Key Terms

Matthew’s genealogy contains key terms that help unlock its purposes, including “birth record,” “Jesus Christ,” “son of David,” “son of Abraham,” and “was begotten.”

“Birth record” (βίβλος γενέσεως, biblos geneseōs) should be translated in such a way that indicates “birth record,” “genealogy,” or “persons of successive generations who are related by birth” (Louw-Nida, Greek—English Lexicon of the New Testament, 114). However, Raymond Brown notes that a translation of “book” rather than “record” is preferred by those who believe the expression serves as a title for either the first two chapters or the entire Gospel (e.g., “the book of Genesis (new creation) brought about by Jesus Christ”) (Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, 58–59).

Three options can be suggested for what “birth record” (βίβλος γενέσεως, biblos geneseōs) refers to: narrowly to Matt 1:2–17, broadly to Matt 1–2, or as a title for the entire Gospel. The expression itself is only used twice in the LXX—in Gen 2:4 and 5:1, which is also a genealogical record. It seems unlikely that Matthew meant anything more than verses 2–17 and possibly 18–25, if those verses are meant to explain Matt 1:16 (Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, 58–59). However, the word γένεσις (genesis, “birth”) appears in verse 18, suggesting that Matt 1:1 serves as a title for more than just Matt 1:1–17. It instead extends into the first two chapters of Matthew, meant to be understood as a “coherent and unified ‘record of the origins of Jesus Christ’ ” (Carson, “Matthew,” 62; Luz, Matthew 1–7, 69–70; Hagner, Matthew 1–13, 5).

In Matthew 1:1–17, the word “Christ” is used three times in conjunction with Jesus (Matt 1:1, 16, 17). The later two uses feature a definite article before the word Christ. In Matthew 1:1, however, there is no definite article before “Christ”; it becomes nearly like a surname: “Jesus Christ.” By binding the title “Messiah” or “Christ” to Jesus, Matthew prepares the reader for both a genealogy and a messianic narrative (Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, 67).

The emphasis on Jesus being a “son of David” refers to His royal descent. In 2 Samuel 7:12–16, God promises that David’s kingdom and throne would endure forever. Unlike Luke, Matthew chronicles Jesus’ line through David and the Davidic Dynasty in Judah. Passages like Isa 9:6–7 speak of a messiah that would sit on David’s throne and rule with justice and righteousness for all time. Psalms of Solomon 17:21 also understood the Messiah to be a “son of David” (Carson, “Matthew,” 62; Luz, Matthew 1–7, 69–70).

If Jesus is a son of David, then He’s a son of Abraham. Theological reasons exist for mentioning this, ranging from its messianic connections to its connection to the nations (Carson, “Matthew,” 62; Albright, Matthew, 2; Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, 67–68).

• “Son of Abraham” may have been recognized as a messianic title (compare Testament of Levi 8:15).

• God’s great covenant relationship with Israel was first established with Abraham (Gen 12:1–3; 17:7; 22:18).

• Through Abraham’s offspring, “all nations” would be blessed (Gen 22:18). Matthew may have been preparing his readers for Jesus’ Great Commission to make disciples of “all nations.”

• This connection is made more explicit when Matthew’s pains to justify the Gentiles participating in the Christian faith are considered (Matt 3:9; 8:11).

“Was begotten” describes the miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth. Throughout Matthew 1:2–15, Matthew maintains a rigid use of terminology to trace the line of Abraham to Jesus. In each case, the active indicative third-person-singular verb ἐγέννησεν (egennēsen) is translated as “the father of.” However, in verse 16, the tense shifts from active to passive concerning Jesus: “Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born (ἐγεννήθη, egennēthē), who is called the Christ.” By making this shift, Matthew excludes Joseph as biological parent and points to the miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth (Matt 1:18–25).