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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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1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: ✦ 2Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. ✦ 3Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. ✦ 4Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. ✦ 5Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, ✦ 6and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. ✦ 7Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. ✦ 8Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. ✦ 9Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. ✦ 10Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. ✦ 11Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. ✦ 12And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. ✦ 13Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. 16And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. ✦ 17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. ✦ 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ✦ 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ✦ 20But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ✦ 21And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ✦ 22So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ✦ 23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” ✦ 24Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ✦ 25and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus. ✦

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

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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 →