The Meaning of Matthew 1:16 Explained

Matthew 1:16

KJV: And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

YLT: and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was begotten Jesus, who is named Christ.

Darby: and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

ASV: and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  Jacob  begat  Joseph  the husband  of Mary,  of  whom  was born  Jesus,  who  is called  Christ. 

What does Matthew 1:16 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 1:1-17 - The Line By Which Messiah Came
The enumeration of our Lord's ancestors, with its threefold division into fourteen generations and evident gaps, was probably so arranged to aid the memory. Notice that, in unison with the general purpose of the writer, the line is traced to Abraham through David the king. Of course we know that Joseph was only the reputed father of Jesus, Matthew 1:18; but in any case this genealogy conformed to Hebrew usage and explained how the birth took place in David's city.
In this list of names the patriarchs, Gentiles, women of doubtful character, good men and bad men, the wise, the illustrious, the unknown-all supply important links. It is as though to teach us that in the Son of man there is a blending of all classes, that He might be the representative and helper of all. Each of us may find some point of contact in this genealogy. Jesus Christ belongs to our race. He knew what was in man by that subtle and intimate knowledge which comes of kinship. In Him, therefore, is neither Jew nor Greek exclusively, but all are one in Him. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 1

1  The genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to Joseph
18  He is miraculously conceived of the Holy Spirit by the Virgin Mary
19  The angel satisfies the doubts of Joseph,
21  and declares the names and office of Jesus;
25  Jesus is born

What do the individual words in Matthew 1:16 mean?

Jacob then begat - Joseph the husband of Mary out of whom was born Jesus the [One] being called Christ
Ἰακὼβ δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἄνδρα Μαρίας ἐξ ἧς ἐγεννήθη Ἰησοῦς λεγόμενος Χριστός

Ἰακὼβ  Jacob 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰακώβ  
Sense: was the second son of Isaac.
ἐγέννησεν  begat 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γεννάω  
Sense: of men who fathered children.
τὸν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰωσὴφ  Joseph 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰωσήφ 
Sense: the patriarch, the eleventh son of Jacob.
ἄνδρα  husband 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
Μαρίας  of  Mary 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: Μαρία 
Sense: Mary the mother of Jesus.
ἐξ  out  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
ἧς  whom 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
ἐγεννήθη  was  born 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γεννάω  
Sense: of men who fathered children.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
  the  [One] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
λεγόμενος  being  called 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Χριστός  Christ 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Χριστός  
Sense: Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God.