Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What Does Matthew Chapter 1 Mean?

Matthew was one of Jesus’ twelve original disciples. He was a tax collector, meaning he would have been despised by many fellow Jews for working with the occupying Roman government. Matthew does not hide the fact that he belonged to the category of “tax collectors and sinners” when Jesus called him to “follow me” (Matthew 9:9–13). Matthew became an apostle who received from Jesus the commission to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).

This telling of the life of Jesus—the Gospel of Matthew—was one of the ways he fulfilled that command from Jesus. Matthew keeps his Jewish brothers and sisters firmly in mind as he writes, demonstrating how Jesus is the fulfillment of many prophecies about the promised Messiah.

To that end, Matthew begins by showing that Jesus is both a son of Abraham—a true Hebrew—and the legal and legitimate heir to the throne of Israel’s great King David. That mattered because all faithful Jewish people would have been aware of God’s promise to David that his descendants would sit on Israel’s throne forever (2 Samuel 7:12–13). Matthew’s genealogy does not include every “link” in the chain of generations from Abraham to Jesus. Instead, he groups those mentioned into three sets of 14 ancestors: Abraham to King David; David to Josiah and the deportation of Israel to Babylon; and Jechoniah to Jesus (Matthew 1:1–17).

Matthew mentions some unlikely names in his genealogy. This includes five women, several people famous for immorality, and more than one unfaithful king. Matthew’s book never hides the sins of Israel’s past, choosing to emphasize instead that Jesus came to save Israel from sin.

Having established Jesus’ legal right to be Israel’s king, Matthew transitions to telling the story of His birth. Luke, in his Gospel, tells that story mostly from Mary’s point of view. Matthew looks at it through the eyes of Joseph, Mary’s husband.

Joseph discovers that the woman he is betrothed to marry is pregnant, presumably by another man. Betrothal in Jesus’ day was far more binding than engagement in modern times. Joseph and Mary were considered legally married, even though they had not yet lived together or had sex. Since Mary was found to be pregnant, Joseph was legally free to divorce her, though he wanted to do so as quietly as possible to avoid needlessly shaming her (Matthew 1:18–19).

God intervened in Joseph’s plan, however. He sent an angel to visit Joseph in a dream. The angel told Joseph that Mary was still a virgin and the child was from God’s Holy Spirit. God wanted Joseph to go through with the marriage and name the baby “Jesus,” which means “Yahweh saves,” because He would save His people from their sins. Matthew connects this moment to the fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 that a virgin would give birth to a son who will be called Immanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:20–23).

In a great display of faith, Joseph obeyed God and took Mary home as his wife right away. He didn’t consummate the marriage, however, until after Jesus was born (Matthew 1:24–25).

Verse By Verse

Verse 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

As are the other Gospels in the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew is about one person: Jesus. Matthew set out not only to tell Jesus’ story, but also to establish that Jesus was in fact the long-promised Messiah the Jewish people had been expecting.

Matthew begins with a genealogy. His opening words, “the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ” are likely a subtitle referring to the first two chapters. Genealogies were extremely important to the Jewish people of the time, and Matthew will write this book with his fellow Jewish readers in mind. In order to back up his claim that Jesus is the Messiah, he will have to start by showing that Jesus is a legitimate descendant of Abraham and especially of David.

Matthew calls Him “Jesus Christ” from his opening verse. The name Jesus is derived from the Greek version of the name given by Joseph and Mary in obedience to the angel (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31), which is Iēsou. This, in turn, is from the Hebrew Yeho’sua, also translated as “Joshua,” which means “Yahweh saves.” The term Christ means “anointed,” and Matthew’s Jewish readers would have understood it to mean Messiah. Jesus was both the rightful descendant of King David with a legitimate claim to the throne of Israel and the long-expected Savior of Israel.

