The Unquenchable Lamp of the Covenant. Abraham Park

the Israelites are tragically taken as captives into Babylon. Nevertheless, God did not forget the covenant that He made with David and continued to direct the flow of redemptive history with His sovereign grace and mercy.

      The names listed in the second period of the genealogy in Matthew 1 are very similar to the names listed in the genealogy in 1 Chronicles (1 Chr 3:5–16). However, when comparing 1 Chronicles 3:11–12 to Matthew 1:8, we see that three kings between Joram and Uzziah (Azariah)—Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah—have been omitted in Matthew’s genealogy. Including Athaliah, who reigned over the kingdom after her son Ahaziah had died, four kings are omitted in Matthew’s record of the genealogy (2 Kgs 11:1–3; 2 Chr 22:10–12).

      (1) The structure of the chronology (total of 406 years)

      After David reigned in Hebron, he began his reign in Jerusalem in 1003 BC. Babylon’s second invasion of Jerusalem occurred in the same year as Jeconiah’s accession to the throne, in the 12th month of 598 BC according to the solar calendar. Jerusalem fell on the 16th day of the 3rd month in 597 BC when Jeconiah was taken captive to Babylon (2 Kgs 24:8–12; 2 Chr 36:9–10). Based on this historical data, we can deduce that the captivity to Babylon took place in 597 BC. Thus, the total duration of the second period is approximately 406 years from 1003 BC to 597 BC (See pp. 81–83, Excursus 1).

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       King David – Solomon (Matt 1:6)

      73 years which includes David’s 33-year reign in Jerusalem and Solomon’s reign of 40 years

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       Rehoboam—Abijah—Asa—Jehoshaphat—Joram—Uzziah—Jotham—Ahaz—Hezekiah—Manasseh—Amon—Josiah (Matt 1:7–10)

      332 years of the divided Kingdom

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      (2) The woman listed in the second period of the genealogy—Uriah’s wife.

      Matt 1:6b “David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” (NIV)

      With regard to Uriah’s wife, many of the major English translations say, “…her who (that) had been the wife of Uriah” without mentioning the name “Bathsheba” (exceptions: NASB and NLT). The fact that the genealogy says, “Uriah’s wife” instead of the name “Bathsheba” is very significant. The specific reasons for this will be discussed in more detail in the forthcoming books in The History of Redemption series, but it is certain that Uriah’s faith is being emphasized.

      It is truly significant that the second period of the genealogy, which includes the deportation to Babylon, begins with Uriah’s wife whom David took for himself. While troubled Gentile women such as Tamar, Rahab and Ruth helped continue the lineage from Abraham through David, David’s sin of taking Uriah’s wife marked the beginning of the decline of David’s royal line, and there has been no peace in the land since. It happened just as God said through Nathan the prophet: “Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (2 Sam 12:10). The consequence of David’s sin of adultery was the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the collapse of the nation and the Israelites’ deportation to Babylon.

      3. Third Period—14 Generations from after the Deportation to Babylon to Jesus Christ

      The third period was the time of earnest yearning for restoration from the hardship and disgrace suffered during the 70 years of Babylonian captivity. It was also a time of eager expectation for the Messiah because the Israelites became despondent by gentile nations’ constant attack when they returned from captivity and began to rebuild the temple.

      (1) The structure of the chronology (total of 593 years)

      The time span of the 14 generations from the exile into Babylon (597 BC) until the birth of Jesus Christ (4 BC) is approximately 593 years. Of the persons recorded in the third period—besides Shealtiel and Zerubbabel—Abihud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan and Jacob have nothing recorded about them in the Bible. An in-depth look into these figures will be explored in the forthcoming books in The History of Redemption series.

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       Jeconiah—Shealtiel—Zerubbabel (Matt 1:12)

      This was the time from Jeconiah’s deportation in 597 BC until the first return from captivity with Zerubbabel (as the central figure) and the Temple reconstruction in 516 BC (Ezra 6:15; Hag 1:1–2, 14–15).

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       Abihud—Joseph (Matt 1:13–16)