The King Arrives
Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, Matthew 1:5 · Berean Standard Bible
Two outsiders, Rahab and Ruth, show up in Jesus's family tree. One was a former prostitute, the other a foreign widow. God chose them both to be part of the greatest story ever told.
These women weren't Israelites by birth, but they chose faith. Their inclusion tells you that God's family has always been bigger than one nation.
Matthew is highlighting the surprising women in Jesus's ancestry.
We're in the era of the Judges now, a turbulent time, yet God's plan kept advancing through unlikely people.
Two more remarkable women appear: Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute of Jericho (Joshua 2), and Ruth, the Moabite widow. Both were Gentile outsiders integrated into Israel's royal line.
Matthew's inclusion of Rahab and Ruth signals that the Messiah's lineage deliberately incorporated Gentiles, foreshadowing Jesus's universal mission.
Matthew, narrating the genealogical record.
The line moves through the conquest of Canaan and the period of the Judges, with Gentile women playing pivotal roles.
3Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
4Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.
5Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
6and Jesse the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
7Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.
Read all of Matthew 1 — The New Testament opens with a genealogy — and every name carries a story. Two great promises converge in one person. This is where it all comes together.
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