Matthew 1:12

Friday, 19 July 2024

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Matthew 1:12

“And after the Babylon deportation, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel” (CG).

The previous verse noted that Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers upon the Babylon deportation. Matthew now continues the narrative, saying, “And after the Babylon deportation, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel.”

The name Shealtiel means I Have Asked God, I Have Asked of God, or something similar. These words appear to cause a problem with the words of Jeremiah 22 –

“As I live,” says the Lord, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; 25 and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol—
A vessel in which is no pleasure?
Why are they cast out, he and his descendants,
And cast into a land which they do not know?
29 O earth, earth, earth,
Hear the word of the Lord!
30 Thus says the Lord:
‘Write this man down as childless,
A man who shall not prosper in his days;
For none of his descendants shall prosper,
Sitting on the throne of David,
And ruling anymore in Judah.’” Jeremiah 22:24-30

In those words, Jeconiah (there called Coniah) is told that he would lose his right to the throne of David. This is seen in the terminology where he is equated to a signet ring, the sign of royal authority. From there, it then says, “Write this man down as childless.”

As it says this, the question then arises as to how can it now say in Matthew that Jeconiah begot Shealtiel? The answer is in the verse itself. Saying that none of his descendants (literally: man) shall prosper presupposes that he has descendants. However, those coming from him would not sit on the throne of David. The signet had been removed and none of his sons would rule in Judah.

This is confirmed by 1 Chronicles 3:17, 18 where the sons of Jeconiah are named. However, upon his removal 2 Kings 24 says, “Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.” With this understood, Matthew continues with the words, “and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.”

Zerubbabel means Seed of Babylon (from zara, seed) or Pressed Out of Babylon (from zur, to press). It is Zerubbabel who returned to Judah after the Babylonian exile as first noted in Ezra 3:2, where it says –

“Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.”

Of Zerubbabel, the book of Haggai says –

“‘In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:23

Zerubbabel being like a signet then signifies the reestablishment of the line leading to the Messiah, the King of Israel. Even though he himself did not reign as king, the royal line is maintained through him from David until the coming of Jesus.

Life application: It is good to read various translations of the Bible. This can help get us “unfixed” from what may be mistranslated in some translations at any given point in the Bible. For example, as seen above, the NKJV Jeremiah 22:30 says –

Thus says the LORD: ‘Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.’”

If that was correct, then there would be a problem because Zerubbabel descended from Coniah (Jeconiah). However, a literal translation of the verse says –

“Thus said Yehovah, ‘Write the man [ish], the this, childless. Man [gever] not prospers in his days. For not prospers from his seed man [ish], sitting upon throne David and ruling again in Judah.’”

The literal translation opens the possibility for a later generation to reassume the signet, continuing on until the time of Jesus. When doing a thorough study of genealogies or technical issues, it is especially important to check things out. If you are not well versed in how to check the original languages, once you have found a possible disparity, then you can go to someone who may be able to identify which translation is correct.

Be sure to not get captivated by a single translation. They are man’s rendering of God’s word. Translators will hopefully do their best to be accurate, but translational mistakes, even in good translations, can be as common as stones in a riverbed.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful word. It tells us of Jesus. Help us to be responsible as we read, contemplate, and study it. May we handle it carefully and attentively all our days. To Your glory. Amen.