Matthew 1:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

NIV: and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

NASB: Jesse fathered David the king. David fathered Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

CSB: and Jesse fathered King David. David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife,

NLT: Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).

KJV: And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

NKJV: and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

So far, Matthew has traced the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to Jesse, the father of King David. David serves as a milestone in both Jesus' ancestry and the history of Israel. He reigned during the golden age of the nation, and God promised that his descendants would sit on the throne of Israel forever. Israel longed for the Messiah to come and return Israel to the independence and triumph of those days. Even in his opening genealogy, Matthew is showing that Jesus is that long-expected king.

Matthew follows Jesus' line through Jesse to David and then to David's famously wise son King Solomon by a woman he calls "the wife of Uriah." Matthew could have left her out of his telling of the line of Jesus or he could have simply called Solomon's mother Bathsheba. Instead, he intentionally forces his readers to remember David's darkest sin and how it led to the birth of Solomon. The story, told in 2 Samuel 11—12, is a tale of sexual immorality and murder. King David had sex with Uriah's wife while Uriah was at war. She became pregnant. When David's schemes to cover up the illegitimate pregnancy failed, he had Uriah killed and married his widow. The son of that initial union died, but after his death Bathsheba became pregnant with Solomon. Second Samuel 12:24–25 says, "And the LORD loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD."

One reason Matthew may be emphasizing these illicit and complicated relationships that led, eventually, to the birth of Jesus, is to show that God used one unconventional circumstance after another through sinful human beings to bring His greatest blessing to humanity by His own will.

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.

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.

One of the original twelve disciples, Matthew begins his telling of Jesus' life with a genealogy and Jesus' birth. The listing of Jesus' ancestors shows how Jesus is directly descended from both Abraham and King David, but it also includes then-unlikely inclusions, such as women, blatant sinners, and evil kings. Instead of divorcing Mary, Joseph obeys God and takes her home. Isaiah's prophecy of the virgin birth of Immanuel, a term meaning ''God with us,'' is fulfilled. This sets the stage for pivotal events in Jesus' infancy, such as the arrival of wise men and the family's escape into Egypt.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.