Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 1]
line with Abraham while Luke traces his line back to Adam. The
Hebrew and Aramaic often used the word son (\b•n\) for the
quality or character, but here the idea is descent. Christians
are called sons of God because Christ has bestowed this dignity
upon us (Ro 8:14; 9:26; Ga 3:26; 4:5-7). Verse 1 is the
description of the list in verses 2-17. The names are given in
three groups, Abraham to David (2-6), David to Babylon Removal
(6-11), Jechoniah to Jesus (12-16). The removal to Babylon
(\metoikesias Babul•nos\) occurs at the end of verse 11, the
beginning of verse 12, and twice in the resume in verse 17.
This great event is used to mark off the two last divisions from
each other. It is a good illustration of the genitive as the case
of genus or kind. The Babylon removal could mean either to
Babylon or from Babylon or, indeed, the removal of Babylon. But
the readers would know the facts from the Old Testament, the
removal of the Jews to Babylon. Then verse 17 makes a summary
of the three lists, fourteen in each by counting David twice and
omitting several, a sort of mnemonic device that is common
enough. Matthew does not mean to say that there were only
fourteen in actual genealogy. The names of the women (Thamar,
Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba the wife of Uriah) are likewise not
counted. But it is a most interesting list.
1:2 {Begat} (\egenn•sen\). This word comes, like some of the
early chapters of Genesis, with regularity through verse 16,
until the birth of Jesus is reached when there is a sudden
change. The word itself does not always mean immediate parentage,
but merely direct descent. In verse 16 we have "Joseph the
husband of Mary, from whom was begotten Jesus who is called
Christ" (\ton I•s•ph ton andra Marias ex h•s egenn•th• I•sous ho
legomenos Christos\). The article occurs here each time with the
object of "begat," but not with the subject of the verb to
distinguish sharply the proper names. In the case of David the
King (1:6) and Joseph the husband of Mary (1:16) the article
is repeated. The mention of the brethren of Judah (1:2) and of
both Phares and Zara (1:3) may show that Matthew was not
copying a family pedigree but making his own table. All the Greek
manuscripts give verse 16 as above save the Ferrar Group of
minuscules which are supported by the Sinaitic Syriac Version.
Because of this fact Von Soden, whose text Moffatt translates,
deliberately prints his text "_Jacob begat Jesus_" (\I•s•ph de
egenn•sen I•soun\). But the Sinaitic Syriac gives the Virgin
Birth of Jesus in Mt 1:18-25. Hence it is clear that "begat"
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT1.RWP.html (2 of 9) [28/08/2004 09:02:52 a.m.]