Explore · Genealogies · Matthew 1
The Genealogy of Jesus
Matthew opens his Gospel with 42 generations — three groups of fourteen — threading from Abraham through David to Christ. Five women are named, four of them scandalous: this is the line God actually chose to use.
Read Matthew 1 →Section 1 · 14 generations
Abraham → David
Section 2 · 14 generations
David → The Exile
Section 3 · 14 generations
The Exile → Christ
Why the five women matter
Matthew names five women in a genealogy that, by convention, listed only men:
- Tamar — seduced her father-in-law Judah (Gen 38).
- Rahab — a prostitute in Jericho (Josh 2).
- Ruth — a Moabite widow, outside the covenant people.
- Bathsheba — whom David took by adultery and murder (2 Sam 11).
- Mary — a teenager from Nazareth, pregnant before marriage.
God's redemptive line runs through Gentiles, outsiders, scandal, and unlikely women. By verse 16, the pattern is undeniable — and Mary fits right in.