Matthew’s mention of Abraham and David is significant for another reason. They represented God’s two great covenants with the nation of Israel. God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 22:18) declared Israel to be His chosen people with a promise to bless them greatly. God also told Abraham the entire world would be blessed through his descendants. That promise is fulfilled in Christ.

God’s covenant with the great King David, made through the prophecy of the prophet Nathan, was that David’s line would rule over Israel forever: “Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Matthew will show that Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of that covenant promise to David, as well.

Verse 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Matthew opened his book by declaring that Jesus Christ—meaning Jesus the Messiah—was a son of David and a son of Abraham. It makes sense, then, that he begins his genealogy of Jesus’ line with Abraham, the first of God’s chosen people (Genesis 12:1–3).

Every Jewish child would have known the names of Israel’s three patriarchs from their earliest days. Their stories are all told in the first book of Moses’ writings called Genesis. Isaac was the long-awaited child promised by God to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 21:1–7). Isaac fathered the twins Esau and Jacob, but only Jacob inherited God’s covenant promises for Israel (Genesis 25:21–23). Jacob fathered twelve sons by four different women (Genesis 35:23–26). Matthew traces the line of Jesus through Jacob’s fourth son Judah.

Jacob’s prophecy about his sons and their descendants specifically says that “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet” (Genesis 49:10). The writer of Hebrews agrees with Matthew that “it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah” (Hebrews 7:14).

Verse 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,

Matthew is establishing the line of Jesus from Abraham. This establishes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Israel to bless all the nations. It also proves He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David that his descendants would always sit on the throne of Israel. Matthew began in familiar territory for all Jewish people. Abraham was the father of Isaac, who was the father of Jacob, who was the father of twelve sons, the fourth-born of which was Judah.

Now Matthew follows the line through Judah, who was the father of twin boys named Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38:27–30). These boys were born to him as the result of a sordid sexual encounter with his daughter-in-law Tamar, described in Genesis 38. Judah failed to follow through on providing the widowed Tamar with a husband, according to the levirate marriage custom. So she disguised herself as a prostitute and became pregnant with Judah’s child.

Tamar is the first of five women mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus and not nearly the only person connected to questionable moral choices. This is significant. First, genealogies did not require the mention of any women, at all, since the line was passed through male descendants. Matthew goes out of his way to mention these women, including a conception under questionable circumstances

However, this fits into the focus of Matthew’s book: Jesus, who came to offer grace and forgiveness from God to humanity through His own life and death and resurrection. It also fits with the counter-cultural way in which Jesus honored and esteemed women during His ministry on earth. As someone once involved in a profession considered despicable—a tax collector for the Romans—Matthew would have appreciated God’s ability to use sinners to accomplish His will.

Matthew continues following the line from Judah’s son Perez to his son Hezron (Genesis 46:12) and to his son Ram (1 Chronicles 2:9).

Verse 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Matthew is tracing the line of Jesus from Abraham through David all the way to Joseph and Mary. During this time, his genealogy was very likely verifiable in Israel’s historical records, in addition to several books in the Old Testament Scriptures. Ancestry was key to Jewish identity and even their worship. In other words, Matthew’s Jewish readers would not likely have disputed any of the lineage he has presented so far.

In addition, it was common in a genealogy such as this to skip generations as a shorthand and for easy memorization. So it may be that when Matthew writes that Ram was the father of Amminadab (as does 1 Chronicles 2:10), he means that Ram was a direct ancestor of Amminadab and not necessarily his first birth father. This is likely the same Amminadab and Nahshon mentioned as being the father-in-law and brother-in-law of Moses’ brother Aaron in Exodus 6:23. That means that four generations and about 400–450 years passed from Judah’s son Perez to Amminadab.

Amminadab, though, was the direct father of Nahshon, called the “prince of the sons of Judah” in 1 Chronicles 2:10. Nahshon was the father of Salmon.

