Matthan
Matthan was the grandfather of Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus (Mat.1.15,15).
Biography
Matthan was an Israelite of the late Second Temple period who occupies a pivotal position in the genealogy of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:15). Identified as the son of Eleazar and the father of Jacob, Matthan was the grandfather of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus. He appears in the royal genealogy that traces Jesus' legal right to the throne of David through the line of Solomon. Living just two generations before the birth of Christ, Matthan would have been among those who witnessed the turbulent final decades before the Roman-appointed Herodian dynasty. His name, meaning "gift," connects him to a long tradition of theophoric Hebrew names expressing gratitude to God.
Significance
Matthan holds exceptional importance in Matthew's genealogy as the grandfather of Joseph, directly linking the Davidic royal line to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:15). His placement just two generations before Jesus underscores the immediacy of God's fulfillment of the messianic promise. Matthew's genealogy, structured in three sets of fourteen generations, positions Matthan near the climax of salvation history, at the threshold of the messianic age. Through Matthan, the legal claim to David's throne passed to Joseph and thus to Jesus, fulfilling the prophetic expectation that the Messiah would be David's heir. His life demonstrates that God's covenant faithfulness operates across centuries to accomplish what he has promised.
Verse Appearances (1)
Matthew
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]