Jechoniah and His Brothers (Matthew 1:11)

Abstract

Matthew directs his reader's engagement with the genealogy he provides by means of framing materials and the use of internal annotation. The omission of three generations of kings from the genealogical list (1:8) and the confusions involved in identifying Josiah as father of Jechoniah and his brothers (v. 11) can be shown to have a similar annotative role: by careful manipulation of the traditions available to him Matthew is able to use these apparent abberations not only to achieve his fourteen generations schema, but also to evoke significant elements in the history of the period covered by his genealogy.