Verse 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

Matthew has followed the line of Jesus from Abraham to a man named Salmon. Salmon fathered a man named Boaz by a woman named Rahab. This is the second woman mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus. She was also, remarkably, a Gentile. Her famous story is told in Joshua 2. Rahab was a prostitute living in the town of Jericho who protected Israel’s spies because of her confidence in Israel’s God. In exchange, Joshua spared her life when the Israelites destroyed Jericho and he allowed her to live among the people of Israel after they had occupied the Promised Land (Joshua 6:25). Though Rahab was known as “Rahab the prostitute,” she is also praised in both Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 for her faith in God.

Matthew is clearly not interested in protecting the reputation of Jesus’ human ancestry. In fact, he seems to go out of his way to show that Jesus is a true son of Israel—from the most to least reputable among them. Though Jesus never sinned, the Bible never suggests the human line He was born into was any more or less sinful than the rest of humanity. Jesus came to die for sinners (Hebrews 4:15–16).

Salmon and Rahab had a son named Boaz, who married another Gentile, a Moabite woman named Ruth. Their much-loved romantic story is told in the book of Ruth. Their son Obed became the father of Jesse, the father of Israel’s beloved King David.

Verse 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by 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.

Verse 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,

Matthew is establishing Jesus’ line from Abraham all the way through to Mary and Joseph. He has come to David and his son Solomon, both kings of Israel and in the direct line of Judah. From this verse through to verse 10, Matthew’s listing lines up very closely with an established genealogy of Israel’s kings in 1 Chronicles 3:10–14.

For Jewish readers familiar with their history, this listing of Israel’s kings in the line of Jesus would be significant. They would also likely remember how these kings alternated between those who feared and obeyed the Lord and those who were wicked. Solomon’s son Rehoboam was a wicked king, as was his son Abijah. Asa—also spelled Asaph—was a good king, however.

Matthew provides yet another reminder that Israel’s history was full of both sinful and obedient people. There were those of high status and low status, good reputation and poor reputation. They were in need of saving not just from foreign enemies, but from their own sinful humanity. Jesus came to save all types of people—the outcast and the well respected, the Jew and the Gentile, men and women, the obviously sinful and the seemingly righteous (Galatians 3:27–29).

Verse 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,

As Matthew builds his listing of the line of Jesus from Abraham to Joseph, he does not include every link in the chain of fathers and sons. Some may have been omitted simply for the sake of space and time. This was apparently common practice in ancient genealogies.

Matthew has come to the line of kings that followed from Solomon. Matthew’s listing is very similar to that given in 1 Chronicles 3:10–14, except that Matthew leaves some of the names out. In this verse, he mentions Asaph—also spelled as Asa—who fathered Jehoshaphat, who fathered Joram. Joram was an ancestor to Uzziah, who was also known as Azariah.

Matthew omits three kings between Joram and Uzziah: Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah. Perhaps he does so because of their wickedness and connection to the wicked Athaliah, Ahab, and Jezebel (2 Kings 8:26–27). We don’t know this for sure, since Matthew does include other wicked, disobedient kings from Jesus’ line. Perhaps these were both wicked and irrelevant, for the purposes of Matthew’s genealogy.

Verse 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

Matthew’s listing of the genealogical line of Jesus has followed the flow of fathers and sons from Abraham through David and now into the kings of Israel who came from Solomon. Perhaps to keep the list manageable, Matthew is not including every link in the chain, skipping some generations. This was a common practice with genealogies of the day. It is still true, of course, to say that Joram fathered Uzziah, as Matthew wrote in the previous verse, even if Uzziah came several generations after Joram. The point is to show a line of descent, not to include every possible detail.

The list continues here with more kings, also listed in 1 Chronicles 3:10–14. Uzziah—also known as Azariah—fathered Jotham, who fathered Ahaz, who fathered Hezekiah.

