Matthew 1

اقرأ هذا الفصل بقصد

Matthew 1 opens the New Testament with a list of names and a birth announced in a dream. The genealogy traces Jesus from Abraham through David to Joseph in three sets of fourteen generations, deliberately including four women with irregular stories and the shame of the exile. Then it tells how Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit, how Joseph resolved to protect her, and how an angel gave the child his name, Jesus, "because He will save His people from their sins," and his title, Immanuel, "God with us."

فتح تفسير الإصحاح

The New Testament begins with a genealogy, which is not how most books try to hold a reader. Matthew knows exactly what he is doing. His first word echoes the title of Genesis, and his list moves from Abraham, to whom the promise was made, through David, to whom the kingdom was promised, down to the exile, where both promises seemed to die, and on to a carpenter in Nazareth. Three sets of fourteen generations, each an act of memory. Along the way he does something no ordinary genealogy would do: he names women, and not the matriarchs. Tamar, who tricked her father-in-law; Rahab of Jericho; Ruth of Moab; and Bathsheba, named only as the wife of the man David had killed. By the time the reader meets Mary, "found to be with child" before her wedding, Matthew has prepared the ground: God has been working through irregular stories all along. The birth itself is told from Joseph's side, and Joseph's righteousness shows in his instinct to protect rather than to expose. An angel gives the child two names. Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Immanuel, because God is with us. Matthew will end his Gospel with Jesus saying "I am with you always." The first chapter and the last are the same promise.

مقاطع رئيسية

Matthew 1:1-6 Matthew 1:17 Matthew 1:18-21 Matthew 1:22-23 Isaiah 7:14

Historical and literary context

Matthew wrote for readers who knew the Hebrew Scriptures and needed to see that Jesus was the promised heir of Abraham and David. Ancient genealogies established legal standing rather than complete biology, and Matthew arranges his into a memorable pattern of fourteens, with the exile to Babylon as its dark middle hinge. Betrothal in first-century Judaism was legally binding, which is why Joseph, discovering Mary's pregnancy, considers divorce; his choice to do it quietly is what Matthew means by calling him righteous.

How the chapter unfolds

Verse 1 is a title that echoes Genesis: "the record of the genealogy," literally the book of the genesis, of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. Verses 2 to 17 give the three blocks of fourteen: Abraham to David, David to the exile, the exile to the Christ. Verses 18 to 25 narrate the birth from Joseph's side: the discovery, his resolve, the angel's message with the name Jesus and its meaning, Matthew's first fulfillment quotation from Isaiah 7:14 with the name Immanuel, and Joseph's obedience.

Why this chapter matters

The chapter announces the two claims Matthew's whole Gospel will defend: Jesus is the Messiah descended from David and Abraham, and Jesus is God with us. The four women in the genealogy, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba named only as "Uriah's wife," are Gentiles, outsiders, or women with scandalous histories, and their presence prepares the reader for a Messiah who welcomes the unexpected and for a mother whose pregnancy looked scandalous. The two names, Jesus and Immanuel, state the Gospel's purpose and its promise, and Matthew will close his book on the same note: "I am with you always."

Interpretive tension to watch

Matthew's genealogy differs from Luke's, and its count of fourteens requires some compression of the kings' list. Is the pattern historical bookkeeping or theological art, and does the difference matter? Readers who expect a modern family tree miss what Matthew is doing; readers who see the pattern find that fourteen is the numerical value of David's name in Hebrew, and that the whole list is saying "son of David" three times over.

أسئلة لهذا الفصل

Why would Matthew go out of his way to include Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah's wife in a royal genealogy?
Joseph is called righteous at the moment he plans to end the betrothal quietly. What does that suggest about the shape of righteousness?
Jesus means "the LORD saves" and Immanuel means "God with us." How do the two names belong together?

Study with context

Use this as a chapter guide, then press deeper into the text itself. The goal is to slow down observation, notice structure, and ask better questions before jumping to conclusions.

أضف للملاحظات

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. 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. Next: 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. 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, 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. 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, 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” (which means, “God with us”). 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 until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.