Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 1:3-6

"and Judah begat Perez and Zerah of Tamar; and Perez begat Hezron; and Hezron begat Ram; and Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon; and Nahshon begat Salmon; and Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king. And David begat Solomon of her [that had been the wife] of Uriah;" — Matthew 1:3-6 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: Passing over the other sons of Jacob, the Evangelist follows the family of Judah, saying, But Judah begat Phares and Zara of Thamar.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Neither was Judah himself the firstborn, nor was either of these two sons his firstborn; he had already had three before them. Thus, he keeps to that line of descent by which he will arrive at David, and from him to his intended destination.¹

St. Jerome: It should be noted that none of the holy women are included in the Savior's genealogy, but rather those whom Scripture has condemned. This was so that He who came for sinners, by being born of sinners, might in this way put away the sins of all. Thus, Ruth the Moabitess is included among them.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Luke, however, avoided mentioning these women, so that he might present the priestly line as immaculate. But the plan of St. Matthew did not exclude the righteousness of natural reason. For when he wrote in his Gospel that He who would take upon Himself the sins of all was born in the flesh and was subject to wrongs and pain, he did not think it was any detraction from His holiness that He did not refuse the further humiliation of a sinful parentage.²

Nor, again, should it shame the Church to be gathered from among sinners, since the Lord Himself was born of sinners. This genealogy also shows that the benefits of redemption could begin with His own forefathers, ensuring that no one might imagine a stain in their bloodline was a hindrance to virtue, nor that anyone should pride themselves arrogantly on their noble birth.

St. John Chrysostom: Besides this, it shows that all are equally liable to sin, for here is Tamar accusing Judah of incest, and David begot Solomon with a woman with whom he had committed adultery. But if the Law was not fulfilled by these great figures, neither could it be by their less great descendants. And so, all have sinned, and the presence of Christ became necessary.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Observe that Matthew does not name both twins without a reason. For although his purpose in writing only required mentioning Phares, a mystery is signified in the twins: namely, the twofold life of the nations, one by the Law and the other by Faith.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Zarah denotes the Jewish people, who first appeared in the light of faith, coming out of the dark womb of the world. They were therefore marked with the scarlet thread of the circumciser, for all supposed that they were to be God's people. But the Law was set before their face like a wall or hedge.

Thus the Jews were hindered by the Law. But at the time of Christ's coming, the hedge of the Law that stood between Jews and Gentiles was broken down, as the Apostle says, Breaking down the middle wall of partition (Ephesians 2:14). And so it happened that the Gentiles, who were signified by Phares, entered the faith first as soon as the Law was broken through by Christ's commandments, and the Jews followed after them.

Glossa Ordinaria: Judah begot Phares and Zarah before he went into Egypt, where they both accompanied their father. In Egypt, Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; Aram begat Aminadab; Aminadab begat Naasson; and then Moses led them out of Egypt. Naasson was head of the tribe of Judah under Moses in the desert, where he begot Salmon. It was this Salmon who, as prince of the tribe of Judah, entered the promised land with Joshua.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Since we believe that the names of these Fathers were given for a special reason under the providence of God, it follows, Naasson begat Salmon. After his father's death, this Salmon entered the promised land with Joshua as prince of the tribe of Judah. He took a wife named Rahab. This is said to have been Rahab the harlot of Jericho, who received the spies of the children of Israel and hid them safely.

For Salmon, being noble among the children of Israel—since he was of the tribe of Judah and the son of its prince—saw that Rahab was so ennobled by her great faith that she was worthy to be taken as his wife. The name Salmon is interpreted as "receive a vessel,"ⁱ perhaps as if he were invited by his very name, in God's providence, to receive Rahab, a vessel of election.

Glossa Ordinaria: In the promised land, this Salmon begot Boaz by this Rahab. Boaz begot Obed by Ruth.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: I think it is needless to recount how Boaz took a Moabitess named Ruth as his wife, since the Scripture concerning them is available to all. We need only say this: Ruth married Boaz as a reward for her faith, because she had cast off the gods of her forefathers and had chosen the living God. And Boaz received her as his wife as a reward for his faith, so that from such a sanctified union a kingly race might descend.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But how did Ruth, who was a foreigner, marry a Jewish man? And why in Christ's genealogy did the Evangelist even mention a union that, in the eye of the law, was illegitimate? Thus, the Savior's birth from a lineage not permitted by the law appears to us monstrous, until we consider the Apostle's declaration, The Law was not given for the righteous, but for the unrighteous (1 Timothy 1:9).

This woman was a foreigner, a Moabitess, from a nation with whom the Mosaic Law forbade all intermarriage and completely excluded from the assembly. How then did she enter the assembly, unless it was because she was holy and unstained in her life, living above the Law? Therefore, she was exempt from this restriction of the Law and deserved to be numbered in the Lord's lineage, chosen for the kinship of her mind, not of her body.

To us she is a great example, because in her was prefigured the entrance into the Lord's Church of all of us who are gathered from the Gentiles.

