Matthew 1:1

Ver. 1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,.... This is the genuine title of the book, which was put to it by the Evangelist himself; for the former seems to be done by another hand.

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

Matthew CHAPTER 1 Summary Matthew 1:1-17 The genealogy of Christ from Abraham to Joseph. Matthew 1:18-25 The miraculous conception of Mary: Joseph's doubts are satisfied by an angel, who declareth the name and office of Christ: Jesus is born. Chapter Introduction The book of the generation signifieth no more than the writing containing the genealogy or pedigree; for the Jews called all writings books. Thus, Jeremiah 32:10,11, the evidences of a purchase are called the book. So Isaiah 1:1 Mark 10:4, the writings called a bill of divorce are both in the Hebrew and the Greek called a book of divorce. Thus in ecclesiastical courts still, the term libel (which signifieth a little book) is used. So as these words are not to be looked upon as the title to the whole Gospel according to St. Matthew, but only to the following pedigree of our Saviour's ancestors. Of Jesus Christ; of that person to whom the name of Jesus was given by the angel, as we shall hear further, Matthew 1:20,21, because he should save his people from their sins (for Jesus, as also Joshua, signifies a saviour or deliverer); and who also was the Christ, or the Messiah, prophesied of by Daniel, Daniel 9:25,26, expected by the Jews, as doth appear from John 1:41 (for Messiah and Christ denoted the same person, John 4:25); only Messiah was a Hebrew word, and Christ of Greek extraction, both signifying Anointed, and so God's designation of a person to the office of a priest, a prophet, or a king. The Christ signifieth a designation to all three. The Son of David, the son of Abraham: not the immediate Son of either, but, by a long traduction, lineally descended from both. Abraham was long before David, but is here put after him, either because he was a king, or because the Jews expected Messiah was to be the Son of David; or because the evangelist's design was to begin the pedigree from Abraham, whom he therefore last mentions. Both are named, because both were concerned in the promise of Christ. It was made to Abraham, Genesis 12:3 22:18: and to David renewed and enlarged, Psalms 89:36,37. Hence it appeareth that the Jews looked that Christ should be the Son of David, Matthew 22:42 Mark 12:35. Hence the evangelist puts David in the front. From Abraham the Jews derived themselves, they usually gloried they had Abraham to their father. The evangelist, by proving Christ to have descended from Abraham by Isaac, proveth him an Hebrew of the Hebrews, and to be descended from the seed to whom the promise was made; and by proving him the Son of David, he proves him David's righteous Branch, or Branch of righteousness, mentioned Jeremiah 23:5,6 Jeremiah 33:15, and so to have descended from the royal family.

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Ver. 1. The Book] That is, a roll or register, catalogue or calendar, a ciphering and summing up. (Genesis 5:1, ζηρτψϊεμγϊαυτηηβιβλοςγενεξεως.) Of the generations] That is, of the genealogies, as touching his humanity (St Matthew’ s main drift), for touching on his divinity (St John’ s chief scope and subject), "who can declare his generation?" Isaiah 53:8; "What is his name and what is his son’ s name, if thou canst tell?" Proverbs 30:4. He is without descent or pedigree, as Melchisedec, Hebrews 7:3. Of Jesus Christ] Jesus shows he was God (for "besides me there is no Saviour," Isaiah 45:21). Christ, that he was man, the anointed; for in respect of his manhood chiefly is this anointing with gifts and graces attributed to Christ. The name of Jesuits, therefore, savoureth of blasphemous arrogance. One of their own gives the reason; -becanse he hath communicated unto us the thing signified by the name Christ, but not by the name Jesus. And yet it is notoriously known (saith Dr Fulke, out of another of their own writers) that the most honourable name of Christians is in Italy and at Rome a name of reproach, and usually abused to signify a fool or a dolt. (Fulke in Rhem. Testara. on Acts xi., sect. 4, out of Christoph. Franch. Col. Jesuit. in fine.) The Son of David] God’ s darling, one that observed all his wills, Acts 13:22, and faithfully served out his time, Acts 13:36. The son of Abraham] The friend of God and father of the faithful, reckoned here (for honour’ s sake) as the next immediate father of Christ, whose day indeed he saw and rejoiced, John 8:56; (ηγαλλιασατο); he laughed, yea, leapt for joy of this man child to be born into the world. Whose children we are, so long as we walk in the steps of his faith; that Christ, being formed in us, may "see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied," Isaiah 53:10-11; he may "see his seed, and prolong his days upon earth." Such honour have all his saints, Psalms 149:9. Rem signatam nomine Christi nobis communicavit, non autem Iesu. Lindwood. David, amatus vel amabilis. Unde Dido Poenis, Hinc Solomon dictus est Iedidiah.

