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Grant R. Osborne (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He has been at Trinity since 1977. His areas of expertise include the Gospels, hermeneutics, and the book of Revelation. His numerous publications include The Hermeneutical Spiral and commentaries on Revelation, Romans, John, and Matthew.

Clinton E. Arnold (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is research professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, California. He has authored many books and commentaries, including Ephesians in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series and Acts in the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary.

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Designed for the pastor and Bible teacher, the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament examines the biblical text in its original
environment. Notable evangelical scholars carefully attend to grammatical detail, literary context, rhetorical flow, theological nuance, and historical setting in their interpretation. Critical scholarship informs each step, but does not dominate the commentary, allowing readers to concentrate on the biblical author's message as it unfolds. While primarily designed for those with
a basic knowledge of biblical Greek, all who strive to understand and teach the New Testament will find this series beneficial. The general editor for this enterprising series is Clinton E. Arnold The following focused sections help readers understand
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Theology in Application: Discusses how the message of the text fits within the book itself and in a broader biblical-theological context, suggesting applications
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Matthew

Zondervan

Contents

Series Introduction.....................9Author's Preface........................13Abbreviations...........................15Introduction............................21Select Bibliography.....................49Commentary..............................57Theology of Matthew.....................1086Scripture Index.........................1108Subject Index...........................1138Author Index............................1148

Chapter One

Literary Context

Matthew begins with genealogical proof that Jesus is indeed the Davidic Messiah and that God has sovereignly controlled his ancestry. This proves that Jesus is the son of Abraham and of David and sets the tone for the rest of the book. As Bruner says, Matthew "turns dull genealogy into evangelism and a birth story into a lexicon for the names of God."

I. Jesus' Origin and Preparation for Ministry (1:1-4:11)

A. The Birth and Infancy of Jesus (1:1-2:23)

1. The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (1:1-17)

2. The Virginal Conception(1:18-25)

3. The Visit of the Magi(2:1-12)

Main Idea

Matthew shows that Jesus is the expected Davidic Messiah, whose pedigree demonstrates his claim. At the same time he shows that the lineage of Jesus goes beyond Jewish heritage to embrace the Gentiles as well, thereby preparing for his theme of universal mission.

Structure and Literary Form

These verses parallel Luke 3:23-38, but the two probably do not have a common source (Q), for they go in two directions with quite different names from David to Christ. There were two types of genealogies: ascending (cf. Luke), moving from the birth of the individual to the ancestors, containing common names not found elsewhere; and descending (cf. Matthew), moving from the ancestors to the person; the latter type normally had more elaboration, as is the case with Matthew, with famous biblical ancestors named. Matthew shows the direct royal line only from Abraham up to Christ, whereas Luke goes through David's son Nathan (Matthew has Solomon) down through Abraham to Adam in order to stress Jesus as "Son of God" (cf. Luke 3:22, 38; 4:3).

It has often been argued that Matthew provides Joseph's line and Luke gives Mary's; but this is doubtful because Matthew, not Luke, stresses the women; and Luke 3:23 begins with Joseph, not Mary. Both center on Joseph's line, with Matthew showing the legal throne succession and Luke the actual line. The names in the two lists are the same from Abraham to David but diverge greatly from David to Joseph, again because Matthew centers on the royal line and Luke on the common line.

Matthew's list consists of a heading (1:1) followed by three sections of fourteen names each (cf. 1:17), although in reality only the second set has fourteen. The three are:

vv. 2-6a: Abraham to David-thirteen names vv. 6b-11: David to the exile-fourteen names vv. 12-16: the exile to Christ-thirteen names

There are fourteen names in the first series if David is counted. The problem is that there are only thirteen generations (periods between names). This is resolved by simply assuming that Matthew is counting the generation leading to Abraham. In the second series, there are fourteen names only if David is not counted, so there are fourteen full generations (periods between names). In the third series, there are fourteen names if you count Christ, so like the first series, you have to count the generation leading up to Jeconiah as the first. The importance of this is seen in v. 17, which claims fourteen names for each list.

