SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:1
¶ Libro de la generacin de Jess, el Cristo, hijo de David, hijo de Abraham.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 1:1
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, hut the history of his birth, acts, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension. The phrase, book of the generation, twdlwt rpo sepher toledoth, is frequent in the Jewish writings, and is translated by the Septuagint, biblov genesewv, 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, Gen. v. 1. That is, the account of the life of Adam and certain of his immediate descendants. Again. These are the generations of Jacob, Genesis xxxvii. 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, Num. iii. 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, Gen. ii. 4, when giving the history of the creation of heaven and earth.
Some have translated biblov genesewv, 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 ver. 16, 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. DAVID, the most renowned of sovereigns, was king and prophet: ABRAHAM, the most perfect character in all antiquity, whether sacred or profane, was priest and prophet: but the three offices were never united except in the person of Christ; he alone was prophet, priest, and king; and possessed and executed these offices in such a supereminent degree as no human being ever did, or ever could do. As the principal business of the prophet was to make known the will of God to men, according to certain partial communications received from Heaven; so Jesus, who lay in the bosom of the Father, and who was intimately and thoroughly acquainted with all the mysteries of the eternal world, came to declare the Divine nature and its counsels to mankind; see John i. 18. As the business of the priest was to offer sacrifices to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people; so Christ was constituted a high priest, to make, by the sacrifice of himself, an atonement for the sins of the whole world; see 1 John ii. 2, and the whole Epistle to the Hebrews. As the office of king was to reign over, protect, and defend the people committed to his care by the Divine Providence; so Christ is set as a king upon Sion, having the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession, Psa. ii. 6, 8, &c. Of the righteousness, peace, and increase of whose government, there shall be no end, Isaiah ix. 7. This three-fold office, Christ executes not only in a general sense, in the world at large; but, in a particular sense, in every Christian soul. He is first a prophet, to teach the heart of man the will of God; to convict the conscience of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and fully to illustrate the way of salvation. He is next a priest, to apply that atonement to the guilty conscience, the necessity of which, as a prophet, he had previously made known. And lastly, as a king, he leads captivity captive, binds and casts out the strong man armed, spoils his goods, extends the sway of the scepter of righteousness, subdues and destroys sin, and reigns Lord over all the powers and faculties of the human soul; so that AS sin reigned unto death, EVEN so does grace reign through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans v. 21.
It is remarkable, that the evangelist names David before Abraham, though the latter was many generations older: the reason seems to be this, that David was not only the most illustrious of our Lord's predecessors, as being both king and prophet; but because that promise, which at first was given to Abraham, and afterwards, through successive generations, confirmed to the Jewish people, was at last determined and restricted to the family of David. Son of David, was an epithet by which the Messiah was afterwards known among the Jews; and, under this title, they were led to expect him by prophetic authority. See Psa. lxxxix. 3, 4; Psalm cxxxii. 10, 11, compared with Acts xiii. 23, and Isa. xi. 1; Jeremiah xxiii. 5. Christ was prophesied of under the very name of David. See Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24; xxxvii. 24, 25.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ , etc.] 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. This book is an account, not of the divine, but human generation of Christ; and not merely of his birth, which lies in a very little compass; nor of his genealogy, which is contained in this chapter; but also of his whole life and actions, of what was said, done, and suffered by him. It is an Hebrew way of speaking, much like that in ( Genesis 5:1) and which the Septuagint render by the same phrase as here; and as that was the book of the generation of the first Adam; this is the book of the generation of the second Adam. The Jews call their blasphemous history of the life of Jesus, wy twdlwt rps The book of the generations of Jesus f14 . This account of Christ begins with the name of the Messiah, well known to the Jews, the son of David ; not only to the Scribes and Pharisees, the more learned part of the nation, but to the common people, even to persons of the meanest rank and figure among them. (see Matthew 9:27, Matthew 12:23, Matthew 22:42). Nothing is more common in the Jewish writings, than for dwd b the son of David to stand alone for the Messiah; it would be endless to cite or refer to all the testimonies of this kind; only take the following f15 , R. Jochanan says, in the generation in which dwd b the son of David comes, the disciples of the wise men shall be lessened, and the rest, their eyes shall fail with grief and sorrow, and many calamities and severe decrees shall be renewed; when the first visitation is gone, a second will hasten to come. It is a tradition of the Rabbins (about) the week (of years) in which dwd b the son of David comes, that in the first year this scripture will be fulfilled, ( Amos 4:7). I will rain upon one city, etc. in the second, arrows of famine will be sent forth; in the third there will be a great famine, and men, women and children, holy men and men of business will die, and the law will be forgotten by those who learn it; in the fourth there will be plenty and not plenty; in the fifth there will be great plenty, and they shall eat and drink and rejoice, and the law shall return to them that learn it; in the sixth there will be voices (or thunders;) in the seventh there will be wars; and in the going out of the seventh dwd b the son of David comes. The tradition of R. Judah says, In the generation in which dwd b the son of David comes, the house of the congregation (the school or synagogue) shall become a brothel house, Galilee shall be destroyed, and Gabalene shall become desolate; and the men of Gabul (or the border) shall go about from city to city, and shall find no mercy; and the wisdom of the scribes shall stink; and they that are afraid to sin shall be despised; and the face of that generation shall be as the face of a dog, and truth shall fail, as it is said, ( Isaiah 59:15) The tradition of R. Nehorai says, In the generation in which dwd b the son of David comes, young men shall make ashamed the faces of old men, and old men shall stand before young men, the daughter shall rise up against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; nor will a son reverence his father. The tradition of R. Nehemiah says, In the generation in which dwd b the son of David comes, impudence will increase, and the honourable will deal wickedly, and the whole kingdom will return to the opinion of the Sadducees, and there will be no reproof. It is a tradition of the Rabbins, that dwd b the son of David will not come, until traitorous practices are increased, or the disciples are lessened or until the smallest piece of money fails from the purse, or until redemption is despaired of.
