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ОглавлениеCHAPTER 6
Three Periods That Appear in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ
The generations in Jesus Christ’s genealogy can be analyzed according to the three divisions set forth in Matt 1:17. The first period from Abraham to David is 14 generations; the second period from David to the deportation to Babylon is 14 generations; and the third period from after the deportation to Babylon to Jesus Christ is 14 generations. The first and second periods are divided by the life of “King David,” and the second and third periods are divided by the “deportation to Babylon.”
Matthew 1:17 Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations.
1. First Period—14 Generations from Abraham to David
This is the period of promise—the time from the beginning of Israel’s history, which started with the Abrahamic covenant, up to the establishment of the Unified Kingdom of David.
The names of the 14 generations of the first period in Matthew’s genealogy are the same as the names listed in the genealogy of 1 Chronicles (1 Chr 1:27–34; 2:1–15; Ruth 4:18–22). They are also the same in the genealogy in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:31–34). The only difference noted among the names that appear in the genealogies are “Ram” (Matt 1:3–4), who also is called “Arni” in Luke according to some translations (Luke 3:33), and “David the king” (Matt 1:6), who is mentioned simply as “David” in Luke (Luke 3:31).
(1) Structure of the chronology (1,163 years in total)
The first period extends from Abraham’s birth until King David’s reign in Hebron. David reigned for 7 years and 6 months in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:4–5; 1 Kgs 2:11; 1 Chr 3:4–5; 29:27). In this book, we consider that the first period of the genealogy in Matthew 1 ended when David ended his reign in Hebron, and the second period started with David’s reign in Jerusalem. The reason for this is that the second period begins with the words, “David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah” (Matt 1:6). This affair with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11) took place after David’s reign in Hebron and during the early part of his reign in Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:13–14; 1 Chr 3:4–5).
Abraham’s birth was in the year 2166 BC and David’s reign in Jerusalem started in the year 1003 BC. Thus, the total span of the first period is 1,163 years long. This period can be divided broadly into five sections and we will look into the details in Part 3 of this book.
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Abraham—Isaac—Jacob—Judah—Perez—Hezron (Matt 1:2–3)
From Abraham’s birth (2166 BC) to the time Jacob took 70 of his family members into Egypt (1876 BC)—around 290 years
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Hezron—Ram—Amminadab—Nahshon (Matt 1:3–4)
430 years of slavery in Egypt
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Nahshon—Salmon (Matt 1:4–5)
40 years of the wilderness journey after the Exodus and 16 years of the Canaan conquest for a total of 56 years
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Salmon—Boaz—Obed—Jesse (Matt 1:5)
The time of the judges—340 years
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Jesse—David (Matt 1:5–6)
47 years and 6 months includes King Saul’s reign of 40 years and David’s reign of 7 years and 6 months in Hebron
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(2) The three women listed in the first period: Tamar, Rahab and Ruth
Matt 1:3 “Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar.”
Matt 1:5a “Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab.”
Matt 1:5b “Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth.”
Unlike the genealogy in the Gospel of Luke, the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew includes five women—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife and Mary. In Jewish tradition, women were never included in the genealogies; therefore, having these women’s names listed is a peculiarity unique to Jesus’ genealogy. Furthermore, the names of such famous matriarchs of faith like Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel, were not included in Jesus’ genealogy; rather, the names of women who were lowly and disdained by society—women whose names were stained by sins—were included.
Through the three women included in the first period of Jesus’ genealogy, we can understand that the scope of salvation has been expanded to include all Gentiles as well. In other words, God’s redemptive activity is not limited to the people of Israel but is open to all nations and people (Rom 1:14–16; 3:22; 10:11–13). The gospel of Jesus Christ transcends race, gender and distinctions of class so that there is no discrimination in redemption whether for Greek or Jew (1 Cor 1:24; 12:13; Gal 3:28).
Colossians 3:11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
The fact that unclean women have been included in the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew shows us Jesus’ selfless humility to save mankind. Jesus was sinless (Heb 4:15), knew no sin (2 Cor 5:21) and did not originally have a body of sin (Rom 6:6) like other humans. However, God condemned sin (Rom 8:3b) in the body of Jesus Christ the only begotten Son and made Him to be like a sinner (Phil 2:7). This is the profound mystery of substitutionary atonement for our salvation and the principle by which we have been justified (Rom 4:25).
Jesus could have kept His genealogy undefiled. However, in taking on the form of a servant to save sinners, He did not mind being called a descendant of women who were stained with lawlessness, adultery and even incest. Through this genealogy, we are able to discover that God’s love is greater, wider and deeper than the universe. We can feel a deep gratitude for the sacrificial love of Jesus who endlessly humbled Himself even though He is God. The Word of the beginning came in the form of man, having his name listed among sinners in a human genealogy. Jesus’ genealogy is filled with evidence that attests of God’s agape love for sinners; Jesus Christ humbled Himself completely to the point of becoming a mockery among people in the genealogy (Ps 22:6–7).
