1178 Matthew 1:9
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah a and
his brothers at the time of the exile
to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
JESUS
ERA 6
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Ja
cob the father of Joseph, the
husband of Mary, and Mary was the
mother of Jesus who is called the
Messiah.
17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all
from Abraham to David, fourteen from David
to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the
exile to the Messiah.
Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 T his is how the b
irth of J
esus the Messiah
came about b : His mother Mary was pledged to
be married to Joseph, but before they came to
gether, she was f ound to be pregnant t hrough
the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband
a 11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12 b 18 Or
The origin of Jesus the Messiah was like this
JOSEPH
Matthew 1:18–25
SYNOPSIS
Joseph, a Jew from Nazareth, was Jesus’ earthly father, but he had no role in His conception.
A righteous man who worked as a carpenter, Joseph cared well for his wife, Mary, during
her pregnancy and demonstrated his faith by protecting the child Jesus after His birth.
BACKGROUND
The genealogy of Joseph, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, connected Abraham (the
cornerstone figure of the Jewish faith; see article, p. 741) and the kingly figures of David
(see article, p. 416) and Solomon (see article, p. 776) to this humble Nazarene man whose
son was the Deliverer and Savior of Israel (Matthew 1:1–17).
PERSONALITY TRAITS
It had to be humiliating to learn that his betrothed, 1 Mary (see article, p. 1280), was preg-
nant, and not by him. Joseph could have reacted with angry retaliation, but he showed
compassion in thinking how to protect her from disgrace and the stoning that a supposed
adulteress might well receive in those days (Deuteronomy 22:22; Matthew 1:19). Then an
angel visited Joseph in a dream, telling him to wed Mary. The angel revealed that the child
was conceived by the Holy Spirit (see article “God the Holy Spirit,” p. 1452) and would “save
his people from their sins ” (Matthew 1:20–21; see articles “Forgiveness,” p. 1247, and
“Sin,” p. 1440). When he awoke, Joseph obeyed without reservation (Matthew 1:24–25).
Later, when Herod (see article “Herod the Great,” p. 1180) sought to kill the infant Jesus,
Joseph twice followed the directions of an angel in order to protect his family (Matthew
2:13–21). Though there was both stigma and danger attached to standing by Mary through
her pregnancy and early motherhood, Joseph was steadfast in his devotion and care.
As a child and youth, Jesus submitted to Joseph’s family leadership, under which He “grew
in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:50–52). It is likely that Jo-
seph died before Jesus began His earthly ministry. Nevertheless, he is justly celebrated
today as an extraordinarily righteous (see article “Righteousness,” p. 1442), humble, and
self-sacrificial man. 2