Matthew 1:17

Letters to the Faithful - Matthew 1:17

Berean Standard Bible

In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

King James Bible

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Greek Text:

Πᾶσαι οὖν αἱ γενεαὶ ἀπὸ Ἀβραὰμ ἕως Δαυὶδ γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, καὶ ἀπὸ Δαυὶδ ἕως τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος ἕως τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες.

Transliteration:

Pasai oun hai geneai apo Abraam heōs Dauid geneai dekatessares, kai apo Dauid heōs tēs metoikesias Babylōnos geneai dekatessares, kai apo tēs metoikesias Babylōnos heōs tou Christou geneai dekatessares.

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In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David

This phrase highlights the genealogical structure Matthew uses to present Jesus' lineage. The number fourteen is significant in Jewish numerology, often symbolizing completeness or a double measure of spiritual perfection. Abraham is the patriarch of the Israelites, and David is the archetypal king, representing the covenantal promises God made to His people. This genealogy underscores Jesus' rightful place in the line of David, fulfilling the promise of a Messiah from David's lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-16).

fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon

The period from David to the Babylonian exile marks a time of both glory and decline for Israel. David's reign established Jerusalem as the political and spiritual center, but subsequent kings led the nation into idolatry and disobedience, resulting in exile. The exile to Babylon was a pivotal event in Jewish history, symbolizing judgment and the need for redemption. This period also reflects the prophetic warnings given by prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, who spoke of both judgment and future hope.

and fourteen from the exile to the Christ

The final set of fourteen generations leads to the birth of Jesus, the Christ, fulfilling the prophecies of a coming Savior. This period includes the return from exile and the rebuilding of the temple, yet the Jewish people remained under foreign rule, longing for deliverance. Jesus' arrival as the Christ signifies the fulfillment of messianic prophecies, such as those in Isaiah 9:6-7 and Micah 5:2, and the establishment of a new covenant. The structure of three sets of fourteen generations emphasizes God's sovereign plan and the culmination of history in the person of Jesus Christ.

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In the sacred words of Matthew 1:17, "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations," we behold a divine chronicle, penned by the hand of the Evangelist under the Spirit’s guidance, unveiling the lineage of the Messiah as a tapestry of God’s eternal purpose. This verse, a capstone to the genealogy of Jesus Christ, is no mere tally of names but a proclamation of the Almighty’s sovereign hand, weaving the threads of human history into a pattern of redemption, each generation a step toward the fulfillment of His promise.

The Evangelist, with measured cadence, divides the generations into three epochs, each marked by fourteen names, a number resonant with the Hebrew reverence for order and meaning, perchance echoing the numerical value of David’s name in gematria, where the letters of his name (דוד, DWD, 4+6+4) sum to fourteen, anchoring the lineage in the promise of a kingly throne. Yet beyond such reckoning, the triadic structure—from Abraham to David, from David to the exile, from the exile to Christ—reveals the rhythm of God’s covenantal faithfulness. From Abraham, called out of Ur to be the father of a multitude, the promise dawns that through his seed all nations shall be blessed. To David, the shepherd-king, the covenant narrows, with the pledge of a throne enduring forever. Through the exile, a season of sorrow and scattering, God’s mercy holds fast, preparing the way for the final epoch, where the Messiah, the true Seed and King, steps forth to fulfill all that was spoken.

This genealogy, so precisely summarized, is no dry record but a testimony to divine providence, where each name—Abraham, the wanderer of faith; Rahab, the redeemed stranger; David, the anointed yet frail; Josiah, the reformer in dark days—bears witness to God’s grace working through human weakness. The counting of fourteen generations in each era speaks of completeness, a fullness of time wherein God’s purposes ripen. The inclusion of the Babylonian exile, a wound in Israel’s story, declares that even in judgment, the Lord’s plan moves forward, turning sorrow into the soil of restoration. The repetition of fourteen, thrice declared, underscores that history is not a cascade of chance but a divinely ordered progression, each generation a stitch in the fabric of redemption leading to the birth of the Savior.

