Matthew 1:5: Difference between revisions

Michelangelo's Salmon-Boaz-Obed. Boaz is generally seen as the old man on the right with Ruth on the left and the infant Obed on her knee.

Matthew 1:5 is the fifth verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse is part of the section where the genealogy of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, is listed.

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab;

and Booz begat Obed of Ruth;

and Obed begat Jesse;

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab.

Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth.

Obed became the father of Jesse.

This genealogy matches that given in several other places in the Bible, including Luke 3:32. It covers the period after the Exodus to around the founding of the Kingdom of Israel. The passage carries the genealogy through Salmon, Boaz, Obed, and Jesse of which only Boaz is a figure of note. It also mentions two women Rahab and Ruth, both of which are prominent Old Testament figures. For a full discussion of the women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy see Matthew 1:3.

Albright and Mann note that the author of Matthew actually spelt Rahab's name as Rachab a departure from the LXX spelling Matthew usually uses. The Rachab form also appears in the works of Josephus. They speculates that this indicates a change in pronunciation during this period. Another problem, pointed out by Brown, is that Rahab's position in this verse does not meet other traditions. No other source has her marrying Salmon and giving birth to Boaz. Jewish tradition had her as the wife of Johsua, and thus also in a different time period.

References

• Albright, W.F. and C.S. Mann. "Matthew." The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
• Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.
• Gundry, Robert H. Matthew a Commentary on his Literary and Theological Art. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.
• Information on the fresco

Gospel of Matthew
Preceded by: Matthew 1:4	Chapter 1	Followed by: Matthew 1:6