The question is the meaning of the number fourteen. A couple of interesting theories posit that Matthew measures fourteen generations (of thirty-five years each = 490 years) from the captivity to Jesus, thus reenacting Daniel's seventy weeks of years (= 490 years, cf. Dan 9:24-27) or that the 3 x 14 = 6 x 7, with Jesus beginning the seventh seven or "the dawn of the eternal Sabbath." However, the most likely explanation for a Jewish gospel like Matthew's finds the key in gematria, stemming from the practice of using letters of the alphabet for numbers. Thus every name or phrase also had a numerical significance by adding up the letters. For our purposes the name David (dwd in Hebrew [vowels were introduced later]) added up to fourteen (d = 4, w = 6, so 4 + 6 + 4 = 14). The only drawback is that Matthew is writing in Greek, not Hebrew, but since this is meant mainly for Christian Jews, the approach is still valid. Matthew is thus suggesting by this arrangement of the genealogy that Jesus is the Son of David or the royal Messiah.

Explanation of the Text

Genealogies had many uses in the ancient world. Since society was organized as a whole around kinship patterns, lists that describe actual kinship relationships were central as "the basis for regulating social interaction, marriage, and inheritance," with both horizontal (those on the same genealogical level considered social equals) and vertical (their status in society determined by the level of ancestry they occupy). The genealogy here is a linear type used by rulers to justify their power, rank, and status. At the same time it is used to state political relationships between families by noting a common ancestor (Abraham, the father of the nation) and at the same time the three groups of fourteen (gematria for "David," see above) showing the special status of the ruler (the royal Messiah descending from David).

These verses also function as the prologue for Matthew's gospel, and the purpose of the prologue in every gospel (e.g., Mark 1:1-15; John 1:1-18) is to tell the reader who this Jesus really is; in the rest of the book we then see the participants (the leaders, the crowds, the disciples, and the demons) wrestling with these truths. The genealogy sets the tone for the book but especially for the birth of Jesus in the next scene, telling us that it is no ordinary event but the birth of the expected Messiah (1:18-25), the Anointed One in the line of ancestry from Abraham and David. Thus it is no wonder that the Magi make a state visit to this King of kings and that they bear royal gifts (2:1-12); it is also natural that Herod is so threatened by this God-sent Messiah that he tries to kill him before his reign can replace Herod's (2:13-23). Yet in it all God is sovereign and supernaturally intervenes in world history to protect his Chosen One (2:12, 13-15, 22). This basic theme (to be seen again in the resurrection narratives) will dominate the opening and closing scenes of Matthew's gospel.

1:1 This is a record of the genealogy ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). This can be translated in different ways depending on whether it refers to the whole book ("record of the history," so Zahn, Davies and Allison, Morris), to the first unit of the book, namely 1:1-4:16 ("record of the origins," so Kingsbury), to the first two chapters ("record of the birth," so Carson, Blomberg), or to this section itself ("record of the genealogy," so Brown, Gundry, Hagner, Nolland). A great deal can be said for a reference to the birth narratives (chs. 1-2) as a whole, since genesis is used in 1:18 for the conception of Jesus; but it is probably best to restrict it to the genealogy itself (still, there is double meaning, with "genealogy" primary here but still connoting the "origin" as well).

Vv. 1 and 17 frame the genealogy and center on the three names in a chiastic arrangement (Christ/David/Abraham in v. 1; Abraham/David/ Christ in v. 17; see Hagner, 5). The phrase in 1:1a is taken from Gen 2:4; 5:1 (cf. Gen 6:1; 10:1; 11:10, 27 etc.), where it introduces genealogies or historical narrative and hints here that Jesus fulfills these events and brings a new beginning or new creation.