Verse 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,

The line of Jesus, as curated by Matthew in this chapter, includes people from every walk of life. He begins with the patriarchs, but includes adulterers and prostitutes, heroes and victims, faithful Jews and surprising Gentiles, men and women, and the good and the bad kings from Israel’s history. Matthew was not obligated to include many of the people who contributed to Jesus’ humanity. Yet, in doing so, he showed that Jesus was fully human right down to the complicated family tree. Because Jesus was also fully God, He was able to give His life to pay for the sins of everyone who would believe.

This verse finds the history of Israel and Jesus’ family line toward the end of the era of the kings. It mentions Hezekiah, a godly king who fathered Manasseh. Manasseh was a wicked king who later repented. Manasseh fathered Amos, who was also known as Amon. Amon fathered Josiah. Josiah became king at eight years old and later renewed Israel’s covenant with the Lord (2 Kings 22—23).

Verse 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

Matthew’s telling of the line of Jesus, which began with Abraham and continued through David, now comes to a dramatic moment in Israel’s history. God had promised King David that his descendants would rule Israel forever (2 Samuel 7:16). They did exactly that, from Solomon all the way through Jechoniah, also known as Jehoiachin. Jechoniah’s reign on Israel’s throne ended abruptly after only three months when Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon and many of its people carried off into captivity (2 Kings 24:8–17). His brother Zedekiah became a caretaker king over Jerusalem, but he is not in the line of Jesus. Zedekiah’s reign ended in 587 BC when Jerusalem was fully and finally destroyed by Babylon after one last rebellion (2 Kings 25).

The era of the Babylonian captivity had begun and the era of the reign of David’s descendants seemingly ended. It did not end for good, however. Matthew’s point in making this genealogy is to show that Jesus, of David’s line, will rule and reign over Israel forever, just as God promised.

Verse 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Matthew continues to follow Jesus’ genealogy down through the ages of Israel’s convoluted history. He began in the time of the patriarchs with Abraham and followed the line through the time of Moses and into the early years in the Promised Land. He picked it up in the era of the kings, beginning with David and tracing the line from father to son all of the way through to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of God’s people Israel in captivity to Babylon.

The final king in the line of Jesus, Jechoniah—also known as Jehoiachin—was taken to Babylon. He became the father of Shealtiel, who became the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was given permission by Babylon to lead the first group back to Israel, where he became the governor of Judah (Haggai 1:14).

Verse 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,

Matthew’s listing of the genealogy of Jesus has followed His line from Abraham through David through the kings to the exile of Israel in Babylon. Now the line has travelled back to Israel with Zerubbabel, who became the governor of the still conquered region. The descendants of Zerubbabel through nine generations are not otherwise known in Scripture. They may have been on record and available for verification by Matthew’s first-century readers, however. It’s possible that Matthew skipped some generations in this section as he likely did in others. This was considered a normal and proper practice in building genealogies in his day.

Zerubbabel became the father of Abiud. Abiud fathered Eliakim. Eliakim fathered Azor.

Verse 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,

Matthew’s genealogy for Jesus through the convoluted history of Israel has brought him to the time after Israel’s exile in Babylon. Jesus’ ancestors in this period are no longer kings. In fact, their names are unknown in the Bible other than in this passage. It’s likely that this history was on record and readily verifiable in Israel at the time Matthew recorded it, however.

Zerubbabel, whose experiences are recorded in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai, fathered Abiud, who fathered Eliakim, who fathered Azor. Now Matthew extends the line to show that Azor fathered Zadok. Zadok fathered Achim. And Achim fathered Eliud.

Verse 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,

Most of the names of Jesus’ ancestors in this and the previous verses are not known elsewhere in Scripture. After Zerubbabel, the first to lead people back to Israel following the exile in Babylon, the nine descendants listed are found only in this passage. They conclude here with Eliud, the father of Eleazar, the father Matthan, the father of Jacob. It’s possible that Matthew skipped some links in the generational chain in this section, as he likely did in the others. This was a common and accepted practice in the genealogies of the times.

The final name mentioned in this verse, however, is known to us. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary and Jesus’ earthly “adoptive father.”

Verse 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

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.”