The final words, “unto Christ,” are the crescendo of this sacred accounting. All prior generations find their purpose in Him, the Anointed One, who embodies the promises to Abraham and David. In Christ, the seed of Abraham becomes the blessing to all nations; in Him, the throne of David is established forever. For Matthew’s Jewish hearers, this verse would resound as a bridge between the covenants old and new, proclaiming Jesus as the rightful heir of Israel’s hopes, the fulfillment of God’s eternal word. The genealogy, thus framed, is a prophetic pointer, each era converging on the One who is the beginning and the end of God’s redemptive work.

For those who walk in faith, this verse bids us marvel at the God who numbers the generations and orders the seasons, weaving our own lives into His greater narrative. It calls us to trust in His faithfulness, though the years be many and the path obscure. It summons us to behold the Messiah, the goal of history and the hope of all peoples, whose coming was prepared across centuries. Let us, with Matthew, trace the generations of grace and proclaim with awe: Blessed be the Lord, who in the fullness of time has given us His Son, the King of kings, to redeem and reign forever.

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Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, who hath called us from darkness into His marvellous light, and who, through the manifold workings of His providence, hath shown forth His faithfulness from generation to generation.

Brethren beloved, I write unto you not as one who hath obtained such mystery by his own wisdom, nor as though I possess any merit of mine own, but as a servant of Jesus Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God. For it is written in the Gospel according to Matthew, and preserved by the Holy Spirit, that all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. In these words is hidden the counsel of the Most High, and the unfailing order of His redemptive purpose.

Let him that hath ears to hear consider the works of the Lord. For the generations of man are not scattered without meaning, nor are the events of time governed by chance or the devices of men, but all things are ordained of God, who setteth up one and bringeth down another, who declareth the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done. The succession of generations is not a mere record of names and fathers, but a sacred chronicle of the unfolding of promise, of judgment, and of mercy.

Abraham was called, and in him was the promise spoken, that in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed. David was anointed, and to him was the kingdom given, and the sure mercies established, that a Son should sit upon his throne forever. Yet the people were not steadfast, and they turned aside from the covenant of their God. Therefore came the exile, the scattering and the sorrow, when the Lord gave them into the hand of their enemies, and the song of Zion ceased in the land of captivity. But even in the midst of chastening, the Lord remembered mercy, and preserved a remnant according to the election of grace. And when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that He might redeem them that were under the law, and that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Thus it is that the threefold division of the generations, from Abraham to David, from David to the captivity, and from the captivity unto Christ, doth bear witness to the faithfulness of Him who speaketh and it is done, who commandeth and it standeth fast. For the number is not arbitrary, nor the structure without meaning, but the Lord hath declared His counsel in measure and in number and in weight. Fourteen generations, and again fourteen, and again fourteen—thrice measured, as a sign of completeness, and as a testimony of the steadfastness of God throughout all dispensations. From promise to kingdom, from kingdom to judgment, from judgment to redemption, He hath worked all things according to the counsel of His will, that Christ might be the firstborn among many brethren.

See then, O man, how God hath wrought His purpose in ages past, and be not slothful to consider that He who was faithful to our fathers is also faithful to us in this present age. For we are not strangers to these things, nor are we outside the line of His covenantal dealings, but are made partakers of the promises through faith in Jesus Christ. And as He brought forth the Redeemer at the appointed time, so shall He also fulfill His word concerning the end, and bring to pass all that He hath spoken by His prophets. The Christ who came in the lineage of kings and patriarchs shall come again in glory, not as the child of the manger, but as the Judge of the quick and the dead.

Wherefore, beloved, be not unmindful of the times and seasons, nor regard the record of generations as a dry scroll, for therein is revealed the mighty acts of the Lord. The roll of names is a testimony of His remembrance, for He forgetteth not His covenant, nor doth He cast off His people forever. The genealogy of Christ is the witness of God's unbroken purpose, a golden chain reaching from the tents of Abraham unto the virgin's womb, from the promise of the land to the purchase of eternal salvation.

