Year of the Bible
Matthew 1
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Overview of Chapter 1 of the Gospel of Matthew:
Saint Matthew presents [Jesus’] genealogy in a series of three stages of salvation history, attributing fourteen generations to each stage (cf. v. 17) even though the stages are not all of the same length. He is clearly using numbers as part of his argument. In Hebrew, the numerical values of the consonants of the word David (D [= 4] plus V [= 6] plus D [= 4]) is fourteen; thus Matthew is pointing out that Jesus is the true Son of David…
In the Bible, genealogies have significance beyond that of a simple list of a person’s ancestors, a record of his lineage. We know that when the Jews returned from exile in Babylon (cf. Ezra 2:21–62; Neh 7:64), the position of each person, in terms of rights and obligations, depended on his link with a tribe, clan or family. … It is significant that the evangelist uses the same wording (“[was] the father of”) to link all the names from Abraham to Joseph; but in v.16 he uses different wording (“of whom Jesus was born”), thereby drawing attention to the action of God in the virginal conception of Jesus. Jesus, God’s Son, is Son of David through Joseph.
The Gospel of Saint Matthew; Chapter 1: The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, 8 and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of She-alti-el, and She-alti-el the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerub-babel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; 19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. 20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; 21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
Daily Lectio Divina Question for Today:
From the stump of a nearly-dead family tree, God is doing a new thing to bring healing at the root: the sun of justice arises, Emmanuel, God with us. Lord, what are the roots of sin from which you want to save, to heal in me?
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006). Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this. If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further
Bible commentary provided by The Navarre Bible: NT Expanded Edition; (New York: Four Courts Press; Scepter Publishers, 2005)
Mateo 1
1 Genealogía de Jesucristo, hijo de David,
hijo de Abrahán.
2 Abrahán engendró a Isaac, Isaac
engendró a Jacob, Jacob engendró a
Judá y a sus hermanos, 3 Judá engendró
a Farés y a Zara de Tamar, Farés engendró
a Esrón, Esrón engendró a Aram,
4 Aram engendró a Aminadab, Aminadab
engendró a Naasón, Naasón engendró
a Salmón, 5 Salmón engendró a
Booz de Rahab, Booz engendró a Obed
de Rut, Obed engendró a Jesé, 6 Jesé engendró
al rey David.
David engendró a Salomón de la que
fue mujer de Urías, 7 Salomón engendró
a Roboán, Roboán engendró a Abías,
Abías engendró a Asá, 8 Asá engendró a
Josafat, Josafat engendró a Jorán, Jorán
engendró a Ozías, 9 Ozías engendró a
Joatán, Joatán engendró a Acaz, Acaz
engendró a Ezequías, 10 Ezequías engendró
a Manasés, Manasés engendró
a Amón, Amón engendró a Josías, 11 Josías
engendró a Jeconías y a sus hermanos
cuando la deportación a Babilonia.
12 Después de la deportación a Babilonia,
Jeconías engendró a Salatiel, Salatiel
engendró a Zorobabel, 13 Zorobabel
engendró a Abiud, Abiud engendró
a Eliacim, Eliacim engendró a Azor,
14 Azor engendró a Sadoc, Sadoc engendró
a Aquim, Aquim engendró a Eliud,
15 Eliud engendró a Eleazar, Eleazar engendró
a Matán, Matán engendró a Jacob,
16 Jacob engendró a José, el esposo
de María, de la cual nació Jesús llamado
Cristo.
17 Por lo tanto, son catorce todas las
generaciones desde Abrahán hasta David,
y catorce generaciones desde David
hasta la deportación a Babilonia, y
también catorce las generaciones desde
la deportación a Babilonia hasta Cristo.
18 La generación de Jesucristo fue así:
María, su madre, estaba desposada con
José, y antes de que conviviesen se encontró
con que había concebido en su
seno por obra del Espíritu Santo.
19 José, su esposo, como era justo y
no quería exponerla a infamia, pensó
repudiarla en secreto. 20 Consideraba él
estas cosas, cuando un ángel del Señor
se le apareció en sueños y le dijo:
–José, hijo de David, no temas recibir
a María, tu esposa, porque lo que en
ella ha sido concebido es obra del Espíritu
Santo. 21 Dará a luz un hijo y le pondrás
por nombre Jesús, porque él salvará
a su pueblo de sus pecados.
22 Todo esto sucedió para que se
cumpliera lo que dijo el Señor por medio
del Profeta:
23 Mirad, la virgen concebirá y dará a
luz un hijo,
a quien pondrán por nombre Emmanuel,
que significa Dios–con–nosotros.
24 Al despertarse, José hizo lo que el
ángel del Señor le había ordenado, y recibió
a su esposa. 25 Y, sin que la hubiera
conocido, dio ella a luz un hijo; y le puso
por nombre Jesús.
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).