The
Cursed King & the missing Kings and Queens:Any
serious and in-depth investigation of the 3 sets of '14' generations in the
Matthew genealogy will show that they are not strictly equivalent, that is each
set does not start and end in the same place, and thus the equivalence is quite
arbitrary (indicating that it is a literary device rather than an accurate and
totally factual record). Also, the 2nd set (from King David to the
Babylonian exile) has 4 descendants missing. I would argue that the first set
has even more, but that is not really relevant or necessary for this
discussion.
Again,
without detailing how these lists of derived, here is the list from the Tanakh
(mainly 1 Chronicles 3) for the 2nd set, the 'House of David'
down to the exile:
David, Solomon Rehoboam, Avi'yahm, Asa, Yehi'shafat , Ye'horam, Achazyah, Athaliah (Queen), Jehoash, Amaziah, Azar'yah (Uzziah), Yotam, Ahaz, Hizki'yahu, M'nasheh, Amon, Yoshi'yahu ...
David, Solomon Rehoboam, Avi'yahm, Asa, Yehi'shafat , Ye'horam, Achazyah, Athaliah (Queen), Jehoash, Amaziah, Azar'yah (Uzziah), Yotam, Ahaz, Hizki'yahu, M'nasheh, Amon, Yoshi'yahu ...
And here
is Matthew's List:
David, Shlomo, Rehoboam[1], Avi'yahm[2], Asa[3], Yehi'shafat[4], Ye'horam[5], … ,Azar'yah[6], Yotam[7], Achaz/Ahaz, Hizki'yahu/Hezekiah, M'nasheh/Manasseh, Amon/Amos, Yoshi'yahu/Josiah (exile to Babylon).
David, Shlomo, Rehoboam[1], Avi'yahm[2], Asa[3], Yehi'shafat[4], Ye'horam[5], … ,Azar'yah[6], Yotam[7], Achaz/Ahaz, Hizki'yahu/Hezekiah, M'nasheh/Manasseh, Amon/Amos, Yoshi'yahu/Josiah (exile to Babylon).
Here's the listing in
the CJB:
“David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asaph. Asaph was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amos. Amos was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.” - Matt 1:6-11
“David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asaph. Asaph was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amos. Amos was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.” - Matt 1:6-11
Missing are: 1)
Achaz'yahu, 2) Atal'yah(Queen), 3) Yo'ash/Jehoash, 4) Amatz'yahu/Amaziah.
These Kings and a Queen represent some 76 years. We are not told why they are missing, as we can be fairly confident that the original author of Matthew (of the Hebrew version written before the Fall of Jersualem in 70 CE), would have had access to these records. One of the suggestions presented by Uriel ben Mordechai (http://above-and-beyond-ltd.com/store/books/if.html) is that the Kings and Queen missing had not been buried with their 'fathers' in the graves in Jerusalem and that this 'dishonour' may have been a factor in their not being included.
Some have used this 'error' though to argue for that the whole genealogy and Gospel is inaccurate and invalid. The skipping of some ancestors in genealogical recountings by the Jewish people was not uncommon though. Prof WH Green gives some good examples in his paper 'Are There Gaps in the Biblical Genealogies'[8].
Just for completeness, here is Luke's genealogy of Yeshua's father Yosef via King David's son Natan. As Uriel points out and contrary to what some have argued, the eschatological Messiah does not have to be a descendant of Solomon as well as David, as is inferred in Amos 9:11:
“Yeshua was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
It was supposed that he was a son of Yosef who was of Eli, of Mattat, of Levi, of Malki, of Yannai, of Yosef, of Mattityahu, of Amotz, of Nachum, of Hesli, of Naggai, of Machat, of Mattityahu, of Shim‘i, of Yosef, of Yodah, of Yochanan, of Reisha, of Z’rubavel, of Sh’altiel, of Neri, of Malki, of Addi, of Kosam, of Elmadan, of Er, of Yeshua, of Eli‘ezer, of Yoram, of Mattat, of Levi, of Shim‘on, of Y’hudah, of Yosef, of Yonam, of Elyakim, of Mal’ah, of Manah, of Mattatah, of Natan, of David” - Luke 3:23-31
Some try to make an issue of the 'supposed that he was a son of Yosef', yet Luke thought enough of this genealogy to actually list it, so he clearly did not have too much doubt. Note that this genealogical record is given in the context of the question as to whether Yeshua was the long awaited Messiah, and some had witnessed a declaration to this effect from heaven. So to give this list of ancestors back to King David would seem in this context to clearly be intended to establish that Yeshua also qualified on the grounds of his tribal affiliation and being a 'son of David'.
One of the other issues with Matthew's list is the apparent inclusion of the 'cursed King' Jeconiah. Some try to argue that the curse was removed, though this seems a very fanciful interpretation lacking any serious validity. Instead Uriel shows that the Jeconiah (Yechon'yahu) included is a different one.
King Yoshi'yahu had a son named Yeho'yakim, who in turn had a son named Yechon'yahu, who was the 'cursed' King.
This is not the Yechon'yahu in Matthew's list. Uriel argues with some great detective work from the Tanakh, that King Yoshi'yahu's first-born son should have been King. While he was originally named Yochanan, Yochanan was given a new name[9], Yechon'yahu, and then deported to Babylon (along with the famous Daniel) and served in the palace of Nevuchad'netzar. This Yochanan aka Yechon'yahu then has a son, named She'alti'el, who in turn fathers Z'ru'bavel[10], who is the one who leads the Jewish people back to Eretz Israel, to rebuild the Temple, and become the first governor of the people of Yehudah, back in the Land of Israel.
