Matthew 1: The son of David, the son of Abraham
Jesus is the promised son of David and Abraham, conceived by the Holy Spirit: the Savior who is God with us.
Where Matthew 1 sits
- In the story
- Act V, Christ: Matthew–John
- In the Bible
- New Testament · Gospels · chapter 1 of 28 in Matthew
- In Matthew
- The record of the genealogy, 1:1–25 · part of the King revealed: His origin and preparation
- Before
- Matthew opens here
- After
- Matthew 2: Out of Egypt I called My Son
Matthew 1 summary
Matthew opens with “the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” and traces His line from Abraham through David and the kings to the exile and on to Joseph, the husband of Mary, in three sets of fourteen generations (1:17). Four women stand in the line, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Uriah's wife, signs of God's grace to outsiders and sinners. Mary, pledged in marriage to Joseph, is found to be with child through the Holy Spirit; Joseph, a righteous man, resolves to divorce her quietly, but an angel of the Lord tells him in a dream to take her as his wife, for the child is from the Holy Spirit and is to be named Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. Matthew sees Isaiah's sign fulfilled: the virgin will give birth to a son called Immanuel, God with us. Joseph obeys, takes Mary, has no union with her until she gives birth to a Son, and names Him Jesus.
Matthew 1 in context
- Speaking
- Matthew, narrating; the angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph in a dream
- Written for
- Readers who know Israel's story from Abraham to the exile and are waiting for the promised Christ
- Around it
- Opens the book and the New Testament; the genealogy shows who Jesus is, the birth story how He came. The Magi's visit follows (2)
The sections of Matthew 1
Read Matthew 1
The Genealogy of Jesus
1This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
3Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
and Hezron the father of Ram.
4Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
and Nahshon the father of Salmon.
5Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6and Jesse the father of David the king.
Next:
David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
7Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
and Abijah the father of Asa.
8Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
and Joram the father of Uzziah.
9Uzziah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
10Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers
at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
and Eliakim the father of Azor.
14Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim,
and Achim the father of Eliud.
15Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17In 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
18This 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. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.
20But 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. 21She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
22All 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”).
24When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and embraced Mary as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.
Berean Standard Bible, 25 verses. The BSB is in the public domain.
Around Matthew 1
Places
- Babylon
Read alongside
Chapters that point here
- Genesis 38
- Joshua 2
- Joshua 15
- Judges 13
- Ruth 1
- Ruth 3
- Ruth 4
- 1 Samuel 9
- 2 Kings 11
- 2 Kings 24
- 2 Kings 25
- 1 Chronicles 2
- 1 Chronicles 3
- 2 Chronicles 22
- Psalm 130
- Jeremiah 22
- Jeremiah 52
- Haggai 2
- Luke 3
Questions on Matthew 1
How does 1:17 divide the genealogy, and what three turning points does it mark?
What two names does the child receive in 1:21–23, and what does each say about Him?
Which prophecy does Matthew say is fulfilled in Jesus' birth (1:22–23)?
The answers are in TheoMaps Challenges.
Plus What TheoMaps holds for Matthew 1
- How Matthew 1 points to Christ
- What each of its 5 sections says, and how one leads into the next
- 3 threads, 4 promises and 2 covenants, with the verses that join them
- 3 doctrines it teaches: Christ the Mediator, providence and Scripture
- How it is shaped: Three fourteens
- Why those 6 chapters belong beside it
- The answers to its questions, in Challenges
TheoMaps Plus opens every book the way Genesis is open, on the map, with Challenges to help you remember it.