Matthew Chapter One
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
[Text parallels Luke 3:23-38]
1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Since pedigree is very important to most Jews, Matthew begins with a genealogy of Jesus. However, before he begins the list, Matthew emphasizes two prominent people in His lineage. He refers to Jesus as the "Son of David" and the "Son of Abraham." First, we need to remember that even though in the Hebrew language the word ‘bēn’[1] generally means ‘son’, it can also refer to other descendants such as a grandson, or any other male offspring, since there is no prefix or word to describe a grandson or great-grandson, and the writers of the New Testament continue in that tradition. Secondly, it is also a custom to mention the name of the greatest, or at least the most recognized name when describing or referencing a person’s lineage. Here Matthew connects Jesus to Abraham, who was considered the father of the Jews (see Matthew 3:9; Luke 1:73; John 8:33, 53, 56; Romans 4:12; 2 Corinthians 11:22; James 2:21) and to the royal line of King David. The theme of Jesus being the “King of the Jews,” essentially begins with the first verse.
1:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Matthew chooses to begin the genealogy with Abraham, who was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the Father of Jacob, who was the father of Judah and the other eleven brothers that formed the Twelve Tribes of Israel (the name God gave Jacob prior to returning to Canaan, see Genesis 32:28).
1:3 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,
When Israel (Jacob) was on his deathbed, he blessed each of his sons that was later determined to be a prophetic message for each tribe. In his blessing of Judah, his fourth son, he prophesied that the Messiah would come from his line and that it would be a royal line which would never end (see Genesis 49:8-12). Since Jesus will never die again, the royal line of Judah is indeed eternal.
Although his lineage was to lead to royalty, Judah himself was far from acting like royalty. He did have several sons, but they were unacceptable to God. Then through a bizarre sequence of events, Judah had a son with Tamar, the wife of his first son who had died (see Genesis chapter 38). Readers of the books of Joshua and Ruth should recognize the names Rahab (see Joshua 6:25), Ruth, and Boaz (see Ruth 1:1-4:17). The genealogy leading up to David from Judah and Perez can also be seen in Ruth 4:18-22 and 1 Chronicles 2:1-15.
1:6 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 Asaph, 8 and Asaph 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.
This next section identifies the kings of Israel (the whole kingdom) and then Judah, after the kingdom was divided shortly after Solomon’s death. While there were no ‘good’ kings in the Northern Kingdom (keeping the name of Israel), there were a few ‘bad’ kings in the Southern Kingdom (called Judah). Even though Solomon started his reign as a good king who was blessed by God in many ways, he was largely responsible for the introduction of idol worshipping later in his life. His son Rehoboam was considered an evil king as well as his son Abijah. Then Abijah’s son Asaph (also known as Asa) and Asaph’s son Jehoshaphat were considered good kings. However, after Jehoshaphat reigned for 25 years his son Joram (also known as Jehoram, not to be confused with the son of Ahab with the same name, he was a king in the Northern Kingdom) became king and returned Baal worship to the Southern Kingdom.
Matthew then skips over three people in the genealogy, the son of Joram was actually Ahaziah (see 2 Kings 8:25), who was also a bad king. His son Joash (also known as Jehoash), started off as a good king, but did not stop the idol worship in Judah (see 2 Kings 11:21-12:3) and ended up decimating the Temple to buy off Hazael’s attack (see 2 Kings 12:17-19), he reigned for 40 years. His son Amaziah, also “did what is right in the eyes of the LORD,” but, like his father did not stop the idol worshiping, he ruled for 29 years. The question as to why Matthew did not list Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah remains a mystery. Some speculate that these three were affiliated with Ahab and Jezebel, who were particularly wicked people, however, the Bible always presents the truth regardless if good or bad (including listing wicked men in the genealogy of the Messiah, see Nothing But the Truth in Considerations below). Some believe Matthew’s source, thought to be some form of public record, was either inaccurate or possibly incomplete. However, yet others believe this is an example of what God said in Exodus 20:4-5 where He warned against idol worship. That as a jealous God, He would visit the iniquity of the guilty fathers to the third and fourth generations, thus blotting them out of the genealogy (see Deuteronomy 29:20). Regardless of reason, it appears that the omission of the three names was intentional as it provides the count of 14 generations between David and the captivity (see verse 17).
