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Matthew 1

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Quick answer

Matthew opens with Jesus' genealogy and birth, presenting him as the son of David and son of Abraham — Immanuel, "God with us."

The genealogy is a theological argument: Jesus is the promised king and the one through whom the nations are blessed. The virgin birth is read as the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 — God has come to be with his people.

Part of The Genealogy and Birth of Jesus📖 Matthew introduction

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1This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: ✦ 2Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. ✦ 3Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. ✦ 4Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. ✦ 5Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, ✦ 6and Jesse the father of David the king. Next: David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife, ✦ 7Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. ✦ 8Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. ✦ 9Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. ✦ 10Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, ✦ 11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. ✦ 12After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, ✦ 13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. ✦ 17In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. ✦ 18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. ✦ 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly. ✦ 20But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ✦ 21She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” ✦ 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ✦ 23“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”). ✦ 24When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and embraced Mary as his wife. ✦ 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus. ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

In this chapter

Person / place AbrahamPerson / place DavidPerson / place Jesus of NazarethConcept ImmanuelConcept Messiah / Christ

Where this chapter connects

Luke 1 ·12Luke 2 ·111 Chr 3 ·8Matt 2 ·7Luke 3 ·7Matt 1 ·6Gen 38 ·51 Chr 2 ·5

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 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.

Resources, by level

Lay

  • ★ Start hereDocumentaryFollowing the MessiahAppian Media · Free · evangelical

    A free, beautifully shot 10-part series walking the lands of Jesus' life — Bethlehem, Galilee, Jerusalem, and more.

  • ★ Start hereVideoBibleProject — video overviews & word studiesBibleProject · 5–10 min · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overviews of every book of the Bible, plus themes and Hebrew/Greek word studies — the best visual on-ramp to any book. (Biblical-theology, broadly evangelical, not distinctly Reformed.)

  • ★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical

    A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

  • DocumentaryHolyLandSiteHolyLandSite · Free · evangelical

    Free on-location videos tying biblical events to the actual sites in Israel — the Temple Mount, Galilee, Capernaum, and more.

  • ApologeticsCold-Case Christianity (J. Warner Wallace)J. Warner Wallace · Free · evangelical

    A cold-case homicide detective examines the Gospels' reliability — forensic faith for skeptics and seekers.

Pastoral

  • SermonGrace to You — John MacArthurJohn MacArthur · Free · reformed

    Decades of careful verse-by-verse expository sermons, especially through the New Testament. (MacArthur, d. 2025; archive remains free.)

  • DocumentaryThat the World May KnowRay Vander Laan · Paid · evangelical

    Ray Vander Laan's on-location series immersing you in the Bible's historical and cultural world. (Mostly paid via Focus on the Family; some free clips.)

  • SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical

    Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

  • CommentaryCommentary on Matthew 1Matthew Henry · Free

    On the genealogy and the name Immanuel.

Commentaries & study tools

Matthew 2 →