Matthew 1:17

[rlfrye]

I was reading Matthew and was wondering if anyone knows why he felt the need to point out the 14 generations in verse 17. I dont know why and was curious if there was any significance to this verse.

[jayanna]

Yes, it is significant. There are so many instances of the number 7 and multiples of the number 7 in the scriptures...if you will look in the book of Luke...chapter two...read verse 7, 14, and 21. Read Isaiah 7:14...in Luke chapter 3 you can read and count the generations from Adam to Abraham, which are 21 generations! 7's all over the place. Chapter 7 of Genesis, more sevens.

The loaves and fishes...Matthew chapter 15:36 and 37... how many loaves , how many sevens involved in that miracle? How long did Jacob work for his wives? Gen. 29:27

There are over 700 7's in the Bible!

In the seventh year, people were released from debts, and servants were again given their freedom...look up the significance of the 7's for the Jewish , it is pretty interesting. I've read somewhere that 7 is the 'divine number of completion' can't remember where at the moment..

Edited May 16, 2012 by jayanna

[Vort]

I was reading Matthew and was wondering if anyone knows why he felt the need to point out the 14 generations in verse 17. I dont know why and was curious if there was any significance to this verse.

I'm guessing it was a mnemonic device. Genealogies were often memorized, and I believe the gospels were not committed to paper (or parchment, or papyrus, or whatever) until fifty or a hundred years after Jesus' death and resurrection, so that genealogy may have formed part of the oral tradition of Christianity of around AD 100.

[skalenfehl]

In the scriptures, genealogy is given as evidence of heritage. This was done at the beginning of the book of Ether, and had we Lehi's record (116 lost manuscript pages), we would have his lineage from Joseph who was sold into Egypt and in the book of Matthew we have another lineage as well.

Joseph's genealogy is essentially Mary's genealogy for they were cousins. Jesus inherited from his mother the blood of David and therefore the right to David's throne. Had Judah been a free and independent nation ruled by the rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been the next king and his successor would have been Jesus Christ.

Edited May 17, 2012 by skalenfehl
typos

[pam]

Here is something I found from Robert Millet:

“Matthew placed great stress upon the King and his kingdom. Messiah is a royal title, and Jesus' royal/messianic status was critically important to Matthew. The genealogy of Jesus given in Matthew (1:1-17) is the Lord's royal line. Matthew laid out the genealogy in such a manner as to divide the forty-two generations into three sections of fourteen (from Abraham to David, from David to Babylonian captivity, and from exile to Jesus). For Matthew, the very number fourteen has royal significance. How so? The name David in Hebrew consists of three Hebrew consonants, each having numerical equivalents. Thus: Dahlet (d =4) + Vav (v =6) + Dahlet (d =4) =14.” (Robert L. Millet, Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels, edited by Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet, p. 33)

[Desertknight]

I'm guessing it was a mnemonic device. Genealogies were often memorized,

I remember reading that in a class on biblical history that I once took. It does make sense in an age when literacy was much more rare, and keeping records on parchment, a luxury of the rich. Such a device was s much surer way to pass family genealogies along. Edited May 17, 2012 by Desertknight

[Tyler90AZ]

Interesting

[Seminarysnoozer]

In the scriptures, genealogy is given as evidence of heritage. This was done at the beginning of the book of Ether, and had we Lehi's record (116 lost manuscript pages), we would have his lineage from Joseph who was sold into Egypt and in the book of Matthew we have another lineage as well.

Joseph's genealogy is essentially Mary's genealogy for they were cousins. Jesus inherited from his mother the blood of David and therefore the right to David's throne. Had Judah been a free and independent nation ruled by the rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been the next king and his successor would have been Jesus Christ.

Why is earthly heritage and kingship important? I think heir to Father in Heaven's throne kinda trumps David's. I've never really understand the importance of even mentioning it, other than fulfilling prophesies. Outside of that, why is it important? Why was it a prophesy worth making in the first place?

[skalenfehl]

Well, today we as LDS place a great importance on genealogy. It is part of our heritage to trace our lineage back to Adam. During the millennium, temple work will be done for everyone. I wish I knew my genealogy even half as well as they did of old.

[LinuxGal]

I was reading Matthew and was wondering if anyone knows why he felt the need to point out the 14 generations in verse 17. I dont know why and was curious if there was any significance to this verse.

In the third set we only get thirteen generations (count them up!). But Matthew says it's three sets of fourteen generations. Sometimes when Bible inerrantists assemble this genealogy they list David at the bottom of the first list and again at the top of the second list, but if they do that they only get to Josiah in the second list, and the captivity was not during his reign. And to be consistent, they would need to put Josiah at the top of the third list just like David was at the top of the second list, but then you get fifteen generations in the third list. And the whole exercise is moot anyway because Jesus isn't even really the son of Joseph. At least not genetically.