Matthew 1:16

ESV and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

NIV and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

NASB Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

CSB and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Christ.

NLT Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

KJV And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

NKJV And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

What does Matthew 1:16 mean?

Matthew's long genealogy of Jesus reaches its conclusion in this verse. He followed Jesus' line from Abraham through King David all of the way to Jacob, the father of Joseph. This verse is carefully and specifically worded, since Joseph is not Jesus' genetic birth father. Verse 18 will state outright that Mary's pregnancy was a result of the work of the Holy Spirit and not from sleeping with Joseph.

However, Joseph's legal role as Jesus' father is the basis for Matthew's claim that Jesus is legally descended from Abraham and David. Joseph is said to be the husband of Mary, a legal relationship giving him parental status of Jesus, and giving Jesus legal rights as Joseph's heir. Jesus is said to have been born of Mary and called "Christ," which means "anointed." Matthew's first-century Jewish readers would likely have understood the name to be a title which meant "Messiah."

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Context Summary
Matthew 1:1–17 begins the apostle Matthew's long Gospel with a short genealogy of Jesus Christ, beginning with Abraham. Matthew does not include every generation, but instead creates three groups of fourteen names: Abraham to King David; David to Josiah; and Jechoniah to Jesus. Matthew shows that Jesus is the direct descendant of both Abraham and David, qualifying His legal right to sit on Israel's throne. Matthew would not need to have listed the women, blatant sinners, or evil kings that he does, but the point of his Gospel is that Jesus has come to save His people from their sins. As a former tax-collector, hated by fellow Jews, this idea would have resonated strongly with Matthew.

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Chapter Summary
The apostle Matthew begins his telling of Jesus' life with a genealogy. This is meant to show that Jesus is directly descended from both Abraham and King David, making Him a legal heir to the throne of Israel. He then tells the story of Jesus' birth from the perspective of Joseph, Mary's husband. Joseph had planned to divorce the woman he was betrothed to marry, once he found out she was carrying a child that wasn't his. God interrupts this plan. An angel tells Joseph in a dream that the child is from the Holy Spirit and commands Joseph to name Him Jesus, since He will save His people from their sins. Joseph obeys.

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What is the Gospel?

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