1:1 ... of Jesus the Messiah ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Matthew actually has "of Jesus Christ" (without the article, which often is a proper name rather than a title). However, Matthew uses Christos only sixteen times ("Jesus" appears 150 times), usually with titular force (except possibly 1:18, though as continuing this verse the force may be there), and here its coupling with "Son of David" demands a messianic thrust.

The "Messiah," or "Anointed One," was the subject of great speculation in the first century. Evans shows that many later ideas were not found prior to AD 70, such as that the Messiah would perform miracles, be preexistent, or suffer death. The Jews expected a victorious, conquering Messiah, with a wide variety of images, such as an anointed figure (1 En. 48:10, 52:4; 4 Ezra 7:28-9; CD 12:23-13:1, 14:19), a prince (CD 7:19-20; 1QM 3:16; Sib. Or. 3:460), a branch of David (4Q161 frags. 7-10 iii 22; 4Q1174 frags. 1-3 i 11), the scepter (1QSb 5:27-8, 4Q 161 frags. 2-6 ii 17), Son of God (4Q246 1:9, 2:1), and Son of Man (1 En. 46:11-5, 52:4, 62:1-15; 4 Ezra 13:3). Of special interest are the priestly and royal figures of Qumran (1QS 9:11; CD 12:23-13:1, 14:19, 19:10-11, 20:1). However, the one thing they all had in common was that he would liberate Israel from her enemies.

1:1 ... the son of David ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). This is certainly a messianic title (though the anarthrous form stresses more the theological [qualitative] aspect than the titular), developing during the exilic period to explain how the promise to David of an eternal throne would be kept (2 Sam 7:10-16; cf. Ps 89:3-4; 132:11-12; Isa 9:7) and how God would send a "righteous Branch" to remove foreign oppressors from the land and return it to Israel (Jer 23:5-8; Ezek 17:22; 37:21-28). This expectation continued in the intertestamental period (Pss Sol 17-18; 1QM 11:1-18; 4QFlor 1:11-14). Jesus' disciples held that view, as seen in James and John wanting the seats of power in Jesus' kingdom (Matt 20:21) and Peter cutting the ear off the high priest's slave (John 18:10-11; cf. Acts 1:6). In Matthew, however, the emphasis is obviously not on destroying Israel's enemies but on the fulfillment of prophecy. The deliverance Jesus offers is not political but spiritual (and physical via healing, cf. 9:27; 15:22; 20:31). Matthew mentions David seventeen times, five times in this section alone; and the title occurs ten times, six of which are specific to Matthew. Jesus' fulfilling Davidic expectations is critical to this gospel.

1:1 ... the son of Abraham ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). This is not a messianic title here, though in some Jewish circles it may have been (cf. T. Levi 8:15). First, it means Jesus is a true Israelite who can trace his ancestry back to Abraham. Yet also he fulfills the promise of Abraham, who was given the great covenant, and in him "all peoples on earth will be blessed" (Gen 12:3; 15:5; 18:18; 22:18). The two great covenants, that of Abraham and of David, come to full expression in Jesus, and the purpose of this genealogy is to make this evident. Matthew will emphasize the Abraham theme often (3:9; 8:11; 22:32, cf. 21:33-44; 25:31-46), and he is likely presenting Jesus as the one who fulfills the Abrahamic promise to bring God's blessing to the nations.

1:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). "Was the father of" ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], lit., "gave birth to") here refers to the father's role in the birth process for the purpose of the genealogy. Matthew begins with Abraham because he is the father of the nation, and through him God elected his covenant people.

1:2 Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Judah is singled out from the patriarchs because the royal line ascends through him, and the "scepter" and "ruler's staff" belonged to him (Gen 49:10; cf. Heb 7:14; Rev 5:5). The added "and his brothers" (nowhere else in the genealogy) points to the centrality of the twelve tribes as the covenant people. Jesus' choice of twelve disciples (see below) fulfills this symbolism as the new covenant people. Christ has come to bring deliverance to all Israel.

