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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Matthew 1:1-17

Concerning this genealogy of our Saviour, observe, I. The title of it. It is the book (or the account, as the Hebrew word sepher, a book, sometimes signifies) of the generation of Jesus Christ, of his ancestors according to the flesh; or, It is the narrative of his birth. It is Biblos Geneseos?a book of Genesis. The Old Testament begins with the book of the generation of the world, and it is its glory that it does so; but the glory of the New Testament herein excelleth, that it begins with the... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Matthew 1:18-25

The mystery of Christ's incarnation is to be adored, not pried into. If we know not the way of the Spirit in the formation of common persons, nor how the bones are formed in the womb of any one that is with child (Eccl. 11:5), much less do we know how the blessed Jesus was formed in the womb of the blessed virgin. When David admires how he himself was made in secret, and curiously wrought (Ps. 139:13-16), perhaps he speaks in the spirit of Christ's incarnation. Some circumstances attending the... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 1:1-17

1:1-17 This is the record of the lineage of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob. Jacob begat Judah and his brothers. Judah begat Phares and Zara, whose mother was Thamar. Phares begat Esrom. Esrom begat Aram. Aram begat Aminadab. Aminadab begat Naasson. Naasson begat Salmon. Salmon begat Booz, whose mother was Rachab. Booz begat Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed begat Jesse. Jesse begat David, the king. David begat... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 1:1-17

There is something symbolic of the whole of human life in the way in which this pedigree is arranged. It is arranged in three sections, and the three sections are based on three great stages in Jewish history. The first section takes the history down to David. David was the man who welded Israel into a nation, and made the Jews a power in the world. The first section takes the story down to the rise of Israel's greatest king. The second section takes the story down to the exile to Babylon.... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 1:1-17

This passage stresses two special things about Jesus. (i) It stresses the fact that he was the son of David. It was, indeed, mainly to prove this that the genealogy was composed. The New Testament stresses this again and again. Peter states it in the first recorded sermon of the Christian Church ( Acts 2:29-36 ). Paul speaks of Jesus Christ descended from David according to the flesh ( Romans 1:3 ). The writer of the Pastoral Epistles urges men to remember that Jesus Christ, descended... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 1:1-17

By far the most amazing thing about this pedigree is the names of the women who appear in it. It is not normal to find the names of women in Jewish pedigrees at all. The woman had no legal rights; she was regarded, not as a person, but as a thing. She was merely the possession of her father or of her husband, and in his disposal to do with as he liked. In the regular form of morning prayer the Jew thanked God that he had not made him a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. The very existence of... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 1:18-25

1:18-25 The birth of Jesus Christ happened in this way. Mary, His mother, was betrothed to Joseph, and, before they became man and wife, it was discovered that she was carrying a child in her womb through the action of the Holy Spirit. Although Joseph, her husband, was a man who kept the law, he did not wish publicly to humiliate her, so he wished to divorce her secretly. When he was planning this, behold, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of David" said the angel,... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 1:18-25

This passage tells us how Jesus was born by the action of the Holy Spirit. It tells us of what we call the Virgin Birth. This is a doctrine which presents us with many difficulties; and our Church does not compel us to accept it in the literal and the physical sense. This is one of the doctrines on which the Church says that we have full liberty to come to our own conclusion. At the moment we are concerned only to find out what this means for us. If we come to this passage with fresh eyes,... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Matthew 1:18-25

(iii) The Jews specially connected the Spirit of God with the work of creation. It was through his Spirit that God performed his creating work. In the beginning the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and chaos became a world ( Genesis 1:2 ). "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made," said the Psalmist, "and all their host by the breath of his mouth" ( Psalms 33:6 ). (Both in Hebrew: ruwach ( Hebrew #7307 ) , and in Greek: pneuma ( Greek #4151 ) , the word for... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 1:16

And Jacob begat Joseph ,.... According to an old tradition mentioned by F16 Contra Haeres. l. 3. Haeres. 78. Epiphanins, this Jacob, the father of Joseph, was named Panther, and which name perhaps is originally Jewish; and it may be observed, that Joseph is sometimes called by the Jewish writers Pandera F17 Toldos Jesu, p. 3. , and Jesus בן פנדירא , the son of Pandira F18 T. Hieros. Avoda Zara, fol. 40. 4. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 14. 2. & Midrash Kohelet, fol. 81. 1. .... read more

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