Verse 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew sums up his genealogy of Jesus in a specific way in this verse, showing that he built it precisely to fit a specific theme he had in mind. Those who compare the genealogy to the Old Testament will notice Matthew has left out several “links” in the chain known elsewhere in Scripture. It can be assumed he may have skipped over others not known to us from Scripture, but knowable from the records of his day.

The point is that Matthew did not set out to make an exhaustive genealogy of Jesus. He is interested in making a historical and legal case. His thesis is that Jesus has a legitimate right to claim His position as a direct descendant of both Abraham and David. Matthew’s book will assert that Jesus is, in fact, the fulfilment of God’s promises to both of those key figures in Israel’s history.

Matthew also set out to build his genealogy in a way that would be easier to follow or easier to remember. To do so, he created three sections, each with 14 names included in it. This does not mean that only 14 generations passed during each period of history. Matthew’s readers would have known that only 14 generations are included in each section of his list, though more of them occurred in history.

The sections are Abraham to David, David to the Babylonian exile of Israel, and that deportation to Christ. There are indeed 14 generations included between Abraham and David. Counting David again gives another 14 generations through Josiah. The final 14 begins with Jechoniah and ends with Jesus. Some commentators count them slightly differently. Some scholars have suggested varied opinions as to what Matthew may have intended to represent with the number 14, but no fully satisfying explanation is available.

Verse 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

Having concluded his genealogy of Jesus, Matthew begins telling the life of Jesus right from the beginning: Jesus’ miraculous conception. Matthew does not spend nearly as much time introducing Mary as Luke’s Gospel does. Instead, he focuses the story on Joseph and his response to the surprising news.

Betrothal in Jewish culture was a binding agreement, often between the father of the bride and the husband to be. It was far more serious than the modern concept of engagement. If a woman slept with another man during the betrothal period, she was said to be guilty of adultery.

At first, Joseph didn’t understand that Mary’s pregnancy was the work of the Holy Spirit. He only knew that she was “found to be with child.” This put him in the difficult place of deciding what to do about their upcoming wedding. The natural, common sense explanation for that situation is that Mary had been unfaithful. It’s only when Joseph is informed by an angelic messenger that he realizes the full truth (Matthew 1:20).

Joseph’s first response seems tempered by compassion. Rather than make a spectacle of Mary, his initial thought is to end the betrothal discreetly (Matthew 1:19).

Verse 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

While Luke’s version of the story of Jesus’ birth focuses more closely on Mary’s experience, Matthew is describing it from Joseph’s perspective. Mary and Joseph were betrothed to be married, something far more formal than a modern engagement. This likely meant Joseph had made an agreement with Mary’s father, perhaps years earlier, to take Mary as his wife. The agreement was binding—legally, they were as good as married, other than the wedding ceremony and physically consummating the relationship.

The previous verse revealed that Mary was found to be with child “from the Holy Spirit.” It’s helpful to remember that, at first, the only part of this Joseph knows is that she is pregnant. He would not have known, immediately, about the crucial explanation. He knew only that his almost-wife was pregnant with a child that is not his.

Joseph is said to be “a just man.” He may have felt hurt and betrayed, but he did not apparently fly into a rage or wish to hurt Mary, even though all signs pointed to what amounted to adultery in their culture. On the contrary, he seems not to want additional shame for her if he could help it. This seems extraordinarily kind, given the circumstances. Part of this kindness might have been that Mary was likely much younger than Joseph. We don’t know that for sure, and marriage arrangements such as this were common, even when there was an age gap. Still that’s a possible explanation for why Joseph disappears from the Gospel narratives by the time Jesus is grown.

Compassion did not require Joseph to go through with marrying a seemingly-unfaithful woman. Instead, he was going to divorce her as quietly as possible. He did not intend to make a public issue about why he was breaking off their agreement by legal means. The fact that this required divorce papers shows just how binding a betrothal was in the culture of the day.

