1 A roll of the birth of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.
and blessed themselves in thy seed have all nations of the earth, because that thou hast hearkened to My voice.'
`I, Jesus did send my messenger to testify to you these things concerning the assemblies; I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star!
and to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed; He doth not say, `And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, `And to thy seed,' which is Christ;
Jehovah hath sworn truth to David, He turneth not back from it: Of the fruit of thy body, I set on the throne for thee.
And a rod hath come out from the stock of Jesse, And a branch from his roots is fruitful.
For a Child hath been born to us, A Son hath been given to us, And the princely power is on his shoulder, And He doth call his name Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. To the increase of the princely power, And of peace, there is no end, On the throne of David, and on his kingdom, To establish it, and to support it, In judgment and in righteousness, Henceforth, even unto the age, The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts doth this.
And Jesus himself was beginning to be about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, son of Joseph, the `son' of Eli, the `son' of Matthat, the `son' of Levi, the `son' of Melchi, the `son' of Janna, the `son' of Joseph, the `son' of Mattathias, the `son' of Amos, the `son' of Naum, the `son' of Esli, the `son' of Naggai, the `son' of Maath, the `son' of Mattathias, the `son' of Semei, the `son' of Joseph, the `son' of Juda, the `son' of Joanna, 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 Elmodam, the `son' of Er, the `son' of Jose, the `son' of Eliezer, the `son' of Jorim, the `son' of Matthat, the `son' of Levi, the `son' of Simeon, the `son' of Juda, the `son' of Joseph, the `son' of Jonan, the `son' of Eliakim, the `son' of Melea, the `son' of Mainan, the `son' of Mattatha, the `son' of Nathan, the `son' of David, the `son' of Jesse, the `son' of Obed, the `son' of Booz, the `son' of Salmon, the `son' of Nahshon, the `son' of Amminadab, the `son' of Aram, the `son' of Esrom, the `son' of Pharez, 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 Salah, 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 lo, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus; he shall be great, and Son of the Highest he shall be called, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father,
Lo, days are coming -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have raised to David a righteous shoot, And a king hath reigned and acted wisely, And done judgment and righteousness in the earth.
and lo, Jehovah is standing upon it, and He saith, `I `am' Jehovah, God of Abraham thy father, and God of Isaac; the land on which thou art lying, to thee I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed hath been as the dust of the land, and thou hast broken forth westward, and eastward, and northward, and southward, and all families of the ground have been blessed in thee and in thy seed.
And I bless those blessing thee, and him who is disesteeming thee I curse, and blessed in thee have been all families of the ground.'
And Jesus passing on thence, two blind men followed him, calling and saying, `Deal kindly with us, Son of David.'
And of Jesus Christ, the birth was thus: For his mother Mary having been betrothed to Joseph, before their coming together she was found to have conceived from the Holy Spirit,
`When thy days are full, and thou hast lain with thy fathers, then I have raised up thy seed after thee which goeth out from thy bowels, and have established his kingdom; He doth build a house for My Name, and I have established the throne of his kingdom unto the age. I am to him for a father, and he is to Me for a son; whom in his dealings perversely I have even reproved with a rod of men, and with strokes of the sons of Adam, and My kindness doth not turn aside from him, as I turned it aside from Saul, whom I turned aside from before thee, and stedfast `is' thy house and thy kingdom unto the age before thee, thy throne is established unto the age.'
sojourn in this land, and I am with thee, and bless thee, for to thee and to thy seed I give all these lands, and I have established the oath which I have sworn to Abraham thy father; and I have multiplied thy seed as stars of the heavens, and I have given to thy seed all these lands; and blessed themselves in thy seed have all nations of the earth; because that Abraham hath hearkened to My voice, and keepeth My charge, My commands, My statutes, and My laws.'
whose `are' the fathers, and of whom `is' the Christ, according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed to the ages. Amen.
and having removed him, He did raise up to them David for king, to whom also having testified, he said, I found David, the `son' of Jesse, a man according to My heart, who shall do all My will. `Of this one's seed God, according to promise, did raise to Israel a Saviour -- Jesus,
And did raise an horn of salvation to us, In the house of David His servant, As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, Which have been from the age;
saying, `What do ye think concerning the Christ? of whom is he son?' They say to him, `Of David.' He saith to them, `How then doth David in the Spirit call him lord, saying, The Lord said to my lord, Sit at my right hand, till I may make thine enemies thy footstool? If then David doth call him lord, how is he his son?'
and lo, a woman, a Canaanitess, from those borders having come forth, did call to him, saying, `Deal kindly with me, Sir -- Son of David; my daughter is miserably demonized.'
And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and lo, opened to him were the heavens, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him,
In those days, and at that time, I cause to shoot up to David a shoot of righteousness, And he hath done judgment and righteousness in the earth. In those days is Judah saved, And Jerusalem doth dwell confidently, And this `is' he whom Jehovah proclaimeth to her: `Our Righteousness.' For thus said Jehovah: `Not cut off to David is one sitting on the throne of the house of Israel,
These `are' births of the heavens and of the earth in their being prepared, in the day of Jehovah God's making earth and heavens;
And Jesus having been born in Beth-Lehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, lo, mages from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, `Where is he who was born king of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and we came to bow to him.'
In that day I raise the tabernacle of David, that is fallen, And I have repaired their breaches, And its ruins I do raise up, And I have built it up as in days of old.
Also the seed of Jacob, and David My servant, I reject, Against taking from his seed rulers For the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, For I turn back `to' their captivity, and have pitied 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,