Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. Matthew 1:15

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“And Eliud begot Eleazar, and Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob” (CG).

The previous verse ended with, “and Achim begot Eliud.” The genealogy of Jesus continues next with, “And Eliud begot Eleazar.”

Eleazar means God Has Helped or Whom God Helps, coming from el, God, and azar, to help. Next it says, “and Eleazar begot Matthan.”

Matthan means Gift, coming from the verb nathan, to give. You may know someone named Nathan. Now you can explain his name to him and get him interested in reading the Bible. The genealogy now comes to the final name before the coming of Christ Jesus, saying, “and Matthan begot Jacob.”

The name Jacob comes from the Hebrew name Yaaqov. That is derived from aqev, the heel or hind part, which is derived from the verb aqav, to follow at the heel. Thus, the name means Heel Catcher. This, in turn, signifies Supplanter because when one grabs another’s heel, he will trip him up and take his place. The name also means Who Closely Follows After, He Who Sets Down His Heel, and so forth. It is a rich name with a variety of meanings.

Life application: There is a lot of coded information in this genealogy of Christ. A study by Dr. Ivan Panin recorded in the book Numerics in Scripture by Mark Vedder concerning this genealogy gives incredible mathematical patterns that seem impossible to be random. In fact, a definite wisdom and intelligence was used to make them.

Are these patterns the work of Matthew, or did Matthew simply copy these things down under the inspiration of the Spirit? The chances weigh heavily towards the latter. If Matthew had intentionally made this list with these patterns in mind, it would certainly have been recorded somewhere. However, it wasn’t until the 1800s that Dr. Panin discovered these patterns.

Take time to search the internet on his work. You can also obtain a copy of the book by Mark Vedder online. It is a fascinating and incredible study that will leave you satisfied that you are on the right track when you are following Jesus. It is just one more of countless subtle proofs that God’s hand is clearly resting upon His sacred word.

Lord God, even with all of the proofs and evidences imaginable concerning the reliability of Your word, we still have to accept, by faith, that Jesus actually died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. We did not witness it, and so we must have faith that it is so. And we do. Nothing else makes sense in this tiring world without Jesus. But with Him, all is fresh, alive, and new. Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.