In which passage, besides the proof for which it is cited, may be observed, how exactly the description of the age of the Messiah, as given by the Jews themselves, agrees with the generation in which Jesus the true Messiah came; who as he was promised to David, and it was expected he should descend from him, so he did according to the flesh; God raised him up of his seed, ( Romans 1:3 Acts 13:23) it follows, The son of Abraham . Abraham was the first to whom a particular promise was made, that the Messiah should spring from, ( Genesis 22:18). The first promise in ( Genesis 3:15) only signified that he should be the seed of the woman; and it would have been sufficient for the fulfilment of it, if he had been born of any woman, in whatsoever nation, tribe, or family; but by the promise made to Abraham he was to descend from him, as Jesus did; who took upon him the seed of Abraham, ( Hebrews 2:16) or assumed an human nature which sprung from him, and is therefore truly the son of Abraham. The reason why Christ is first called the son of David, and then the son of Abraham, is partly because the former was a more known name of the Messiah; and partly that the transition to the genealogy of Christ might be more easy and natural, beginning with Abraham, whom the Jews call sjyh ar the head of the genealogy, and the root and foundation of it, as Matthew here makes him to be; wherefore a Jew cannot be displeased with the Evangelist for beginning the genealogy of our Lord at, Abraham.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-17 - Concerning this genealogy of our Saviour, observe the chief intention It is not a needless genealogy. It is not a vain-glorious one, as thos of great men often are. It proves that our Lord Jesus is of the natio and family out of which the Messiah was to arise. The promise of the blessing was made to Abraham and his seed; of the dominion, to Davi and his seed. It was promised to Abraham that Christ should descen from him, Ge 12:3; 22:18; and to David that he should descend from him 2Sa 7:12; Ps 89:3, &c.; 132:11; and, therefore, unless Jesus is a so of David, and a son of Abraham, he is not the Messiah. Now this is her proved from well-known records. When the Son of God was pleased to tak our nature, he came near to us, in our fallen, wretched condition; but he was perfectly free from sin: and while we read the names in his genealogy, we should not forget how low the Lord of glory stooped to save the human race.
Greek Textus Receptus
βιβλος 976 N-NSF γενεσεως 1078 N-GSF ιησου 2424 N-GSM χριστου 5547 N-GSM υιου 5207 N-GSM δαβιδ 1138 N-PRI υιου 5207 N-GSM αβρααμ 11 N-PRI
Vincent's NT Word Studies
1. Christ (Cristov). Properly an adjective, not a noun, and meaning anointed (criw, to anoint). It is a translation of the Hebrew Messiah, the king and spiritual ruler from David's race, promised under that name in the Old Testament (Ps. ii. 2; Dan. ix. 25, 26). Hence Andrew says to Simon, "We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, Christ (John i. 41; compare Acts iv. 27; x. 38; xix. 28). To us "Christ" has become a proper name, and is therefore written without the definite article; but, in the body of the gospel narratives, since the identity of Jesus with the promised Messiah is still in question with the people, the article is habitually used, and the name should therefore be translated "the Christ." After the resurrection, when the recognition of Jesus as Messiah has become general, we find the word beginning to be used as a proper name, with or without the article. In this passage it omits the article, because it occurs in the heading of the chapter, and expresses the evangelist's own faith in Jesus as the Messiah.Anointing was applied to kings (1 Sam. ix. 16; x. 1), to prophets (1 Kings xix. 16), and to priests (Exod. xxix. 29; xl. 15; Lev. xvi. 32) at their inauguration. "The Lord's anointed" was a common title of the king (1 Sam. xii. 3, 5; 2 Sam. i. 14, 16). Prophets are called "Messiahs," or anointed one (1 Chron. xvi. 22; Ps. cv. 15). Cyrus is also called "the Lord's Anointed," because called to the throne to deliver the Jews out of captivity (Isa. xlv. 1). Hence the word "Christ" was representative of our Lord, who united in himself the offices of king, prophet, and priest.
