Week 35 Matthew
I know that generational lists are important in the OT. So I’m not surprised the NT starts with a generational list: this is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of King David and Abraham.
Matthew’s List of Kings includes David Solomon Rehoboam Abijah Asa Jehoshaphat Jehoram Uzziah Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah Manasseh Amos Josiah & Jehoiachin.
I go back to 2 Chronicles to check that list. It’s not as big a job as you’d think since Chronicles is only interested in the Southern Kingdom. What’s harder to figure out is why 2 Chronicles has three more kings than Matthew – between Matthew’s Jehoram and Uzziah the chronicler adds Ahaziah Joash & Amaziah.
There’s no real question about who’s correct. It’s definitely Chronicles. But there is a question about why Matthew missed those three names. It don’t figure it was because of ignorance – last year on August 21 I calculated that he quoted the OT 1.8 times per chapter. Matthew knew his OT.
And I don’t think he was being deceptive – why lie about a fact that could easily be checked by a ten year-old?
But why he missed/skipped the names I don’t know. In verse-17 it looks like he wanted three balanced & equal fourteen-generation groups. Maybe the literary equilibrium warranted the historical error. Maybe it was a first-century convention that reader’s accepted. I don’t know.
What I do know is that my reading challenges aren’t over.
Note: Quote from Matthew 1:1 (NLT)