Matthew 1:1-17. The Lineage of the King. The Genealogy. Luke 3:23-38 1. _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... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thamar_ St Matthew also differs from St Luke in naming women in the genealogy. Of the four mentioned two Rahab and Ruth are foreigners, and three Thamar, Rahab and Bathsheba were stained with sin. The purpose of the Evangelist in recording their names may be to shew that He who came to save "that w... [ Continue Reading ]
_Salmon … Jesse_ According to the received chronology the space of time between Salmon and Jesse was not less than 400 years. In that space there are only four generations recorded in the text. Either then the received chronology is wrong or the genealogy not complete. In all probability the former... [ Continue Reading ]
_David the king_ A special hint of Christ the King, of whom David was the type. It is at this point that St Luke's genealogy branches off. According to _natural_descent Joseph was a descendant of _Nathan_, not of _Solomon_. The genealogies meet again in the names of Zorobabel and Salathiel. See bel... [ Continue Reading ]
_Joram begat Ozias_(Uzziah)] The names of Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah are here omitted; see note, Matthew 1:17.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Josias begat Jechonias_(Jehoiakim)] but in the next _v._Jechonias = Jehoiachin. Read, as in the margin, "Josias begat Jakim (Jehoiakim), and Jakim begat Jechonias (Jehoiachin). _Jechonias and his brethren_ Jehoiachin had no brethren, but Jehoiakim had three: a further proof that Jechonias in this... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jechonias begat Salathiel_ Jehoiachin had no children of his own, "write ye this man childless" (Jeremiah 22:30). Salathiel was the son of Neri (Luke), but heir to Jehoiachin.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Zorobabel begat Abiud_ Here a step is omitted, Abiud the Hodaiah of 1 Chronicles 3:24 being the grandson of Zerubbabel. Rhesa, who is named as Zerubbabel's son (Luke 3:27), is a title: the text in Luke should run, "which was the son of Rhesa Zorobabel." The Juda of Luke is the same as Abiud.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jacob begat Joseph_ "Joseph which was the son of Heli" (Luke), see last note; probably Joseph was the son of Heli and the heir to Jacob. It is conjectured with much probability that Jacob was Mary's father. In that case, although both genealogies show Joseph's descent, they are in fact equally gene... [ Continue Reading ]
This division into three sets, each containing fourteen steps of descent, is an instance of a practice familiar to readers of Jewish antiquities. Lightfoot says, "They do so very much delight in such kind of concents, that they oftentimes screw up the strings beyond the due measure and stretch them... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesus_ see Matthew 1:21. _Christ_(anointed)] The _title_of Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King; for among the Jews, Prophets, Priests and Kings were anointed on entering upon their office. _Christos_, very rare as a classical Greek word, is a translation of the Hebr. _Mashiach_, a term applied to the... [ Continue Reading ]
The Birth of Jesus Christ. Luke 1:26-56; Luke 2:4-7 St Mark and St John give no account of the birth of Jesus, St Luke narrates several particulars not recorded by Matthew, (1) the annunciation, (2) Mary's salutation of Elizabeth in a city of Juda (or Juttah), and (3) the journey from Galilee to Be... [ Continue Reading ]
_being a just man_ i. e. one who observed the law, and, therefore, feeling bound to divorce Mary. But two courses were open to him. He could either summon her before the law-courts to be judicially condemned and punished, or he could put her away by a bill of divorcement before witnesses, but withou... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jesus_=Saviour] _Jesus_represents the Greek form, while _Joshua_represents the Hebrew form of the same name. The same Hebrew root occurs in the salutation _Hosanna:_see note, ch. Matthew 21:9. Joshua who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, and Joshua or Jeshua, who was high priest at the tim... [ Continue Reading ]
_was done_ Rather, HAS COME TO PASS. The Evangelist speaks as a contemporary. _that it might be fulfilled_ By this formula the Evangelist recognises in the event described a fulfilment of a type or prophecy. It matters little whether we regard "that" (ἵνα) as (1) _final_, "in order that," or (2) by... [ Continue Reading ]
_a virgin shall be with child_ Properly, according to the Greek text and to the original Hebrew, " THE virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they (Hebr. she) shall call his name God with us;" see Isaiah 7:14. The historical crisis was this, Ahaz is alarmed by the threatened in... [ Continue Reading ]
_knew her not till_ This expression cannot be considered as in any way decisive of the question, whether the Virgin Mary had or had not children besides our blessed Lord. _her firstborn son_ The oldest MSS. omit the word "first-born:" translate "a son.... [ Continue Reading ]