1:3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Matthew mentions both Perez and Zerah because they were twins (Gen 38:27-30). The book of Ruth ends with the genealogy of Perez to David (Ruth 4:18-22), showing that a major purpose of that book was to trace the Davidic line and to show that Ruth through her faithful devotion was a worthy ancestress to David.

1:3 ... whose mother was Tamar ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (lit., "out of") connotes origin, and with a woman this preposition means "whose mother was." Matthew mentions four women in the list - Tamar, Rahab (v. 5a), Ruth (v. 5b), and the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba, v. 6). This is unusual in Jewish genealogies, and several explanations are possible. (1) The emphasis could be on the illegitimacy and sexual sin connected with them (Tamar's incest with her father-in-law Judah, Rahab's prostitution, Ruth a Moabitess who may have seduced Boaz, and Bathsheba's adultery with David); if so, the message is Christ's power to forgive and perhaps also on their foreshadowing the scandal of Mary's illegitimate pregnancy and shame before outsiders (showing how God overcomes such).

(2) All four women were foreigners and Gentiles (Tamar the Canaanite or from Aram, Rahab from Jericho, Ruth the Moabitess, and Bathsheba the wife of a Hittite). This along with the appearance of the Magi stresses at the outset the Gentile mission toward which Matthew is building (28:18-20) and shows that all humanity is involved in the birth of the Messiah.

(3) All four are present as a result of divine providence; God works his will in the most unlikely ways, and that is exactly what has led to the birth of Jesus.

None of the these explanations is without objection (there is little concrete evidence for Ruth's sexual sin or for the foreign birth of Tamar or Bathsheba), but a growing number of scholars consider all viable. Putting them together, God in his providence saw fit to include women who were foreigners and sinners in the royal lineage of Jesus so as to show that he is God not only of righteous Jews but of all humanity and that he has come to bring salvation to the whole world of humanity. Moreover, they foreshadow Mary and provide a rationale for God's choice of an unwed mother to bear the Messiah.

1:3 Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Hezron, grandson of Judah by Tamar (Gen 38:29), was part of the seventy who migrated with Jacob to Egypt (46:12) and lent his name to the Hezronites, an important clan in southern Judea (Num 26:6), from which came David's family through his son Ram (1 Chr 2:9 - 15; cf. Ruth 4:18-19).

1:4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Approximately four hundred years are covered from Perez to Amminadab, demanding the omission of several names from the list. This follows the genealogical lists in 1 Chr 2:10-11; Ruth 4:19-20. Amminadab not only fathered Nahshon, chief of the tribe of Judah in the wilderness (Num 2:3), but also Elishebah, the wife of Aaron (Exod 6:23). Nahshon helped conduct the census in Num 1:7 and led Judah to its place at the head of the tribes at the departure from Mount Sinai (Num 10:14). Nothing is said of Salmon apart from his name in genealogies. Mainly he is the father of Boaz (next verse).

1:5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Rahab was the prostitute who saved the spies at Jericho by hiding them in her house (Josh 2; 6), and this is almost certainly the same Rahab. The problem is that she lived two hundred years earlier, but as in vv. 3-4 there are likely several generations omitted from the list. It means she is the ancestress of Boaz. Later Rahab was considered a proselyte who married Joshua and was the ancestress of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (b. Meg. 14b, 15a). In the NT she is seen as a woman of faith in Heb 11:31 and an example of faith leading to works in Jas 2:25.

1:5 Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]). Boaz was the wealthy landowner who rescued Ruth from poverty and became her "kinsman-redeemer" by purchasing the property from Naomi (Ruth 4:3) and marrying Ruth, thereby "maintaining the name" of her deceased husband Mahlon (Ruth 4:10). He was an example of covenant faithfulness and a worthy progenitor of David (seventh in the genealogical list of Ruth 4:18-22). Obed was the son given to the couple to reward their faithfulness and was thereby the grandfather of David.

(Continues...)

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