Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Matthew 1:4

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“And Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon” (CG).

The previous verse finished with “and Hezron begot Ram.” Matthew next continues the genealogy with “And Ram begot Amminadab.”

Amminadab is believed to mean either People of the Prince or My Kinsman is Noble. He is first mentioned in Exodus 6:23. He is mentioned quite a few times, but this is because of his more famous son. Thus, his name is provided in conjunction with that son, Nahshon. As such, Matthew next writes, “and Amminadab begot Nahshon.”

Nahshon is derived from a word meaning brass or snake. The vav-nun couple (the letters o and n) at the end of his name may be locative or personified. Thus, his name may mean Serpent, Serpent Guy, Bronze, Place of Bronze, or some other similar thought. And more, because bronze signifies judgment in Scripture, his name could be extended to Place of Judgment, etc.

Nahshon was the brother-in-law of Aaron. That is noted in Exodus 6 where Nahshon is first mentioned in Scripture –

“Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.” Exodus 6:23

He is next noted as the chosen leader of the tribe of Judah in Numbers 1:7. There is a Jewish legend that placed Nahshon as the first to enter the Red Sea when it parted at the exodus. This is most likely a fairy tale, putting the horse before the cart.

The tribe of Judah was selected to be the first tribe to march as Israel proceeded toward Canaan. As Nahshon was the leader of Judah, it might be assumed he was the first to march in his tribe. However, his appointment as leader came after, not before, passing through the Red Sea.

Typically, legends are like this and have no bearing on the reality presented in Scripture. Next, Matthew records, “and Nahshon begot Salmon.”

The name Salmon comes from a word meaning garment. Like his father, the vav-nun couple at the end of his name may make the name personified or locative. Thus, his name may mean Garment or actively Clothed, Place of Garment, Garment Guy, or something similar.

The only other place Salmon is mentioned is in Ruth 4:20, 21 in connection with the genealogy of David.

Life application: It is fine to look over extra-biblical writings, and Jewish commentaries may give insights into the culture and habits of the people throughout history. However, it is important to not accept those things as if they are inspired or somehow irrefutable.

Quite often, there are anti-Christian biases inserted directly into such commentaries. These are purposefully stated to lead people away from conclusions that support the notion that Jesus is the Messiah. Therefore, one should be grounded in the word before spending a lot of time in extra-biblical writings.

By knowing the word first, a lot of nonsense can be weeded out when reading other noncanonical literature. So be familiar with the word. The Lord spent millennia of human history compiling it so that we would have exactly what is needed to lead us to an understanding of who Jesus is and what God is doing through Him as His great plan of redemption is being worked out. Be sure to read and know your Bible!

Heavenly Father, may we be responsible and faithful Christians who are willing to carefully read, contemplate, and remember Your word. Help us to check things out when we come across writings that seem to conflict with it. In the end, we know we can trust Your word, but how can we do that if we don’t know it? Help us in this, O God. Amen.