Abraham begat Isaac. . . . and Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias . . . . and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. (Matthew 1: 2, 6 & 16 KJV)
Singer song-writer Andrew Peterson has a song titled “Matthew’s Begats” that is part of his Christmas album Behold the Lamb of God. It’s a word salad of a song, filled with the names and lineage of Matthew 1 – a passage when read in the KJV that is filled with “begats”. “Begat” is an old English word that means to bring forth or bear. In Biblical use it is often associated with the role of a man who “begats” offspring, though of course said man could not produce without the equal, if not greater, participation of a woman. But in Bible times it was a man’s world, so Matthew’s “begats” is mostly about men – fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen more generations from David to the Exile, and then (you guessed it) fourteen more from the Exile to Jesus.
In his gospel’s first sixteen verses we encounter names such as Phares and Zara, Aminadab and Salmon, Boaz and Obed, Jesse, Solomon, Rehoboam, Josaphat, Manasses, Amon and Jochonias, to call forth just a few. Mention is also made of Tamar, Ruth and “her who had been the wife of Urias” (Bathsheba), as well as Mary, the mother of Christ. Matthew 1:1-16 is probably not one of the more memorized or quoted passages found in the Gospels, but it is interesting. Without all that begetting, Jesus would not have been begotten, meaning no incarnation, no Messiah, no Christ, no Christmas. Translate that as no hope, no redemption, no restoration, no salvation, no re-creation, no eternity. It all began with the begats.
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