Uzziah was a good king and reigned over Judah for 52 years, his son Jotham, also a good king and reigned for 16 years. Jotham’s son Ahaz was a bad king being disobedient to God, however, his son Hezekiah was a good king destroying many idols and the high places used for idol worshiping, he reigned for 29 years. His son Manasseh became king when he was only twelve years old, but sadly, couldn’t wait to reestablish Asherah and Baal worship and ended up rebuilding everything his father had demolished, doing more evil than any other king (see 2 Kings 21:1-9). But after being warned, he did repent (see 2 Chronicles 33:11-19). Manasseh’s son Amos (also known as Amon) was a bad king, but his son Josiah was a good king (the last of the good kings for Judah). Then Matthew lists Josiah’s son as Jechoniah and mentions that he had brothers, which Jechoniah did not have. He skipped Jehoiakim (also known as Eliakim), who did have brothers (Jehoahaz, also known as Johanan, and Zedekiah, also known as Mattaniah), it was Jehoiakim that had Jechoniah (also known as Jehoiachin, Jeconias, or Coniah). This omission is believed to be a copyist error in the Textus Receptus,[2] as some other manuscripts correctly refer to Jehoiakim. However, it was during Jechoniah’s reign when Nebuchadnezzar began what is known as the Babylonian captivity of the Israelites.
1:12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel 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.
The Babylonian captivity lasted seventy years and Zerubbabel was one of many who returned to Israel to rebuild the Temple (see Ezra 3:2; Nehemiah 12:1; Haggai 2:20-23). The text here states that he was the son of Shealtiel (also stated in Ezra 3:2, 8; 5:2; Nehemiah 12:1; Haggai 1:12, 14; 2:2, 23; Luke 3:27), but we read in 1 Chronicles 3:19 that Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah who was the son of Shealtiel. While this may be a copyist error, some believe that Zerubbabel’s father Shealtiel may have died early and his brother Pedaiah may have assumed the responsibility of being Zerubbabel’s father at that time complying with the law of levirate marriage (see Genesis 38:8-9; Deuteronomy 25:5-10) and therefore is listed as his father in this list.
While some of the names listed after Zerubbabel appear elsewhere in Scripture referring to other people, we know very little about Abiud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, and Jacob (not the patriarch also known as Israel). Some have even suggested that there may be some names missing (although other than keeping the total number of 14 generations after the captivity (see below), there is no reason to believe that any names have been omitted). It should be noted that Matthew does not identify Joseph as Jesus’ father, just as the husband of Mary. That reasoning will be explained later in the gospel.
1:17 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.
Matthew categorizes these names into three groups, 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from Solomon to the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, and from the start of the captivity to Jesus, another 14 generations for a total of 42 generations. Besides maintaining a heptadic structure in Scripture (see below), being divisible by seven, no one knows for certain why Matthew divided the generations in this manner. Although this is a source of great debate and even greater speculation.
Considerations
When we study the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in Luke, we see some significant differences between this and Luke’s account. Besides the obvious differences that Matthew begins with Abraham and works forward to Jesus and Luke begins with Jesus and works back all the way to Adam, we see that instead of showing the lineage through Solomon, Luke’s account goes through one of Solomon’s older brothers, Nathan. Neither text explains why, and many ask, could this be an error? Probably not, yet many have offered theories and ideas, some absurd, while others, if they weren’t presented as being serious, would be at best comical.
One valid explanation that seemingly fits all of the available facts found in the Bible would be that Luke’s genealogy traces the lineage of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Even though some groups revere or even deify Mary, we do not know much about her family. Since Joseph was not physically the father of Jesus, Mary’s bloodline would need to be from the royal line as well (note the use of the Greek word ‘nomizō’[3] in Luke 3:23, often translated ‘supposed’ referring to a ‘customary’ belief, acknowledging Joseph as the legal father of Jesus, but not His actual father). There are a number of reasons for an alternate lineage, such as the ‘blood curse’ of Jechoniah, as recorded by the prophet Jeremiah:
“As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return.”
Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot, a vessel no one cares for? Why are he and his children hurled and cast into a land that they do not know? O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the LORD: “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.” (Jeremiah 22:24-30)
The royal line of Judah after Jechoniah was halted by this proclamation, but that wouldn’t stop the royal line through another son of David. Even though not being kings themselves they would still be royalty. Fast-forwarding to Mary, the mother of Jesus, how would the royal bloodline continue through her? One potential answer would be if she had no brothers, she would be able to continue the family name through the special clause requested by the daughters of Zelophehad, which was granted by God during the time of Moses (see Numbers 27:1-11; Joshua 17:3-6).
Whenever a translator attempts to recreate the sound of a word from one language to another, they typically use the closest sounding combination of letters to form the word (a process known as transliteration). But due to significant variations in language sounds, placement of emphasis, and restrictions (language rules, limited letter sounds, punctuation, etc.), this process is rarely easy, nor are the methods used always consistent. That is why when a word is transliterated from one language to another, the spelling and word structure of that word can vary significantly. When transliterated using the letters and letter sounds in the English language, there is a wide variance in how the word can be spelled. When a name is transliterated (to sound like the original language) the spelling may also vary significantly based on the translation (or even between Old Testament spelling and New Testament spelling as seen here in this genealogy). Some Bible translations will intentionally use different spellings of the same name to prevent any misunderstanding or confusion by the reader later in the text (such as same name, different person). This usually is not a problem, as long as the translator is diligent in recognizing the continuity and use of the name, typically used in conjunction with either a specific location or a key person.
Nothing But the Truth - All Blemishes Are Visible
It might seem odd to the casual reader of the Bible that the text includes some less-than-attractive or negative statements, such as including evil kings and prostitutes (see below) in the lineage of the Messiah, however, this gives evidence to its truthfulness. As most non-Judeo-Christian religions do not include in their ‘sacred’ writings anything negative about their gods, goddesses, or for that fact those that are their human leaders or spokespersons (prophets, etc.) These alternate religions often portray perfect leaders and if a people group is chosen, they would also be portrayed as being perfect and their lineage as perfect. Jesus is perfect, while his lineage was less-than-perfect, as these gospels will explain.
It is interesting to note that Matthew’s genealogy includes five women, an unusual practice at that time, especially for a Jew. It is even more interesting to see that at least three of them were Gentiles. The first was Tamar, a Canaanite who, as mentioned above, was the daughter-in-law of Judah. She had to deceive Judah by playing the role of a prostitute (see Genesis chapter 38). The second was Rahab, a Gentile and a professional prostitute who played a major role in the defeat of Jericho (see Joshua 2:1-21; 6:22-25). Third, was Ruth, another Gentile, she had married an Israelite who had passed away. As a believer in God, she traveled back with Naomi, her mother-in-law, to Israel to live where she met Boaz in Bethlehem (see the book of Ruth). The fourth woman is not mentioned by name, just simply as the, “wife of Uriah” (verse 6), however we know her name from 2 Samuel 11:1-27 as Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam (the Bible doesn’t state nationality). Her first child, conceived from David’s adultery, died. The fifth and final woman is Mary, the mother of Jesus.
As one might expect from the Word of God, it is far more complicated than just a collection of stories. Years ago, Dr. Ivan Panin (1855-1942), discovered the heptadic (sevenfold) structure of the Bible without the aid of a computer. It appears that when Scripture is carefully examined and analyzed it has several layers of complexity, one such layer is the evidence that the writing of the Bible was based on the number seven.[4] Groupings of sevens are found well beyond any possibility of coincidence or chance. For example, the number of words, the number of same words, the number of letters, are all divisible by seven. It has been theorized that it would take a supercomputer many years to reproduce something that complex, and yet Dr. Panin has discovered far more levels of groupings of sevens than that, making the origin of the original texts of the Bible very unique, unquestionably supernatural.
There are three genealogies provided in the four gospels. This one in Matthew’s account demonstrated that the lineage of Jesus from Abraham through David, attests to His legal standing as being both a Jew and in the royal line of Judah, the Son of David. Since the gospel according to Mark focuses on Jesus being a servant, no genealogy is presented, as the pedigree in a servant is typically unimportant. The second genealogy listing can be found in Luke’s account, which emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, and as such, goes all the way back to the first human, Adam. That genealogy varies from Matthew’s account and as mentioned above is likely the lineage of Mary, Jesus’ mother. The third genealogy is somewhat less obvious. The first 18 verses of John’s gospel account clearly state that Jesus is eternal, as his gospel expounds on the fact that Jesus is indeed God.
