Week 35 Matthew 1
Matthew opens with a list of names of the people in Jesus’ family-tree. While I scan them I realize that I recognize quite a few in the first eleven verses. I couldn’t recite them…but they’re familiar. The only ones that I don’t remember as being part of the family are Amminadab & Nahshon (but I admit that the only reason I recognize Ram & Salmon is the name-link to the animal kingdom).
There are some names I recognize but couldn’t place if they were out-of-context. For example I recognize all the names of the kings of Judah but if someone asked me about Joram or Jotham just out-of-the-blue I wouldn’t know if they were kings of Judah or Israel.
After verse twelve I don’t recognize Abiud Eliakim Azor Zadok Achim Eliud Eleazar Matthan & Jacob (the Zadok & Eleazar & Jacob that I do recognize are different OT characters). The reason I don’t recognize most of the names is because the OT Story pretty much ends with Zerubbabel and the return of exiles from Babylon. If I wanted to find out more about that quiet interval I’d have to go outside the OT. But obviously someone was keeping track of family names during those years and Matthew was able to plug them into chapter one.
I notice that three times Matthew includes the names of wives/moms. But they’re exceptions and I don’t know what to make of them.
And I see that Joseph is highlighted as husband-of-Mary.