Interestingly, none of the names in Matthews list after Z'ru'bavel were ever recorded in the Tanakh or the Chronicles of the Kings (as none were Kings). However, their names would have been recorded in the Birth Registry in the Temple in Jerusalem and the author of Matthew would have had access to these records before 70 CE when they were destroyed.
These Kings and a Queen represent some 76 years. We are not told why they are missing, as we can be fairly confident that the original author of Matthew (of the Hebrew version written before the Fall of Jersualem in 70 CE), would have had access to these records. One of the suggestions presented by Uriel ben Mordechai (http://above-and-beyond-ltd.com/store/books/if.html) is that the Kings and Queen missing had not been buried with their 'fathers' in the graves in Jerusalem and that this 'dishonour' may have been a factor in their not being included.
Some have used this 'error' though to argue for that the whole genealogy and Gospel is inaccurate and invalid. The skipping of some ancestors in genealogical recountings by the Jewish people was not uncommon though. Prof WH Green gives some good examples in his paper 'Are There Gaps in the Biblical Genealogies'[8].
Just for completeness, here is Luke's genealogy of Yeshua's father Yosef via King David's son Natan. As Uriel points out and contrary to what some have argued, the eschatological Messiah does not have to be a descendant of Solomon as well as David, as is inferred in Amos 9:11:
“Yeshua was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
It was supposed that he was a son of Yosef who was of Eli, of Mattat, of Levi, of Malki, of Yannai, of Yosef, of Mattityahu, of Amotz, of Nachum, of Hesli, of Naggai, of Machat, of Mattityahu, of Shim‘i, of Yosef, of Yodah, of Yochanan, of Reisha, of Z’rubavel, of Sh’altiel, of Neri, of Malki, of Addi, of Kosam, of Elmadan, of Er, of Yeshua, of Eli‘ezer, of Yoram, of Mattat, of Levi, of Shim‘on, of Y’hudah, of Yosef, of Yonam, of Elyakim, of Mal’ah, of Manah, of Mattatah, of Natan, of David” - Luke 3:23-31
Some try to make an issue of the 'supposed that he was a son of Yosef', yet Luke thought enough of this genealogy to actually list it, so he clearly did not have too much doubt. Note that this genealogical record is given in the context of the question as to whether Yeshua was the long awaited Messiah, and some had witnessed a declaration to this effect from heaven. So to give this list of ancestors back to King David would seem in this context to clearly be intended to establish that Yeshua also qualified on the grounds of his tribal affiliation and being a 'son of David'.
One of the other issues with Matthew's list is the apparent inclusion of the 'cursed King' Jeconiah. Some try to argue that the curse was removed, though this seems a very fanciful interpretation lacking any serious validity. Instead Uriel shows that the Jeconiah (Yechon'yahu) included is a different one.
King Yoshi'yahu had a son named Yeho'yakim, who in turn had a son named Yechon'yahu, who was the 'cursed' King.
This is not the Yechon'yahu in Matthew's list. Uriel argues with some great detective work from the Tanakh, that King Yoshi'yahu's first-born son should have been King. While he was originally named Yochanan, Yochanan was given a new name[9], Yechon'yahu, and then deported to Babylon (along with the famous Daniel) and served in the palace of Nevuchad'netzar. This Yochanan aka Yechon'yahu then has a son, named She'alti'el, who in turn fathers Z'ru'bavel[10], who is the one who leads the Jewish people back to Eretz Israel, to rebuild the Temple, and become the first governor of the people of Yehudah, back in the Land of Israel.
Interestingly, none of the names in Matthews list after Z'ru'bavel were ever recorded in the Tanakh or the Chronicles of the Kings (as none were Kings). However, their names would have been recorded in the Birth Registry in the Temple in Jerusalem and the author of Matthew would have had access to these records before 70 CE when they were destroyed.
[2] Or Abijah
[7] Or Jotham, etc. I
hope you get the idea! Transliterations are often different, even when the
original Hebrew name is spelt exactly the same!
[9] In the BabylonianTalmud, Kritot 5b we can read of a
discussion about the sons of Yoshiyahu and how their names were changed. Here's
part of it “And Jehoahaz by
reason of the claim to the throne by his
brother Jehoiakim who was two years his senior’. ‘Was he indeed older, is it
not written:
And the sons of Josiah: the
first-born Yochanan, the second Johoiakim, the third Zedekiah and the fourth
Shallum; upon which R. Johanan remarked that Johanan was identical
with Jehoahaz and Zedekiah with Shallum! — Jehoiakim was indeed older, and [the
other] was called first-born, because he was first in succession. But is it
permitted to install the younger son in preference to the older? Is it not
written: And the kingdom he gave to Jehorom for he was the first-born? — That one
followed in his forefather's footsteps. The Master said: ‘Shallum is identical
with Zedekiah’. But are not the sons enumerated in numerical order? He
[Zedekiah] is called ‘the third’ because he was the third among the sons, and
he is called ‘the fourth’, because he was the
fourth to reign, for Jeconiah reigned before him: Jehoahaz was the first
successor, then followed Jehoiakim, then Jeconiah and then Zedekiah. Our Rabbis
taught: Shallum is identical with Zedekiah; and why was he called Shallum? Because he was perfect [‘shalem’] in his deeds; or
according to another explanation, because the kingdom of the House of David
ended [shalem] in his days.”
[10]Uriel also gives good evidence to suggest that this man
is the 'Branch' of Zechariah 8:23 “ Listen now, Yehoshua the high priest, both you and your
colleagues who are sitting before you, all of you are a symbol that I am about
to introduce my servant, the Branch.”
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