(1) Nothing can be inferred directly from St. Matthew’s phrase “till she had brought forth” as to what followed after the birth. The writer’s purpose is obviously to emphasise the absence of all that might interfere with the absolutely supernatural character of the birth itself. (2) Nothing can be inferred with certainty from the mention of our Lord’s “brethren” in Matthew 12:46 (see Note there), and elsewhere. They may have been children of Joseph by a former marriage, or by what was known as a levirate marriage with the widow of a deceased brother, under the law of Deu 25:5, Matthew 22:24, or children by adoption, or cousins included under the general name of brethren. (3) The fact that the mother of our Lord found a home with the beloved disciple (John 19:27) and not with any of the “brethren” points, as far as it goes, to their not being her own children, but it does not go far enough to warrant any positive assertion. Scripture therefore supplies no data for any decision on either side, nor does any tradition that can really be called primitive. The reverence for virginity as compared with marriage in the patristic and mediæval Church made the “ever-virgin” to be one of the received titles of the mother of the Lord. The reaction of natural feeling against that reverence led men in earlier and later times to assert the opposite. Every commentator is influenced consciously or unconsciously by his leanings in this or that direction. And so the matter must rest.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. -Usherian year of the World, 4000. -Alexandrian year of the World, 5498. -Antiochian year of the World, 5488. -Constantinopolitan AEra of the World, 5504. -Year of the Julian Period, 4709. -AEra of the Seleucidae, 308. -Year before the vulgar AEra of Christ, 5. -Year of the CXCIII. Olympiad, 4. -Year of the building of Rome, 749. -Year of the Emperor Augustus, i.e. from the battle of Actium, 26. -Consuls, Augustus XII. and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. -Year of the Paschal Cycle or Dionysian Period, 530. -Year of the Solar Cycle, 5. -Year of the Lunar Cycle, 13. -Dominical Letters, B A. CHAPTER I. The genealogy of Christ divided into three classes of fourteen generations each: The first fourteen, from Abraham to David, 2-6. The second fourteen, from Solomon to Jechonias, 7-10. The third fourteen, from Jechonias to Christ, 11-16. The sum of these generations, 17. Christ is conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary, when she was espoused to Joseph, 18. Joseph's anxiety and doubts are removed by the ministry of an Angel, 19, 20; by whom the child is named JESUS, 21. The fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah relative to this, 22, 23. Joseph takes home his wife, Mary, and Christ is born, 24, 25. NOTES ON CHAP. I. Verse 1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ] I suppose these words to have been the original title to this Gospel; and that they signify, according to the Hebrew Phraseology, not only the account of the genealogy of Christ, as detailed below, but the history of his birth, acts, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension. The phrase, book of the generation, ספר תולדות sepher toledoth, is frequent in the Jewish writings, and is translated by the Septuagint, βιβλοςγενεσεως, as here, by the evangelist; and regularly conveys the meaning given to it above; e. g. This is the book of the generations of Adam, Genesis 5:1. That is, the account of the life of Adam and certain of his immediate descendants. Again. These are the generations of Jacob, Genesis 37:2. That is, the account or history of Jacob, his son Joseph, and the other remarkable branches of the family. And again. These are the generations of Aaron and Moses, Numbers 3:1. That is, the history of the life and acts of these persons, and some of their immediate descendants. The same form of expression is also used, Genesis 2:4, when giving the history of the creation of heaven and earth. Some have translated βιβλοςγενεσεως, The book of the genealogy; and consider it the title of this chapter only; but the former opinion seems better founded. Jesus Christ] See on Matthew 1:16; Matthew 1:21. The son of David, the son of Abraham] No person ever born could boast, in a direct line, a more illustrious ancestry than Jesus Christ. Among his progenitors, the regal, sacerdotal, and prophetic offices, existed in all their glory and splendour.

Ch. Matthew 1:1-17. The Lineage of the King. The Genealogy. Luke 3:23-381. The book of the generation] i. e. the pedigree extracted from the public archives which were carefully preserved and placed under the special care of the Sanhedrin. The expression recalls, perhaps designedly, Genesis 5:1 : The book of the Generations of Adam. (1) The genealogy is an answer to the question which would be asked by every Jew of any one who claimed to be the Messiah, “Is he of the house of David?” for by no name was the Messiah more frequently spoken of by Jews and by foreigners (see ch. Matthew 15:22), and designated in the Talmud, than by that of the Son of David. (2) Both this genealogy and that in St Luke’s Gospel trace Joseph’s descent. But see below, Matthew 1:16. (3) St Matthew proves that Jesus is the Son of David and of Abraham; St Luke, true to the scope of his Gospel, traces the pedigree from the common Father of Jew and Gentile. (4) St Matthew traces the royal succession, St Luke, the family lineage. This accounts for many variations in names. (5) This genealogy descends from father to son, and is therefore probably the most exact transcript of the original document. St Luke’s ascends from son to father.

The book of the generation - This is the proper title of the chapter. It is the same as to say, “the account of the ancestry or family, or the genealogical table of Jesus Christ.” The phrase is common in Jewish writings.

§ 9. — THE ROYAL OF JESUS THROUGH HIS LEGAL FATHER Matthew 1:2-17.