A COMMENTARY. ST. MATTHEW. CHAP. I. THE GENEALOGY. HE book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son THE of David, the son of Abraham. e 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and 'Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; h 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; a Luke iii. 23. b Ps. cxxxii. 11. Is. xi. 1. Jer. xxiii. 5. ch. xxii. 43. John ii. 30. & xiii. vii. 42. Acts 23. Rom. i. 3. Gal. iii. 16. 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab d Gen. xxi. 2,3. begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; e Gen. xxv. 26. f Gen. xxix. 35. Gen. xxxxiii. 27, &c. Ruth iv. 18, &c. 1 Chron. ii. 5, 9, &c. These words 1. "Book of the generation" signifies here "roll of the genealogy." 1. "The Book of the generation of Jesus Christ." are not to be understood as if they described the whole Gospel which follows, but simply the roll of the ancestors of the Saviour which we have at the commencement. For the sake of the people of the Jews, for whom especially this Gospel was written, this tracing back of the lineage of the Christ to The reader will find in a note at the end of this Gospel an examination of the difficulties in this genealogy, and its reconciliation with that of St. Luke. B 6 And 11 Sam. xvi. 1. & xvii. 12. 24. 2 Sam. xii. 11 Chron. iii. 10, &c. k 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; 6. "David the king begat." "The king" omitted by N, B., Carsives 1, 71, Sah., Copt., and Syriac (Cureton and Schaaf), but retained by C., E., K., L., M., other later Uncials, most Cursives, old Latin, and Vulg. (A., F., G., H. wanting). 7, 8. "Abia begat Asa; and Asa begat Josaphat." So E., K., L., M., other later Uncials, almost all Cursives, old Latin (a, f), Vulg., Syriac (Cureton and Schaaf), (A., F., G., H. wanting); but N, B., C., Cursives 1, 209, old Latin (c, k, q), Sah., Copt., and some versions read, "Asaph." This most manifest blunder is retained in the editions of Tischendorf and Westcott and Hort. David was essential, for He Whom they looked for was to be the Son of David. This long list of names, with which the Book of the New Covenant commences, must not be deemed out of place, as savouring of natural, rather than of spiritual descent. On the contrary, it speaks to us of the Son of God being in very deed the Son of Man: coming amongst us, not by a new creation from the dust of the ground as did the first Adam, but by a human birth, of an ancient stock, ennobled by the memory of many deeds of virtue, and defiled by many foul blots of sin and shame. This list of names, too, reminds us of the many ages of preparation for His coming, for it connects the Saviour personally with the long course of Divine providence and grace which preceded it. But he is not merely the heir of ancient hopes and promises, as one of us may be. He is in His own Person their fulfilment. He is "the horn of Salvation" which God has raised up for us in the house of His servant David. In him God "performed the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham." And so, before the genealogy is given, two names are singled out from the rest: the name of David, because God had sworn to him that "of the fruit of his loins according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne" (Acts ii. 30); and the name of Abraham, because in his seed "all the nations of the earth should be blessed." The Incarnation, as the helping of man by the Divine Nature laying hold upon his human nature, was not to be through any seed of man of 9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; m 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: m 2 Kings xx. 21. 1 Chron. iii. 13. Some read, Jakim begat 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, i. 15, 16. Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; • 2 Kings xxiv. 14, 15, 16. & XXV. 11. 2 Chr. xxxvi. 10, 20. 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud Jer. xxvii. 20. begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; & xxxix. 9. & lii. 11, 15, 28, 29, 30. Dan. 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat 1.2. Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; p 1 Chron. iii. 17, 19. Ezra iii. 2. & v. 2. Neh. xii. 1. Hag. i. 1. 10. "Amon; and Amon." So E., K., L., M., S., later Uncials, all Cursives, old Latin (a, f), Vulg., Syriac (all); but N, B., C., some later Uncials, many Cursives, some old Latin, Sah., Copt., Arm., Æth. read, "Amos"—also a manifest blunder-yet read by Tischendorf and Westcott and Hort (A., F., G., H. wanting). 11. "They were carried away to Babylon." "Removal to Babylon," Alford, Revised; in transmigratione, Vulg. any nation or race, but through the seed of Abraham (Hebrews ii. 16, Revised Version). A seed characterized by the prophets as "the ehoicest vine," a noble vine, wholly a right seed " (Isaiah v. 2; Jeremiah ii. 21). Almost all commentators draw attention to the mention of the names of certain women in this list, as peculiarly fitting in the genealogy of Him Who came "not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." "It is also peculiar" (writes Olshausen) “to the genealogy in St. Matthew, that it several times mentions women, -a circumstance which did occur in Jewish genealogies if anything remarkable gave them special interest. Tamar (Gen. xxxviii.), Rahab (Josh. ii.), Ruth, Bathsheba. Three of them appear scandalous in their lives, Ruth as a heathen. That they were, nevertheless, counted worthy to be among the ancestors of our Lord could not, therefore, but give them a peculiar importance. St. |