Let every heart then be instructed, and every soul stirred to faith, that we might walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called. If God hath so preserved the line of His Messiah through times of plenty and times of exile, through kings and captives, through the righteous and the fallen, shall He not also preserve His Church until the day of Christ? And if He hath brought forth the Deliverer at the end of the generations, shall He not also finish the work which He hath begun in you?

Be ye steadfast therefore, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For your labor is not in vain in the Lord, and your faith is not without foundation. As the generations prepared the way for His first coming, so let your witness prepare the way for His second. Let the light of your testimony shine through this present darkness, that those who dwell in the shadow of death might behold the hope of His appearing.

I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Stand fast in the faith. Watch ye, be strong, and let all that ye do be done in charity.

Amen and Amen.

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O Most High and Everlasting God, who dwellest in unapproachable light, whose name is holy, and whose dominion is from everlasting to everlasting, we lift up our hearts and voices before Thee, in reverence and fear, in worship and awe, for Thou alone art God, and there is none beside Thee. Thou art the Ancient of Days, the Keeper of time, the Governor of all generations, and unto Thee belong the seasons and the appointed times which Thou hast ordained in wisdom and truth.

O Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of covenant and promise, who called our father Abraham from the land of his kindred and made with him an everlasting promise, we remember before Thee the holy generations, and we marvel at Thy steadfast love that endureth throughout all ages. For Thou didst speak, and it was done; Thou didst promise, and in due time Thou didst bring it to pass. From the loins of Abraham Thou didst raise up Isaac, and from Isaac, Jacob; and from Jacob the twelve tribes of Israel, through whom Thy name was magnified in the earth. And in the fulness of time, Thou didst raise up David, the son of Jesse, a man after Thine own heart, to be king over Thy people Israel.

Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and just are all Thy judgments. For though the people sinned and went astray, though they defiled Thy sanctuary and walked after the imaginations of their own hearts, yet Thou didst not utterly forsake them, nor didst Thou forget Thy covenant. Thou didst visit them with correction, and send them into exile for the cleansing of their hearts, and in the land of captivity Thou didst remember mercy. Even there Thou didst preserve a remnant, that Thy word should not fail, and Thy promises not return void.

And now, O Lord our God, we praise Thee for Thy wondrous faithfulness, that in threefold measure, from Abraham to David, from David to the carrying away into Babylon, and from the captivity unto Christ, Thou didst order the generations as a scribe counts a scroll, and didst bring forth the Redeemer in the appointed season. Glory be to Thee, O God of our salvation, for in the lineage of flesh Thou hast revealed the mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory.

O Thou who bringest light out of darkness, and life out of death, who raisest the poor from the dust and setteth him among princes, we thank Thee for the seed of promise, born not of the will of man nor of flesh, but of Thee, the living God. Thou hast not left Thyself without witness in the earth, and the genealogy of Thy Christ declares that Thy counsel standeth forever, and the thoughts of Thine heart to all generations. For though many were unfaithful, Thou remained faithful still. Though kings fell and nations turned aside, yet the line of promise endured, hidden in Thee, and revealed at the last.

And now, Most Merciful Father, we beseech Thee, look with favor upon Thy Church, which is the body of Thy Son, born not of natural descent, but by the Spirit of adoption through faith. As Thou didst preserve the line from Abraham unto Christ, so preserve unto Thyself a people zealous of good works, a holy generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, that we should show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. Let Thy Church never be moved from the foundation which is Christ, but build us up together into a habitation for Thy Spirit, until we all come in the unity of the faith, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Lord, let not the names of Thy saints be forgotten, nor their labors in vain, but as Thou didst remember the fathers of old and wrote their names in Thy book, so remember us also, we pray Thee, that our witness may endure in the earth, and that our children’s children may speak of Thy mighty acts. Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Let us walk as children of the light, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Strengthen us, O God, with might by Thy Spirit in the inner man, that we may bear fruit unto Thee in every generation, until the coming again of our Lord and King.

And now unto Thee who art able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Thee be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all generations, world without end. Amen and amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.