Today's Daily Bread

GENEALOGY OF JESUS

Date : Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Passage : Matthew 1:1~17
Keyverse : 1  
1
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
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Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,
4
Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
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Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
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and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
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Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,
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Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9
Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10
Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,
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and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
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After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
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Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor,
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Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud,
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Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
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and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
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Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Matthew begins his testimony of Lord Jesus with a genealogy. Since Matthew had the Jews as his target audience, he emphasized how Jesus is a descendant of Abraham, the father of faith, and of David, the greatest king who led the people of Israel according to the will of God.

The genealogy includes several names of Gentiles, such as Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, and Uriah’s wife. Some good kings, who struggled yet repented of their sins, led the nation to follow God’s will. Names of evil kings, who gave themselves over to human pride and idolatry and led the people away from the Lord, are also included.

Although Matthew does not mention much history, he groups the generations into three parts by significance. He shows how God raised Abraham’s descendants into a great nation. Then, they turned away from God’s blessing. Finally, they became exiles in a foreign land, yet God mercifully restored them to the Promised Land.

This genealogy belonged to Jesus’ adoptive father Joseph. As his rightful heir, Jesus was the son of David promised to the Jews for generations. Prayer: Father, thank you for showing us that your plan has been at work for many generations. Your will is just, and your plans are perfect. Help me to fully trust you and witness your work today.
One Word: Jesus is the promised Messiah