Verse 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

From Joseph’s initial perspective, his betrothed, Mary, has betrayed him. She has been found to be pregnant, and he is not the father. To assume she was unfaithful is exactly how anyone would react in that situation. If that is the case, Mary has violated the legally-binding agreement to marry Joseph. Yet Joseph shows an exceptionally decent response to what looks like obvious infidelity.

Instead of flying into a rage or exposing her to the community, Joseph demonstrates that he is “a just man” (Matthew 1:19) by planning to divorce her a quietly as possible. He has no interest in bringing greater shame on her or her family.

Before he takes that action, however, an angel of the Lord shows up in one of Joseph’s dreams. This is not the last time Joseph will have the experience of being directed by God through an angel messenger in a dream. This angel has a very specific message for Joseph: Don’t divorce Mary!

More specifically, the angel calls Joseph a son of David, which backs up Matthew’s message that Jesus, also, is a direct descendant of David. The angel tells Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, despite his legitimate concerns about her pregnancy, and what it means about her character and trustworthiness. The angel reveals to Joseph what is really going on. She is not pregnant as a result of having sex with another man. The baby conceived in her is miraculously given from the Holy Spirit.

Verse 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

God is revealing to Joseph His plan to bring the promised Savior into the world. Joseph already knows that his betrothed wife is pregnant. As anyone would, he assumes this has happened as a result of her having sex with another man, breaking the terms of their betrothal. He had planned to divorce her, quietly, which would have been a relatively compassionate response (Matthew 1:19).

Before he ends the relationship, however, an angel from God appears to Joseph in a dream. The angel tells Joseph not to fear going through with the marriage. Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit, not by sexual sin, and not from another man.

The angel continues in this verse with more details. The baby is a boy. You will call His name Jesus, the angel says, because He will save His people from their sins. The Greek name Jesus is derived from the same Hebrew name from which we get the name “Joshua”. This name means “Yahweh saves.” The angel’s revelation to Joseph is specific: not that Jesus will free His people, the Jews, in some general sense. The angel does not say Jesus will end Israel’s captivity under Rome. The prediction is that Christ will save His people from their sins.

Matthew’s Gospel will make clear that salvation from sin was needed far more than salvation from Rome.

Verse 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

An angel of the Lord has just revealed to Joseph in a dream that his betrothed wife Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit and not another man. This puts to rest Joseph’s concerns that she has been unfaithful, and ends his plans to discreetly divorce her (Matthew 1:19). Further, the angel has said the baby is a boy, a son, who “will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Ancient writing was recorded without capitalization, or punctuation, including quotation marks. For that reason, scholars differ about whether this verse should be included in the quote by the angel. That is, it is possible the angel told Joseph about the connection between Jesus’ birth and Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). The alternative is that these words are stated by Matthew as the narrator, not part of the declaration the angel made to Joseph.

Either way, this statement is part of the Word of God. It will be the first of several mentions of Jesus’ role in fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. In this case, the prophet was Isaiah and the quote in the following verse (Matthew 1:23) is from Isaiah 7:14.

Verse 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

An angel of God has appeared to Joseph in a dream with a very specific set of instructions and revelations. Joseph, a decent man (Matthew 1:19), was considering divorcing his betrothed wife. Since the wedding had not yet taken place, they had not yet slept together. And yet, she was recently found to be pregnant (Matthew 1:18). Joseph would be well within his rights to divorce Mary but planned to go the extra mile of compassion by doing so quietly.

The angelic messenger from God changes Joseph’s perspective. He told Joseph not to be afraid to go through with the marriage. The baby was not the result of adultery. Mary was still a virgin and was pregnant by the Holy Spirit with a boy they would call Jesus. He would save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:20–21). It’s possible the angel cited Isaiah’s words to Joseph; it’s also possible these words are recorded by Matthew as part of his explanation. Either way, they are part of the Word of God and have the same meaning.

