Matthew 1:6

Saturday, 13 July 2024

and Jesse begot David the king.

David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Matthew 1:6

“And Jesse begot David, the king. And David, the king, begot Solomon from the of Uriah” (CG).

The previous verse finished with the begetting of Jesse by Obed. The account continues now with, “And Jesse begot David.”

David is first recorded in Ruth 4:17 –

“‘There is a son born to Naomi. And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

He is mentioned again at the completion of the genealogy of Ruth 4 which also closes out the book of Ruth –

“Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.” Ruth 4:22

David means Beloved. Of him, Matthew next notes he is “the king.”

Instead of saying And Jesse begot King David, the title is set apart with the use of an article. This emphasizes him as the one having been highlighted in Matthew 1:1. Matthew is focusing on David’s coming as the next great event in this chronology. Abraham and David were mentioned in verse 1. From there, Matthew noted the names of the males from Abraham to David with the two key intervening female names of Rahab and Ruth being included as well.

Including the title of David with the article, therefore, offsets him as a key figure on which the narrative is focusing. His life was used time and again as a type of Christ. He is also the king to whom the messianic promise was given. Matthew is using him to support the biblical narrative that ultimately is provided to lead to the knowledge that Jesus truly is the promised Messiah.

Now, with this link from Abraham to David set, Matthew immediately continues the list, saying, “And David, the king, begot Solomon.”

Some manuscripts do not include the repeated words “the king.” However, it appears that this is an additional effort by Matthew to highlight the importance of who King David is as the genealogy now continues with his own progeny. The kingly line is set, the promise of an eternal kingdom through David was made (2 Samuel 7), and that honorable line now proceeds from David to Solomon.

The name Solomon (Hebrew Shlomoh) is derived from the Hebrew shalem, to be complete, sound, etc. Thus, his name means Peace, Peaceful, Recompence, Fair Penalty, Completeness, or some other closely associated thought.

Solomon is first listed in a listing of David’s sons born in Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 5:14. Of him, it next says that he was born “from the of Uriah.”

At times, biblical Greek carries nuances that require inferences to be made. The text says ek tēs tou Ouriou, “from the [fem. sg.] the [masc. sg.] Uriah.” The meaning is “from the [wife of the man] Uriah.” The account of David sleeping with the wife of Uriah and then having him killed, along with the resulting consequences of his actions, is found in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. When the tragic account is complete, the next thing introduced into the narrative says –

“Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him, 25 and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.” 2 Kings 12:24, 25

One can see the idea of recompense or fair penalty in how the events played out. Thus, the name Solomon was given to the child. Of this son, Solomon, we read the words of 1 Kings 1 –

“Then King David answered and said, ‘Call Bathsheba to me.’ So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king took an oath and said, ‘As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 30 just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying, “Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,” so I certainly will do this day.’” 1 Kings 1:28-30

David had determined to place Solomon on the throne after him. However, there was an attempt to overthrow this decision by another of the king’s sons. In order to thwart that, David ordered that Solomon be crowned king while he was still alive. Therefore, it is from Solomon that the line continues in Matthew’s record.

Life application: Psalm 51 was written in response to David’s sin against the Lord in the matter of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David poured out his heart to the Lord in repentance, and by penning it in a psalm, he did it in a manner that the whole world has been able to read and contemplate for millennia.

David did this at various times in his life. He would face tragedy, and he would stop and pen a psalm (e.g. psalm 3). In being relieved from a distressing situation, he would write a psalm (e.g. Psalm 4). David would place his heart on full display for the world to see and contemplate his relationship with God.

Although we do not need to write a psalm while being pursued by our enemies as David did (Psalm 57), we can learn from these psalms what pleases God in our interactions with Him. He has chosen these various writings, having placed them in His word, to show us that the words were acceptable to Him.

In reading and pondering them, we are reminded that God is worthy of praise in all situations, that He is with us at all times, and that His word is true and reliable as it points to the coming of Christ and the fulfillment of the messianic promises. And because it is reliable concerning the coming of Jesus, we can be certain that it is reliable in regard to the promises that are granted to us because of Jesus having come.

Let us read the word, hold fast to the promises God has made to us in Christ, not waffling or floundering in our convictions. Through stress, distress, and even calamity, we can hold fast to the sure promises that are granted to us because of the coming of Christ. Let us do so, to the glory of God who has made those sure promises.

O God, we are so grateful to You for Your word. It is a comfort to our souls, it is a treasure stored up, it is a light beaming forth, and it is a guide on our path of life. Your word, O God, is especially so wonderfully beautiful because it tells us of Jesus. Thank You that because of Your word, we have the absolute assurance of eternal life which comes through the completed work of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.