What is the meaning of Matthew 1:5? Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab “Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab” (Matthew 1:5a). • Matthew records this as literal history, linking the conquest generation of Joshua (Joshua 2; 6:22-25) with the settled tribal life that followed. • Rahab, a former prostitute of Jericho, staked everything on the God of Israel: “for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below” (Joshua 2:11). Her faith is celebrated in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25, underscoring that God’s plan always welcomed believing outsiders. • Salmon, of the tribe of Judah, married Rahab after Jericho fell. Their union highlights: – God’s redeeming grace—He rescues and re-purposes sinners. – The steady unfolding of the messianic line promised in Genesis 49:10. • By placing Rahab in Jesus’ genealogy, Matthew signals early that salvation in Christ will extend beyond ethnic Israel (cf. Ephesians 2:12-13). Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth “Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth” (Matthew 1:5b). • The book of Ruth (Ruth 1–4) supplies the backstory: – Ruth, a Moabite widow, clung to Naomi and to Israel’s God: “Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16). – Boaz acted as kinsman-redeemer (Ruth 3:9; 4:9-10), mirroring the Lord’s own redeeming character (Isaiah 54:5). • Lessons woven into this link: – Covenant faithfulness: Boaz shows hesed (loyal love), prefiguring Christ’s sacrificial love (John 10:11). – Inclusion: another Gentile (Ruth) is grafted into the royal line (Romans 11:17). – Providence: everyday obedience—gleaning, legal transactions at the gate—moves God’s grand purposes forward (Romans 8:28). • Ruth 4:13-17 confirms the historical birth of Obed, grounding Matthew’s statement in Old-Testament narrative. Obed the father of Jesse “Obed the father of Jesse” (Matthew 1:5c). • Obed’s name means “servant,” anticipating a family line culminating in the Servant-King (Mark 10:45). • Jesse becomes the humble Bethlehemite patriarch introduced in 1 Samuel 16:1-13, where the LORD says, “I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected for Myself a king from his sons” (1 Samuel 16:1). • Isaiah 11:1 points ahead from Jesse to the Messiah: “Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit”. • The genealogy therefore moves naturally from divinely redeemed “outsiders” (Rahab, Ruth) to Israel’s quintessential royal family, underscoring God’s sovereign, unbroken chain of promise. summary Matthew 1:5 records three successive generations—Salmon-Rahab, Boaz-Ruth, and Obed-Jesse—to show that the Messiah’s lineage is both historically reliable and theologically rich. God weaves Gentiles and former sinners into Judah’s royal line, demonstrating that His redemptive plan has always been by grace through faith. The verse links the conquest, the era of the judges, and the rise of Israel’s monarchy, paving the way for David—and ultimately for “Jesus Christ, the Son of David” (Matthew 1:1). |
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