Matthew quotes from Isaiah 7:14 to show this miraculous pregnancy was the fulfillment of prophecy. The purpose of this prophecy, in part, is to point out that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Isaiah’s prophecy spelled it out to the letter: A virgin would conceive and give birth to a son. People will call him “Immanuel,” which means “God with Us.” Viewed in this light, the prophecy is clear that Jesus is God, sent to earth to be with us, and to save mankind from our sins.

Some critics object to this use of Isaiah’s words. They note that the original Hebrew word, translated here as “virgin,” does not necessarily mean a woman with no experience of sexual intercourse. The Hebrew word almāh’ can be used simply to mean a young woman. However, long before Jesus’ birth, Jewish scholars had translated that term into Greek as parthenos, a word explicitly indicating a virgin.

Matthew, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, applies the prophecy to Mary and to Jesus. Additionally, the angel is very clear with Joseph that Mary is not pregnant by a human male, but by God’s Spirit.

Verse 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,

Based on what he knew at first, Joseph had every right—legally and morally—to divorce Mary (Matthew 1:18). The period of betrothal was treated as part of the marriage contract in this ancient time. Even though the couple had not yet lived together or had sex, they were legally bound together in virtually the same way as a fully married couple would be. Mary’s pregnancy by another man would have given Joseph a legal and justifiable way to terminate his agreement. His initial plan was to do exactly that, but discreetly for Mary’s sake (Matthew 1:19).

He did not follow through with that plan, however. God intervened by sending an angel to visit Joseph in a dream (Matthew 1:20–21). The angel revealed to Joseph what was really going on. Mary remained a virgin. The baby she carried came from the Holy Spirit. The boy would be called Jesus, from a Hebrew name meaning “Yahweh saves,” and also Immanuel, meaning “God with us”.

Joseph demonstrated remarkable faith in obeying God’s command through the angel. He set aside the cost to his own reputation and defied cultural norms. Rather than taking the easy, socially simple path, he chose to obey God. Joseph ended the official betrothal period by taking Mary home to live with him immediately. This would have protected her and her family from scandal, as well as allowing him to provide for her throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

The following verse, though, makes it clear Joseph did not sleep with Mary until after the birth of Jesus. She remained a virgin, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14). After that time, Joseph and Mary would have other children together (Matthew 13:55–57; Mark 3:31–32).

Verse 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

This verse completes a statement begun in the previous verse, which highlights Joseph’s remarkable faith (Matthew 1:24). While Luke’s telling of the birth of Jesus focuses on Mary’s experience, Matthew considers the events from Joseph’s perspective.

An honorable and God-fearing man in that culture could have quietly ended this betrothal with a clear conscience. He was not obligated to follow through on his commitment to marry a woman found to be pregnant by another man. Joseph, though, decided he was obligated after being told the real story of what was going on by an angel of the Lord in a dream (Matthew 1:19–21). Mary, still a virgin, carried “God with us,” the Savior (Matthew 1:22–23).

Joseph obeyed God, likely at the cost of his own reputation—rumors about Jesus’ birth seem to have persisted during His ministry (John 8:19; 8:41–42). He also waived his legal rights to avoid responsibility for Mary or her child. Instead of divorcing her or even waiting for the time of betrothal to end, Joseph immediately took Mary home to live with him. Not only would this minimize any scandal, it allowed Joseph to begin his work of providing for his pregnant wife and the child Messiah.

Matthew makes clear in this verse, though, that Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after Jesus was born. The text uses the biblical euphemism for sex “know.” Joseph “knew her not.” Matthew also does not suggest that Joseph never had sex with Mary, as some traditions teach. They experienced regular marital relations after the birth of Jesus and had several children together in the natural way (Matthew 13:55–57; Mark 3:31–32).

Joseph also showed that he heard and understood God’s command through the angel in his dream by naming the baby Jesus. Jesus is derived from the same Hebrew name from which we get “Joshua,” and means “Yahweh saves.” Yahweh is a Hebrew name for God.