The word ‘Christ’ (Greek ‘Christos’)[5] is not a name, it is a title. It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew ‘māšiyaḥ’,[6] meaning “anointed one.” Derived from the Hebrew verb ‘māśah’[7] and noun ‘mišhah’,[8] which refer to being rubbed down or covered with oil. A process often found in Scripture during rituals of divine appointments. Perhaps the best reference in the Old Testament that connects the Messiah to Jesus is Daniel 9:25-26, in a section known as Daniel’s 70 Weeks.[9]
The Birth of Jesus Christ
1:18 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 from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Matthew now relays the story about the birth of Jesus. He begins by mentioning that Joseph had betrothed Mary to be his wife (the Greek word ‘mnēsteutheisēs’,[10] means to ask in marriage, designating a commitment to marriage, essentially a contract that could not be broken without serious repercussions without a divorce). Mary became pregnant before being ceremonially married or even having been together sexually. Most pregnancies are noticeable after a short period of time, Mary’s pregnancy was indeed noticed. When Joseph noticed Mary’s condition, he wasn’t going to make it difficult for her, so he decided to divorce her quietly. Matthew adds, perhaps to keep his reader’s mind from prematurely judging Mary, that she was with child from the Holy Spirit.
1:20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from 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.”
While thinking about what he was going to do next, Joseph was told in a dream by an angel of the Lord that Mary was not unfaithful, that she was supernaturally inseminated by the Holy Spirit and that the marriage should continue. The angel further explained that Mary will have a son and that he is to be named Jesus (Greek ‘Iēsous’,[11] a transliteration of the proper noun from the Hebrew name, ‘Yēshū’a’,[12] also can be spelled ‘Joshua’, meaning “YHWH is salvation”), as He will save His people from their sins.
1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (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 given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Matthew inserts the fact that Jesus’ birth was predicted over 500 years earlier by the prophet Isaiah (some estimate over 700 years earlier). This quotation comes from Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The Hebrew word ‘Im·mā’·nû’ ēl’,[13] means “God with us,” just as Matthew states. When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel told him to do and married Mary. However, he did not have sex with her until after Jesus was born.
Considerations
A question that is often asked by believers and unbelievers alike, is about the authenticity of the Bible, as they understand that it was written by human beings. So, how do we know it was inspired by God? The best proof of authenticity is prophecy, it can be referred to as the, “Signature of God.” We know that God is outside time, and therefore He alone is unaffected by time. Being outside the realm of time allows Him to know exactly what is going to happen and since He is the only one unaffected by time, He has woven this knowledge into Scripture so that we would know that the Bible is indeed from God. Prophecy provides accounts of future events and accurately states when those events are to happen. There are no guesses with God. There are many prophecies given in both the Old and New Testaments, some are what we often call ‘near term’ referring to things that will happen anywhere from immediately to a couple of weeks in order to establish a prophet’s credibility as one who speaks for God. Other prophecies are given that are a longer term, some several hundred years later, like this one from the prophet Isaiah (including some that are yet-future prophecies waiting to be fulfilled). WARNING: Unfilled prophecies in the Bible should not be used to predict future events, while some prophecies could be analyzed and interpreted sufficiently to estimate when an event or a series of events will happen, prophecy is primarily to confirm God’s Word, after the fact. As Christians, our hearts and minds should be on following Jesus and doing those things He has called us to do. The apostle Peter wrote: “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:20-21, NLT).
Since each of the gospel writers refer to, and often quote from, the Old Testament regarding prophecy, knowing the background and scenario when the prophecy was introduced, may at times be helpful in understanding the gospel text. Each “Prophetic Text Overview” in this commentary will look at the Scripture reference and briefly examine the situation or story it came from. However, some of these, like this first one regarding Isaiah 7:14, may raise more questions than provide answers.