It is interesting to see how anointing attaches to our Lord in other and minor particulars. Anointing was an act of hospitality and a sign of festivity and cheerfulness. Jesus was anointed by the woman when a guest in the house of Simon the Pharisee, and rebuked his host for omitting this mark of respect toward him (Luke vii. 35, 46). In the Epistle to the Hebrews (i. 8, 9), the words of the Messianic psalm (xlv. 7) are applied to Jesus, "God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
Anointing was practiced upon the sick (Mark vi. 13; Luke x. 34; James v. 14). Jesus, "the Great Physician," is described by Isaiah (lxi. 1, 2; compare Luke iv. 18) as anointed by God to bind up the broken-hearted, and to give the mournful the oil of joy for mourning. He himself anointed the eyes of the blind man (John ix. 6, 11); and the twelve, in his name, "anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them" (Mark vi. 13).
Anointing was practiced upon the dead. Of her who brake the alabaster upon his head at Bethany, Jesus said, "She hath anointed my body aforehand for the burying" (Mark xiv. 8; see, also, Luke xxiii. 56).
The Son (uiov). The word teknon (child) is often used interchangeably with uiJov (son), but is never applied to Christ. (For teknon, see on 1 John iii. 1.) While in teknon there is commonly implied the passive or dependent relation of the children to the parents, uiJov fixes the thought on the person himself rather than on the dependence upon his parents. It suggests individuality rather than descent; or, if descent, mainly to bring out the fact that the son was worthy of his parent. Hence the word marks the filial relation as carrying with it privilege, dignity, and freedom, and is, therefore, the only appropriate term to express Christ's sonship. (See John i. 18; iii. 16; Rom. viii. 29; Col. i. 13, 15.) Through Christ the dignity of sons is bestowed on believers, so that the same word is appropriate to Christians, sons of God. (See Rom. viii. 14; ix. 26; Galatians iii. 26; iv. 5, 6, 7.)
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:1 {The Book} (biblos). There is no article in the Greek, but the following genitives make it definite. It is our word Bible that is here used, _the_ Book as Sir Walter Scott called it as he lay dying. The usual word for book is a diminutive form (biblion), a little book or roll such as we have in #Lu 4:17, "The roll of the prophet Isaiah." The pieces of papyrus (papuros), our paper, were pasted together to make a roll of varying lengths according to one's needs. Matthew, of course, is not applying the word book to the Old Testament, probably not to his own book, but to "the genealogical table of Jesus Christ" (biblos genesews iesou cristou), "the birth roll of Jesus Christ" Moffatt translates it. We have no means of knowing where the writer obtained the data for this genealogy. It differs radically from that in #Lu 3:23-38. One can only give his own theory of the difference. Apparently in Matthew we have the actual genealogy of Joseph which would be the legal pedigree of Jesus according to Jewish custom. In Luke we apparently have the actual genealogy of Mary which would be the real line of Jesus which Luke naturally gives as he is writing for the Gentiles.
{Jesus Christ}. Both words are used. The first is the name (iesous) given by the angel to Mary (#Mt 1:21) which describes the mission of the child. The second was originally a verbal adjective (cristos) meaning anointed from the verb to anoint (criw). It was used often in the Septuagint as an adjective like "the anointed priest" (#1Ki 2:10) and qen as a substantive to translate the Hebrew word "Messiah" (messias). So Andrew said to Simon: "We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, Christ" (#Joh 1:41). In the Gospels it is sometimes "the Anointed One,"the Messiah," but finally just a proper name as here, Jesus Christ. Paul in his later Epistles usually has it "Christ Jesus."
{The Son of David, the son of Abraham} (huiou daueid huiou abraam). Matthew proposes to show that Jesus Christ is on the human side the son of David, as the Messiah was to be, and the son of Abraham, not merely a real Jew and the heir of the promises, but the promise made to Abraham. So Matthew begins his line with Abraham while Luke traces his line back to Adam. The Hebrew and Aramaic often used the word son (ben) for the quality or character, but here the idea is descent. Christians are called sons of God because Christ has bestowed this dignity upon us (#Ro 8:14; 9:26; Ga 3:26; 4:5-7). Verse 1 is the description of the list in verses #2-17. The names are given in three groups, Abraham to David (#2-6), David to Babylon Removal (#6-11), Jechoniah to Jesus (#12-16). The removal to Babylon (metoikesias babulwnos) occurs at the end of verse #11, the beginning of verse #12, and twice in the resume in verse #17. this great event is used to mark off the two last divisions from each other. It is a good illustration of the genitive as the case of genus or kind. The Babylon removal could mean either to Babylon or from Babylon or, indeed, the removal of Babylon. But the readers would know the facts from the Old Testament, the removal of the Jews to Babylon. qen verse #17 makes a summary of the three lists, fourteen in each by counting David twice and omitting several, a sort of mnemonic device that is common enough. Matthew does not mean to say that there were only fourteen in actual genealogy. The names of the women (Thamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba the wife of Uriah) are likewise not counted. But it is a most interesting list.