(3) David—the only person in Matthew’s genealogy who is counted twice
As the person who concludes the first period and begins the second, David is the only person who is counted twice (Matt 1:17). David is highlighted because he concludes one period and begins another. Also, among the many kings who are mentioned in the genealogy, only David is given the title “king” (Matt 1:6). It is not a coincidence that the genealogy is structured in groups of 14 generations because 14 is the sum of the numerical values represented by the letters in David’s Hebrew name .21
Clearly, the central figure of the genealogy in Matthew 1 in introducing Jesus Christ is David, and the genealogy illustrates the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of David.22 David, as someone prefiguring Jesus Christ, became the central figure in the genealogy of Matthew 1. This shows that Jesus Christ would come not only to fulfill the things of the past, but also to open up a new era as the central figure of redemptive history, thereby expanding the meaning of the administration of redemption.
The promise of the eternally established kingdom, which was to come through a son in the Davidic covenant, is not the kingdom that would be built by David’s physical descendants; the promise ultimately points to the kingdom of God that would be established through Jesus Christ (Luke 1:31–33, 69; Rev 22:16).
2. Second Period—14 Generations of Kings from David to the Deportation to Babylon
The second period is one of disgrace and humiliation, listing the names of kings until eventually the Davidic line lost its kingship and the Israelites are tragically taken as captives into Babylon. Nevertheless, God did not forget the covenant that He made with David and continued to direct the flow of redemptive history with His sovereign grace and mercy.
The names listed in the second period of the genealogy in Matthew 1 are very similar to the names listed in the genealogy in 1 Chronicles (1 Chr 3:5–16). However, when comparing 1 Chronicles 3:11–12 to Matthew 1:8, we see that three kings between Joram and Uzziah (Azariah)—Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah—have been omitted in Matthew’s genealogy. Including Athaliah, who reigned over the kingdom after her son Ahaziah had died, four kings are omitted in Matthew’s record of the genealogy (2 Kgs 11:1–3; 2 Chr 22:10–12).
(1) The structure of the chronology (total of 406 years)
After David reigned in Hebron, he began his reign in Jerusalem in 1003 BC. Babylon’s second invasion of Jerusalem occurred in the same year as Jeconiah’s accession to the throne, in the 12th month of 598 BC according to the solar calendar. Jerusalem fell on the 16th day of the 3rd month in 597 BC when Jeconiah was taken captive to Babylon (2 Kgs 24:8–12; 2 Chr 36:9–10). Based on this historical data, we can deduce that the captivity to Babylon took place in 597 BC. Thus, the total duration of the second period is approximately 406 years from 1003 BC to 597 BC (See pp. 81–83, Excursus 1).
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King David – Solomon (Matt 1:6)
73 years which includes David’s 33-year reign in Jerusalem and Solomon’s reign of 40 years
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Rehoboam—Abijah—Asa—Jehoshaphat—Joram—Uzziah—Jotham—Ahaz—Hezekiah—Manasseh—Amon—Josiah (Matt 1:7–10)
332 years of the divided Kingdom
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(2) The woman listed in the second period of the genealogy—Uriah’s wife.
Matt 1:6b “David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” (NIV)
With regard to Uriah’s wife, many of the major English translations say, “…her who (that) had been the wife of Uriah” without mentioning the name “Bathsheba” (exceptions: NASB and NLT). The fact that the genealogy says, “Uriah’s wife” instead of the name “Bathsheba” is very significant. The specific reasons for this will be discussed in more detail in the forthcoming books in The History of Redemption series, but it is certain that Uriah’s faith is being emphasized.
It is truly significant that the second period of the genealogy, which includes the deportation to Babylon, begins with Uriah’s wife whom David took for himself. While troubled Gentile women such as Tamar, Rahab and Ruth helped continue the lineage from Abraham through David, David’s sin of taking Uriah’s wife marked the beginning of the decline of David’s royal line, and there has been no peace in the land since. It happened just as God said through Nathan the prophet: “Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (2 Sam 12:10). The consequence of David’s sin of adultery was the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the collapse of the nation and the Israelites’ deportation to Babylon.
3. Third Period—14 Generations from after the Deportation to Babylon to Jesus Christ
The third period was the time of earnest yearning for restoration from the hardship and disgrace suffered during the 70 years of Babylonian captivity. It was also a time of eager expectation for the Messiah because the Israelites became despondent by gentile nations’ constant attack when they returned from captivity and began to rebuild the temple.
(1) The structure of the chronology (total of 593 years)
The time span of the 14 generations from the exile into Babylon (597 BC) until the birth of Jesus Christ (4 BC) is approximately 593 years. Of the persons recorded in the third period—besides Shealtiel and Zerubbabel—Abihud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan and Jacob have nothing recorded about them in the Bible. An in-depth look into these figures will be explored in the forthcoming books in The History of Redemption series.
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Jeconiah—Shealtiel—Zerubbabel (Matt 1:12)
This was the time from Jeconiah’s deportation in 597 BC until the first return from captivity with Zerubbabel (as the central figure) and the Temple reconstruction in 516 BC (Ezra 6:15; Hag 1:1–2, 14–15).
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Abihud—Joseph (Matt 1:13–16)