Isaiah chapter seven records the story of several kings joining forces to invade and conquer Judah (also known as the Southern Kingdom). The king of Judah at this time was King Ahaz who was considered a bad king as he was more interested in the ways of the world than about God. Knowing that an invasion was imminent, the king was inspecting the water supply (a common war-time practice at that time was to surround a city and restrict access to food and water, often referred to as a ‘famine’ in the Bible). God sent Isaiah to, “Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah.” (Isaiah 7:4, NLT) Apparently that was insufficient assurance for the king as God sent Isaiah to talk with him again. This time Isaiah instructs King Ahaz to ask God for a sign to confirm what Isaiah had said earlier was true. But the king refused, saying he would not test God like that. In exasperation, Isaiah responded, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!” (Isaiah 7:13-17)
Isaiah doesn’t give King Ahaz an immediate sign but one that will not be known for several hundred years. For that reason, many believe that this prophecy had dual fulfillments, one being a reference to a virgin in Isaiah’s time period that was fulfilled shortly afterwards, and the other during the time Jesus was born. Since the text does not support or imply multiple virgins, it is unlikely. The reference to the boy eating curds and honey could be describing a dietary item typical of most less-than-affluent families or it could be a time reference stating that when the boy would be old enough to eat curds and honey, he would be old enough to know right from wrong. In either case, before the boy knows how to refuse evil and choose good, the land of the two kings Ahaz is dreading, will be deserted. Which would also be true at the time Jesus was born.
Verse fourteen has stirred up a significant amount of emotional debate through the years from several different people groups, especially Jewish rabbis. The verse states, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” While the Hebrew word ‘hin·nē(h)’[14] (‘behold’), conveys strong feelings of certainty, the controversy primarily centers around the word ‘virgin’ (Hebrew ‘ǎl·mā(h)’,[15] referring to a young woman or a virgin). Since it can refer to a young woman of ‘marriageable’ age that has not yet married and not necessarily a virgin, some doubt that interpretation. Some say that if Isaiah meant virgin he would have used a more specific word like ‘betûlāh’,[16] which does mean virgin but can also refer to a young woman (see Genesis 24:16; Deuteronomy 32:25; 1 Kings 1:2; Psalm 78:63; 148:12; Isaiah 23:4; 62:5; Jeremiah 31:13; Lamentations 1:18; 2:10; Ezekiel 9:6; Zechariah 9:17). On one hand if the text was referring to a young woman having a baby boy and named it Immanuel it would not necessarily be unique nor miraculous, not much of a sign. However, understanding the scenario being a young unmarried woman would likely be a virgin and that when this verse was translated into Greek as found in the Septuagint, whose translators chose ‘parthenos’,[17] the same word found in Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:27, 34 (note how Mary in this verse asks how she became pregnant since she is a virgin). Parthenos is the definitive Greek word for ‘virgin’.
Then there are some that question the name ‘Immanuel’, as there is no place in the New Testament where Jesus is called ‘Immanuel’ (or ‘Emmanuel’). In simple terms that is who He is, perhaps best defined as a title, it identifies Him as God. He would not have been any value to mankind unless He was God, as we will discover in the gospels. The Hebrew word translated as ‘name’ is ’šm’ (‘šēm’),[18] which can also refer to an identifier such as a title, reputation, or something that someone is remembered by.
So, who was the sign meant for that would not come for another approximately 700 years later? The sign was not for King Ahaz, but for the whole house of David. Matthew is pointing out that this prophecy relates to the promise of the Messiah, Jesus. This is an example of how the Bible explains the Bible, as that prophecy in Isaiah chapter seven may not have been understood or ‘connected’ to Jesus’ birth. There are several prophecies in the gospels that will be identified and explained that would not be otherwise considered connected when read.
Since we will be investigating several Old Testament passages, it is important to note the differences between the word “Lord” and “LORD.” While they are both spelled the same, they represent two very different words. When the word ‘Lord’ appears, it refers to the Hebrew word ‘adōnāy’[19] (or ‘adonai’) which indeed is the equivalent word to the English word ’Lord’. However, when the word is presented in all capital letters, it represents the Hebrew ‘YHWH’,[20] the name of God, represented by the Hebrew letters ‘yod’ (‘Y’), ‘he’ (‘H’), ‘waw’ (‘W’) and ‘he’ (‘H’). Scholars often refer to it as the Tetragrammaton (essentially defined as a word that consists of four letters). Tradition tells us that any reference to God was so highly regarded and respected (for example see Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 28:58) that any reference to God would only be written without vowels and never be spoken. Since ancient Hebrew does not have any vowels (the language now includes vowel markers to aid in understanding and vocalization), the vowel sounds were never written and since the name was never spoken, we really are not absolutely sure on how to pronounce the name. Scholars through the years have used names like ’Jehovah’, ‘Yehovah’, ’Yahweh’, ‘Yehōyāh’, etc. The name can be found nearly 7,000 times in the Old Testament, however, when an Old Testament passage is quoted in the New Testament, this practice is rarely used and the Tetragrammaton is simply translated as ‘Lord’.
