Matthew 1:1 Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
From Textus Receptus
Verse 1
1. Βίβλος γενέσεως, ‘Book of generation,’ i.e. the pedigree extracted from the public archives which were carefully preserved and placed under the special care of the Sanhedrin. The expression recalls, perhaps designedly, Genesis 5:1 αὕτη ἡ βίβλος γενέσεως ἀνθρώπων.
[1] The genealogy is an answer to the question which would be asked by every Jew of any one who claimed to be the Messiah, ‘Is he of the house of David?’ for by no name was the Messiah more frequently spoken of by Jews and by foreigners (see ch. Matthew 15:22), and designated in the Talmud, than by that of the Son of David.
[2] Both this genealogy and that in St Luke’s Gospel trace Joseph’s descent. But see below, Matthew 1:16.
[3] St Matthew traces the pedigree from Abraham, the Father of the Chosen Race, through David, from whose house the Messiah was expected; St Luke, true to the scope of his Gospel, traces it from the common Father of Jew and Gentile.
[4] St Matthew gives the royal succession, St Luke, the family lineage. This accounts for many variations in names.
[5] This genealogy descends from father to son, and is therefore probably the more exact transcript of the original document. St Luke’s ascends from son to father.
