And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jacob became the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
- BSB and Jacob the father of 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.
- NASB Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
- NLT Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The line ends not "Joseph the father of Jesus" but with Jesus born of Mary, Joseph's wife. The careful wording guards the truth of the virgin birth.
Overview
Matthew breaks the pattern of "became the father of" to avoid saying Joseph physically fathered Jesus. Joseph is named as Mary's husband, giving Jesus legal Davidic descent, while "from whom" (referring to Mary) preserves that Jesus was born of her alone. "Who is called Christ" identifies him as the long-awaited Anointed One toward whom the whole genealogy pointed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Matt 27:17Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
- Luke 3:23And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
- John 4:25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
- Matt 27:22Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
- Luke 1:31–35And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
- Mark 6:3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
- Matt 2:13And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
- Luke 1:27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
- Luke 2:48And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
- Luke 2:7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
- Luke 4:22And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
- Luke 2:10–11And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
- Luke 2:4–5And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
- Matt 1:18–25Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Pastoral
On the genealogy and the name Immanuel.
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 1:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.