# Matthew commentary

Likely written between 60 and 70 AD

The account was from Matthew (or Levi), who was one of the 12 apostles. He was a tax collector before becoming a disciple.

Its narrative focuses on the fulfillment of the Hebrew prophecies by combining biography, history, and theology.

It mirrors the Pentateuch with 5 discourses.

## 1:1-17

Besides the numerology, there is meaning in the cascade of names.

- Luke 3:23-38 captures the father's side, while Matthew 1 captures the mother's.
- Matthew starts at Abraham and works downward.

Abraham: Abram at first meant "exalted father", but it became "father of many"
Isaac: "he will laugh" or "one who laughs"
Jacob: "supplanter" or "holder of the heel"
Judah: "praised" or "let him be praised"

- This is a scandalous story involving Judah acting *far* from God's commands in [Genesis 38:1-26](bible-1_torah-gen.md).
- Perez (direct lineage): "breaking" or "breaking out", from the story in [Genesis 38:27-30](bible-1_torah-gen.md)
- Zerah (other brother): "rising" or "rising of light"
- Tamar (mother): "erect" or "palm tree"

Hezron: "yard" or "courtyard" or "hamlet", an area surrounded by walls
Ram: "elevated" or "sublime"
Amminadab: two words "people" (ammin) of "volunteer/impel/present" (nadab), in other words the people who chose
Nahshon: "enchanter"
Salmon: "clothing"
Boaz: an unclear meaning, but also becomes the name of a pillar in front of the temple

- Obed (son): "serving"
- Ruth (mother): "friend"

Jesse: "existing" or "standing out"
David: "loving"

- Solomon (son): "peaceful"
  - it's worth noting the names of Solomon's siblings in [2 Samuel 5:14](bible-2_historical-sam.md)
    - Shammua: "renowned"
    - Shobab: "rebellious"
    - Nathan: "given"
    - Ibhar: "choice"
    - Elishua: "God of riches/supplication"
    - Nepheg: "spring forth" or "sprout"
    - Japhia: "bright"
    - Elishama: "God of hearing"
    - Eliada: "God of knowing"
    - Eliphelet: "God of deliverance"
- Uriah (mother's husband): "flame of Jah"

Rehoboam: two words "a people" (rachab) and "a people" (am), or "a people has enlarged"
Abijah: two words "father" of "Jah"
Asa: uncertain origin
Jehoshaphat: "Jehovah-judged"
Joram: "Jehovah-raised"
Uzziah: "strength of Jah"
Jotham: "Jehovah is perfect"
Ahaz: "possessor"
Hezekiah: two words "strengthened of Jah"
Manasseh: "causing to forget"
Amon: "training"
Josiah: two words "found" "God"
Jeconiah: "God will establish"

- it references Jeconiah's brothers

Shealtiel: "I have asked of God" or "I have borrowed from God"
Zerubbabel: "seed of Babylon"
Abiud: "my father is majesty"
Eliakim: "God raises" or "God sets up"
Azor: "helpful"
Zadok: "just", shares a name with a priest during David's reign
Achim: "the Lord will establish"
Eliud: "God is my praise" or "God is my strength"
Eleazar: "God has helped"
Matthan: "to give", shares a name with a priest of Baal in 2 Kings 11
Jacob: "supplanter" or "holder of the heel", repeats from earlier
Joseph: "increase" or "addition"

- Mary (mother): "rebelliously", root is Miriam (Aaron's sister)

Jesus: "help of Jehovah" or "savior", root is Joshua

Now, from the top:

- An exalted father who laughs and replaces things, who is to be praised through breaking out and rising tall like a palm tree.
- He is an elevated courtyard with the people who chose.
- He is a serving friend, which is enchanted clothing for the foreign pillar of His foundation.
- He stands out as a loving and peaceful flame. He is also renowned, antagonistic, given, chosen, bright, and a God of wealth, hearing, knowing, and deliverance.
- The people of God's father are enlarged, mysterious, judged and raised by God through His strength.
- He is a perfect possessor who finds, strengthens, causes to forget, trains, and establishes.
- The seed of Babylon asks from God, and God raises and helps them.
- He is just and establishes among other things, and the people praise because they were helped.
- He gives, replaces, and increases antagonistically by saving.

## 5:13

The salt reference is because salt seasons things. Without salt, we don't have any influence to change the "flavor" of things at all.

There are some other observations:

1. Salt never chemically loses its saltiness. All it does is get diluted with sand. At that point, it is "communion with the world", since they didn't have any chemical method to separate salt from sand.
2. God chose salt, and could have chosen something else, like fine spices or peppers. Peppers agitate, spices decay, but salt sticks around with a lingering flavor that doesn't go away.
   - Salt doesn't command the flavor (as opposed to capsaicin in peppers).
   - Salt works well with pretty much everything (as opposed to most spices).

It's entirely possible salt was invented by God in the first place for this analogy.