There is another variation of the Tetragrammaton found in the Masoretic Text (first Old Testament Hebrew text compiled with vowel sounds), same Hebrew letters, but potentially different pronunciation, it is most often translated as ‘GOD’ (all caps).[21] The shortened version ‘Yah’[22] (or the letters ‘yod’ and ‘he’) is seen over 70 times in the Old Testament, this two-letter Hebrew name is typically found in poetry, while most often translated and depicted as “LORD’, it can be found transliterated as ‘Yah’ in some Bible versions.
It is interesting to note that there remains significant discussion whether the third letter should be called a ‘vav’ or a ‘waw’ (depicted as ‘YHVH’), a constant, picking up a ‘V’ sound, instead of the double ‘U’ or ‘W’ sound (making it a vowel). The discussion is fueled by something Josephus wrote when he was describing the Jewish High Priest’s headpiece: “A miter also of fine linen encompassed his head, which was tied by a blue ribbon, about which there was another golden crown, in which was engraven the sacred name [of God]; it consists of four vowels.”[23]
Verse 18 introduces the word ‘holy’ to the New Testament. To say that the concept the word ‘holy’ represents is important to God would truly be an understatement. Yet, it is often misunderstood, including some Christians. In both the Hebrew and Greek languages the words translated as ‘holy’ convey the same meaning. The Hebrew verb ‘qãdaš’[24] and the Greek verb ‘hagiázō’[25] refer to being set apart, where something or someone is being sanctified, being rendered clean and pure for service to God. The Hebrew noun ‘qōdeš’[26] and the Greek noun ‘hagiasmós’[27] refer to sanctification and the state of being holy, separated from the world and its influence, essentially being peculiar in the eyes of others. The Greek adjectives are a little more explicit, ‘hágion’[28] is used mainly in reference to structures, while ‘hágios’[29] typically refers to things and people being set aside, separated for service to God, those that have been sanctified, consecrated (made spirituality clean), in regard to people the word is generally translated as ‘saints’ (referring to all believers, those made holy through Jesus).
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 1121.
[2] Textus Receptus is Latin for “Received Text,” an edition of the Greek texts of the books of the New Testament as compiled by Erasmus (a Dutch scholar and philosopher, 1466-1536). Not without criticism, it is the base document for many New Testament translations.
[3] Strong’s Greek 3543.
[4] Panin, Ivan. The structure of the Bible : a proof of the verbal inspiration of Scripture. Grafton, Mass: Gospel of Christ Print, 1891-1892
[5] Strong’s Greek 5547.
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 4899.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 4886.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 4888.
[9] See Considerations under Matthew 9:27-31 regarding “Tell No One” and Appendix 2 - Daniel’s Seventy Weeks.
[10] Strong’s Greek 3423.
[11] Strong’s Greek 2424.
[12] Strong’s Hebrew 3091.
[13] Strong’s Hebrew 6005.
[14] Strong’s Hebrew 2009.
[15] Strong’s Hebrew 5959.
[16] Strong’s Hebrew 1330.
[17] Strong’s Greek 3933.
[18] Strong’s Hebrew 8034.
[19] Strong’s Hebrew 136.
[20] Strong’s Hebrew 3068.
[21] Strong’s Hebrew 3069.
[22] Strong’s Hebrew 3050.
[23] Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (1987). The works of Josephus: complete and unabridged (p. 708). Hendrickson.
[24] Strong’s Hebrew 6942.
[25] Strong’s Greek 37.
[26] Strong’s Hebrew 6944.
[27] Strong’s Greek 38.
[28] Strong’s Greek 39.
[29] Strong’s Greek 40.