Romans 1:3

| Rom 1 |

3 concerning his Son, f who was descended from David [1] g according to the flesh

Matthew 1:1

| Matt 1 |

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 a The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, b the son of David, c the son of Abraham.

Translation Notes

[1] 1:3 Or who came from the offspring of David

My Notes

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Matt. 1:1–2:23 The Arrival in History of Jesus the Messiah. Matthew's introduction echoes the language of Genesis. The word rendered “genealogy” (1:1) is Greek genesis (“beginning, origin, birth, genealogy”), and this is also the title of the Greek translation of Genesis, implying that it is a book of “beginnings.” “The book of the genealogy” appears to function not only as a heading for the genealogy itself (1:2–17) but also as a title for the entire story to follow: a new beginning with the arrival of Jesus the Messiah and the kingdom of God (cf. note on Gen. 2:4).

Matt. 1:1–17 The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. Jews kept extensive genealogies to establish a person's heritage, inheritance, legitimacy, and rights (cf. Josephus, Life of Josephus 1–6). Matthew likely draws on the genealogies of the OT, with some omissions (see note on Matt. 1:17). He demonstrates Jesus' legal claim to the throne of David, emphasizing Jesus' legal descent from David and Abraham, while Luke's genealogical record (Luke 3:23–38) emphasizes Jesus' biological descent from David and Adam.

Matt. 1:1 The book of the genealogy. The Gospel's opening words carried special significance for a Jewish audience, whose ancestry was inseparably intertwined with the covenants God made with Israel. Jesus (Gk. Iēsous) was the historical, everyday name, and is Yeshua‘/Yehoshua‘ (Joshua) in Hebrew, meaning “Yahweh saves” (Neh. 7:7; cf. Matt. 1:21). Christ (Gk. Christos, from Hb. mashiakh, “anointed”) points back to David as the anointed king of Israel. The designation “Messiah” came to summarize several strands of OT expectation, especially the promise of an “anointed one” who would righteously rule God's people (2 Sam. 7:11b–16). Son of David evoked images of a Messiah with a royal lineage who would reestablish the throne in Jerusalem and the kingdom of Israel. son of Abraham. God's covenant with Abraham established Israel as a chosen people and also affirmed that the whole world would be blessed through his line (Gen. 12:1–3; 22:18).