1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because thou hast obeyed my voice.
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright, the morning star.
Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
Jehovah hath sworn unto David in truth; He will not turn from it: Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.
And Jesus himself, when he began `to teach', was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the `son' of Heli, the `son' of Matthat, the `son' of Levi, the `son' of Melchi, the `son' of Jannai, the `son' of Joseph, the `son' of Mattathias, the `son' of Amos, the `son' of Nahum, the `son' of Esli, the `son' of Naggai, the `son' of Maath, the `son' of Mattathias, the `son' of Semein, the `son' of Josech, the `son' of Joda, the `son' of Joanan, the `son' of Rhesa, the `son' of Zerubbabel, the `son' of Shealtiel, the `son' of Neri, the `son' of Melchi, the `son' of Addi, the `son' of Cosam, the `son' of Elmadam, the `son' of Er, the `son' of Jesus, the `son' of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the `son' of Matthat, the `son' of Levi, the `son' of Symeon, the `son' of Judas, the `son' of Joseph, the `son' of Jonam, the `son' of Eliakim, the `son' of Melea, the `son' of Menna, the `son' of Mattatha, the `son' of Nathan, the `son' of David, the `son' of Jesse, the `son' of Obed, the `son' of Boaz, the `son' of Salmon, the `son' of Nahshon, the `son' of Amminadab, the `son' of Arni, the `son' of Hezron, the `son' of Perez, the `son' of Judah, the `son' of Jacob, the `son' of Isaac, the `son' of Abraham, the `son' of Terah, the `son' of Nahor, the `son' of Serug, the `son' of Reu, the `son' of Peleg, the `son' of Eber, the `son' of Shelah, the `son' of Cainan, the `son' of Arphaxad, the `son' of Shem, the `son' of Noah, the `son' of Lamech, the `son' of Methuselah, the `son' of Enoch, the `son' of Jared, the `son' of Mahalaleel, the `son' of Cainan, the `son' of Enos, the `son' of Seth, the `son' of Adam, the `son' of God.
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee. For unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father. And I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these lands. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; to whom also he bare witness and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who shall do all My will. Of this man's seed hath God according to promise brought unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus;
And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old),
saying, What think ye of the Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, `The son' of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I put thine enemies underneath thy feet? If David then calleth him Lord, how is he his son?
And behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a demon.
And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him;
In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is `the name' whereby she shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness. For thus saith Jehovah: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old;
then will I also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Matthew 1
Commentary on Matthew 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
An Exposition, With Practical Observations, of
The Gospel According to ST. Matthew
Chapter 1
This evangelist begins with the account of Christ's parentage and birth, the ancestors from whom he descended, and the manner of his entry into the world, to make it appear that he was indeed the Messiah promised, for it was foretold that he should be the son of David, and should be born of a virgin; and that he was so is here plainly shown; for here is,
Thus methodically is the life of our blessed Saviour written, as lives should be written, for the clearer proposing of the example of them.
Mat 1:1-17
Concerning this genealogy of our Saviour, observe,
In calling Christ the son of David, and the son of Abraham, he shows that God is faithful to his promise, and will make good every word that he has spoken; and this.
Some particulars we may observe in the genealogy.
Mat 1:18-25
The mystery of Christ's incarnation is to be adored, not pried into. If we know not the way of the Spirit in the formation of common persons, nor how the bones are formed in the womb of any one that is with child (Eccles. 11:5), much less do we know how the blessed Jesus was formed in the womb of the blessed virgin. When David admires how he himself was made in secret, and curiously wrought (Ps. 139:13-16), perhaps he speaks in the spirit of Christ's incarnation. Some circumstances attending the birth of Christ we find here which are not in Luke, though it is more largely recorded here. Here we have,
Observe,
Some persons of a rigorous temper would blame Joseph for his clemency: but it is here spoken of to his praise; because he was a just man, therefore he was not willing to expose her. He was a religious, good man; and therefore inclined to be merciful as God is, and to forgive as one that was forgiven. In the case of the betrothed damsel, if she were defiled in the field, the law charitably supposed that she cried out (Deu. 22:26), and she was not to be punished. Some charitable construction or other Joseph will put upon this matter; and herein he is a just man, tender of the good name of one who never before had done anything to blemish it. Note, It becomes us, in many cases, to be gentle towards those that come under suspicion of having offended, to hope the best concerning them, and make the best of that which at first appears bad, in hopes that it may prove better. Summum just summa injuria-The rigour of the law is (sometimes) the height of injustice. That court of conscience which moderates the rigour of the law we call a court of equity. Those who are found faulty were perhaps overtaken in the fault, and are therefore to be restored with the spirit of meekness; and threatening, even when just, must be moderated.
The prophecy here quoted is justly ushered in with a Behold, which commands both attention and admiration; for we have here the mystery of godliness, which is, without controversy, great, that God was manifested in the flesh.
Nor is it improper to say that the prophecy which foretold that he should be called Immanuel was fulfilled, in the design and intention of it, when he was called Jesus; for if he had not been Immanuel- God with us, he could not have been Jesus-a Saviour; and herein consists the salvation he wrought out, in the bringing of God and man together; this was what he designed, to bring God to be with us, which is our great happiness, and to bring us to be with God, which is our great duty.
It is here further observed,