Matthew 1

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:13

And Zorobabel ( Zerubbabel , Revised Version) begat Abiad . Here the two lines of pedigree in St. Matthew and St. Luke seem tc separate, and not to converge again till we come to Matthan (or Matthat), the grandfather of Joseph, which name is common to both. The Bishop of Bath and Wells has shown some reason for supposing that Rhesa , mentioned in St. Luke as Zerubbabel's son, is merely a title signifying "a chief," and also for identifying Hananiah, who is called a son of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:15

Eleazar begat Matthan . St. Luke makes Matthat (or Hatthan; the names are from the same root, and in some texts are identical), to be the son of Levi. This is probably the actual fact. St. Luke seems to have traced the genealogy from Zerubbabel through a younger, son, St. Matthew through an elder. But the elder line failing, Matthan, the son of Levi, of the younger branch, becomes heir to, and is called son or, Eleazar, of the senior line. As the promise of the Messiah was to the house of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:16

And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary . St. Luke calls Joseph "the son of Heli." There are two ways in which these differing statements may be made to accord. The two sons of Matthan were Jacob the elder, and Heli the younger. It may be that Mary was the only child of Jacob, and Joseph the son of Heli. Then by marriage with his cousin, Joseph would become Jacob's son as well as Heli's. Or it may be that Jacob died without children, and Heli, marrying his widow according to the Jewish... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:17

Fourteen generations . To make the list more easy to remember, the names were so ordered that there should be the same number in each of the three divisions. Thus a means was afforded of checking the correctness of the enumeration, and the list became a sort of memoria technica. Unto Christ; better here, unto the Christ. For now begins the history which tells of this Jesus as the specially Anointed One of God, the true Messiah, of which all the previously anointed messengers had been but... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

Now the birth ( Matthew 1:1 , note). γέννησις ("generation") of the received text refers to the causative act, the true reading ( γένεσις ) to the birth itself (cf. Luke 1:14 ). Of Jesus Christ was on this wise . The Revised Version margin says, "Some ancient authorities read, 'of the Christ,'" but perhaps the reading, "of Christ Jesus" (B [Origen]), is even preferable, as in no good manuscript of the New Testament is the article elsewhere prefixed to "Jesus Christ," and the easy... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

Nativity of our Lord. I. SUPERNATURAL ORIGIN OF THE HUMAN NATURE OF OUR LORD . He who came to be a new Head and Source of life to humanity could scarcely be the product of the old stock. All other men have sprung from Adam; all that has appeared in humanity is the evolution of what was in the first man. No new blood has been infused into the race. But in Christ a new beginning is made. As a matter of fact, he has never been accounted for by natural causes. His distinctive... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

Joseph's testimony. After giving the genealogy of Jesus, the evangelist proceeds to furnish important particulars of the history of his generation and birth. In these he brings out prominently the notable testimony of Joseph in proof of the Christship of Jesus. We note— I. THAT JOSEPH IS A CREDIBLE WITNESS . 1 . He was a righteous man. (a) True righteousness is merciful. Of this the gospel of our salvation furnishes glorious illustration. (b) Leniency devoid of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

The mystery of the Incarnation. Christianity starts with a miracle. It is a miracle altogether so stupendous and so unique that its reception settles the whole question of the possibility of the miraculous. He who can believe that God shadowed himself to our apprehension in the likeness of a man, he who can recognize in the Babe of Bethlehem, both the Son of God and the Son of Mary, will find that no equal demand is ever afterwards made upon his faculty of faith. Both Testaments begin with a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

The Holy Ghost before Pentecost. We are so accustomed to associate the term "Holy Ghost" with the descent of the Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost, that it seems strange to us to find it used by the evangelists even in the early portions of their Gospels. But there is no proper authority for connecting the term exclusively with Pentecost. Properly speaking, there is nothing peculiar or distinctive in the term. "Spirit" and "Ghost" are synonyms. "Holy Spirit" may properly be put wherever... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18-25

JESUS THE CHRIST BY DIVINE ORIGIN . Recorded by Matthew only. The frequent similarity of language found in Luke 1:26-35 ( vide ' Synopticon ') is probably due to the fact that Joseph and Mary not unnaturally fell into the way of using the same words to express two messages of similar import. The object of this paragraph is to show that Messiah was in origin not of man but of God. This fact was accepted even by his reputed father Joseph, who was only convinced of it after... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:13

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:15

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 1:18-25

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