Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 1:6-8

"and Jesse begat David the king. And David begat Solomon of her [that had been the wife] of Uriah; and Solomon begat Rehoboam; and Rehoboam begat Abijah; and Abijah begat Asa; and Asa begat Jehoshaphat; and Jehoshaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Uzziah;" — Matthew 1:6-8 (ASV)

The Evangelist has now finished the first fourteen generations and has come to the second, which consists of royal figures. Beginning with David, who was the first king in the tribe of Judah, he therefore calls him "David the king."

St. Augustine of Hippo: Since Matthew's genealogy shows Christ taking our sins upon Himself, he therefore descends from David to Solomon, in whose mother David had sinned. Luke, however, ascends to David through Nathan, because it was through Nathan the prophet that God punished David's sin. This is because Luke's genealogy shows the removal of our sins.¹

It must be said that this was through a prophet of the same name, for it was not Nathan the son of David who reproved him, but a different prophet with the same name.²

Remigius of Auxerre: Let us inquire why Matthew does not mention Bathsheba by name as he does the other women. It is because the others, though deserving of much blame, were still commendable for many virtues. But Bathsheba was not only complicit in the adultery but also in the murder of her husband; for this reason, her name is not included in the Lord's genealogy.

Glossa Ordinaria: Furthermore, he does not name Bathsheba, so that by naming Urias, he might call to mind the great wickedness she committed against him.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But the holy David is all the more excellent in this: he confessed that he was only a man and did not neglect to wash away with tears of repentance the sin he had committed in taking Urias' wife. In this, he shows us that no one ought to trust in their own strength, for we have a mighty adversary whom we cannot overcome without God's aid.

You will commonly observe that very serious sins fall to the lot of illustrious men, so that they are not thought of as more than human because of their other excellent virtues. Instead, you see that as men, they yield to temptation.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Solomon is interpreted as "peacemaker," because after subduing all the surrounding nations and making them tributary, he had a peaceful reign. Rehoboam is interpreted as "by a multitude of people," for a multitude is the mother of sedition; where many are joined in a crime, it is often unpunishable. But moderation in numbers is the master of good order.

1. de Cons. Evan., ii, 4
2. Lib. Retract., ii, 16