for that which in her was begotten is of the Holy Spirit, ²¹  and she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.' ²²  And all this hath come to pass, that it may be fulfilled that was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ²³  Lo, the virgin shall conceive, and she shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,' which is, being interpreted 'With us he is God.' ²⁴  And Joseph, having risen from the sleep, did as the messenger of the Lord directed him, and received his wife, ²⁵  and did not know her till she brought forth her son -- the first-born, and he called his name Jesus.

The Genealogy of Yeshua the Mashiach

(Ruth 4:18–22; Luke 3:23–38)

¹ The book of the genesis* of Yeshua the Mashiach, son of David, son of Avraham: ² Avraham begot Yitzchak, Yitzchak begot Ya'akov, and Ya'akov begot Yehudah* and his brothers. ³ Yehudah begot Peretz and Zerach from Tamar*, Peretz begot Chetzron, Chetzron begot Ram, ⁴ Ram begot Amminadav, Amminadav begot Nachshon, Nachshon begot Salmon, ⁵ Salmon begot Bo'az from Rachav, Bo'az begot Oved from Rut*, Oved begot Yishai, ⁶ and Yishai begot David the king.

The Royal Lineage

David begot Shlomo from the one having-been of Uriah*, 7 Shlomo begot Rechav'am, Rechav'am begot Aviyah, Aviyah begot Asa, ⁸ Asa begot Yehoshafat, Yehoshafat begot Yoram, Yoram begot Uziyahu, ⁹ Uziyahu begot Yotam, Yotam begot Achaz, Achaz begot Chizkiyahu. ¹⁰ Chizkiyahu begot Menasheh, Menasheh begot Amon, Amon begot Yoshiyahu, ¹¹ Yoshiyahu begot Yechonyah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Bavel*.

The Post-Exile Genealogy

¹² And after the exile to Bavel, Yechonyah begot She'altiel, She'altiel begot Zerubavel*, ¹³ Zerubavel begot Avihud, Avihud begot Elyakim, Elyakim begot Azur, ¹⁴ Azur begot Tzadok, Tzadok begot Yachin, Yachin begot Elihud, ¹⁵ Elihud begot Elazar, Elazar begot Matan, Matan begot Ya'akov, ¹⁶ Ya'akov begot Yosef, the husband of Miryam*, from whom was-born Yeshua, the one being-called Mashiach.*

The Numerical Summary

¹⁷ Therefore all the generations from Avraham until David are fourteen generations, and from David until the exile to Bavel fourteen generations, and from the exile to Bavel until the Mashiach fourteen generations*.

The Miraculous Conception of Yeshua
(Isaiah 7:10–16; Luke 2:1–7)

¹⁸ Now the birth of Yeshua the Mashiach was-being thus: His mother Miryam having-been-betrothed to Yosef was-found having in womb from Ruach HaKodesh* before their coming-together. ¹⁹ Now Yosef her husband, being righteous and not willing to publicly-expose her, was-minded to secretly-dismiss her*. ²⁰ But while he was-considering these things, behold, an angel of יהוה (Yahweh) appeared to him in a dream, saying: "Yosef, son of David, you should not fear to take-alongside Miryam your wife, for what is having-been-begotten in her is from Ruach HaKodesh! ²¹ And she will-bear a Son, and you shall-call His name Yeshua*, for He will-save His people from their deviations." ²² Now this whole thing has-happened so-that the thing having-been-spoken by יהוה through the prophet might-be-fulfilled, saying:

²³ "BEHOLD! THE VIRGIN WILL-HAVE IN WOMB AND WILL-BEAR A SON,
AND THEY WILL-CALL HIS NAME IMMANU'EL."

Which being translated is, "God is with us!"

²⁴ And Yosef, having-been-awakened from sleep, did as the angel of יהוה commanded him and took-alongside his wife, ²⁵ but was not knowing her until she bore a Son, and he called His name Yeshua.

Footnotes:

1:1: Greek "biblos geneseos" echoes the Septuagint's Genesis title, suggesting a new beginning for humanity

1:2: "Yehudah" means "praise," from whom the term "Jewish" derives

1:3: Tamar's inclusion highlights the role of Gentile women in Mashiach's lineage

1:5: Ruth's presence as a Moabite demonstrates God's inclusion of non-Israelites in His plan

1:6: The Greek deliberately avoids naming Bathsheva, emphasizing her previous marriage

1:11: The Babylonian exile marked a crucial turning point in Jewish history and messianic expectation

1:12: Zerubavel led the first return from exile, symbolizing restoration and hope

1:16: The unique passive construction "was born" emphasizes divine action in Yeshua's birth

1:17: The structural symmetry of 3x14 generations connects to David's name, whose Hebrew letters sum to 14

1:18: "Ruach HaKodesh" appears without article in Greek, emphasizing divine power's personal nature

1:19: Jewish law required public divorce; Yosef's private dismissal showed exceptional mercy

1:21: The Greek "sosei" (will save) creates wordplay with Hebrew name "Yeshua" (Yahweh saves)

The Genealogy of Jesus

¹ This is the record of the ancestry of Jesus the Messiah, the descendant of David, and of Abraham. ² Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. ⁴ Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. ⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife. ⁷ Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. ⁸ Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, and Jehoram the father of Uzziah. ⁹ Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. ¹⁰ Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. ¹¹ Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

¹² After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, ¹³ Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. ¹⁴ Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Elihud. ¹⁵ Elihud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. ¹⁶ Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he planned to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). ²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

Footnotes:

1.Genealogies were highly significant in Jewish culture, especially to prove royal or priestly lineage. Matthew’s genealogy links Jesus directly to both Abraham and David, fulfilling Messianic promises (see Genesis 12:3 and 2 Samuel 7:12-16).

2.Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth are notable inclusions in this genealogy, as women are rarely mentioned in ancient Jewish genealogies. Each had significant roles in Israel’s history, showing God’s inclusive plan.

3.The term “Messiah” (Greek: Χριστός, Christos) means “Anointed One,” indicating the one chosen by God to deliver His people.

4.Betrothal in Jewish culture was a formal contract, and breaking it required a legal divorce even though the couple hadn’t yet lived together or consummated the marriage.

5.The name “Jesus” (Greek: Ἰησοῦς, Iēsous) is the Greek form of “Yeshua” or “Joshua,” which means “The Lord saves,” emphasizing Jesus’ role as Savior.

6.The prophecy cited in verse 23 refers to Isaiah 7:14, where the coming of the Messiah is foretold. “Immanuel” as a name reflects the profound theological truth that God has come to dwell with His people.

7.Joseph’s decision to follow the angel’s instruction without hesitation illustrates his faith and obedience, key virtues for those who are called to be part of God’s redemptive plan.