St. Jerome: Ruth the Moabitess fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah: Send forth, O Lord, the Lamb that shall rule over the earth, from the rock of the desert to the mount of the daughter of Zion (Isaiah 16:1).

Glossa Ordinaria: Jesse, the father of David, has two names, being more frequently called Isai. But the Prophet says, There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). Therefore, to show that this prophecy was fulfilled in Mary and Christ, the Evangelist uses the name Jesse.

Remigius of Auxerre: It is asked why this title, "King," is given by the holy Evangelist to David alone. It is because he was the first king in the tribe of Judah. Christ Himself is Phares, "the divider," as it is written, Thou shalt divide the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:33). He is Zaram,ⁱ "the east," as in, Lo the man, the east is His name (Zechariah 6:12). He is Esrom,ⁱ "an arrow," as in, He hath set me as a polished shaft (Isaiah 49:2).

Rabanus Maurus: Or, following another interpretation, according to the abundance of grace and the breadth of love: He is Aram, "the chosen,"ⁱ as it says, Behold my Servant whom I have chosen (Isaiah 42:1). He is Aminadab, that is, "willing,"ⁱ as He says, I will freely sacrifice to Thee (Isaiah 54:6). He is also Naasson,ⁱ meaning "augury," as He knows the past, present, and future; or, "like a serpent," according to the verse, Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (John 3:14). He is Salmon,ⁱ meaning "the one who feels," as He said, I feel that power has gone out from me (Luke 8:46).

Glossa Ordinaria: Christ Himself espouses Rahab, that is, the Gentile Church. For Rahabⁱ is interpreted as "hunger," "breadth," or "might," because the Church of the Gentiles hungers and thirsts for righteousness, and converts philosophers and kings by the might of her doctrine. Ruth is interpreted as either "seeing" or "hastening"ⁱ and denotes the Church, which in purity of heart sees God and hastens to the prize of the heavenly call.

Remigius of Auxerre ³

Let us now see what virtues these fathers build up in us. Faith, hope, and charity are the foundation of all virtues; those that follow are like additions to them. Judah is interpreted as "confession," of which there are two kinds: confession of faith and confession of sin. If, then, after we are endowed with these three virtues, we sin, a confession not only of faith but also of sin is necessary for us.

Phares is interpreted as "division," Zarah as "the east," and Tamar as "bitterness."ⁱ Thus, confession produces a separation from vice, the rise of virtue, and the bitterness of repentance.

After Phares follows Esrom, "an arrow," for when a person is separated from vice and worldly pursuits, he should become a dart with which to slay the vices of others by his preaching.

Aram is interpreted as "elect" or "lofty."ⁱ For as soon as a person is detached from this world and benefits another, he must be considered elect of God, renowned among men, and high in virtue.

Naasson is "augury," but this is a heavenly, not an earthly, augury. It is the kind of which Joseph boasted when he said, Ye have taken away the cup of my Lord, wherewith He is wont to divine (Genesis 44:5). The cup is the divine Scripture, in which is the draft of wisdom. By this, the wise man divines, since in it he sees future things—that is, heavenly things.

Next is Salmon,ⁱ "the one who perceives," for he who studies divine Scripture becomes discerning; that is, he distinguishes by the taste of reason between good and bad, sweet and bitter.

Next is Boaz, that is, "brave," for he who is well taught in Scripture becomes brave enough to endure all adversity.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: This brave one is the son of Rahab, that is, of the Church. For Rahab signifies "breadth" or "spread out," because the Church of the Gentiles was called from all quarters of the earth and is therefore called "breadth."

Glossa Ordinaria: Then follows Obed, meaning "servitude," for which no one is fit except one who is strong. This servitude is born of Ruth, that is, "haste," for it is fitting for a servant to be quick, not slow.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Those who look for wealth and not temperament, for beauty and not faith, and who require in a wife the same qualities required in harlots, will not beget sons who are obedient to their parents or to God, but rebellious to both. In this way, their children become a punishment for their ungodly marriage. Obed begot Jesse, which means "refreshment," for whoever is subject to God and his parents begets children who prove to be his refreshment.

Glossa Ordinaria: Or Jesse may be interpreted as "incense."ⁱ For if we serve God in love and fear, there will be a devotion in the heart that, in its heat and desire, offers the sweetest incense to God. But when one has become a fit servant and a sacrifice of incense to God, it follows that he becomes David (that is, "of a strong hand"), who fought mightily against his enemies and made the Idumeans tributary.

In the same way, such a person ought to subdue carnal men to God by his teaching and example.

1. City of God, 15, 15
2. Luc. 3
3. Christ is also Boazℹ, because He is strength, for, "When I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me." [John 12:32] He is Obeth, "a servant"ℹ, for "the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." [Matt 20:28] He is Jesse, or "burnt"ℹ, for, "I am come to send fire on earth." [Luke 12:49] He is Davidℹ, "mighty in arm," for, "the Lord is great and powerful;" [Ps 24:8] "desirable," for, "He shall come, the Desire of all nations;" [Hag 2:7] "beautiful to behold," according to that, "Beautiful in form before the sons of men." [Ps. 45:3]