Book of the genealogy (Good News Translation “list of the ancestors”) translates a phrase which clearly has its origin in Genesis 2.4a: “These are the generations of the heaven and earth.” Similar use of this expression occurs in Genesis 5.1; 6.9; 10.1; 11.10, 27, showing clearly that the phrase reflected in Matthew may include not only a list of ancestors but narrative as well.
The book of the genealogy may be interpreted in three different ways: (1) It may be limited to mean “a list of the ancestors” (Good News Translation, French common language version [Bible en français courant], German common language version [Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch]; Jerusalem Bible [Jerusalem Bible] “A genealogy”; New English Bible [New English Bible] “A table of the descent”; New American Bible [New American Bible] “A family record”; Moffatt [Moffatt] “The birth roll”; American Translation [An American Translation] “The ancestry”; Phillips “This is the record of the ancestry”; Barclay “This is the family tree”).
(2) Following the pattern of Genesis, one may enlarge the phrase to include not only a list of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, but the events surrounding his birth and childhood as well (1.1–2.23). No translations appear to state this explicitly, though it is possible to take the ambiguous phrase The book of the genealogy in this sense (so also Zürcher Bibel; see Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “The book of the origin of Jesus Christ”). However, it may as easily be assumed that these translations have done nothing more than to perpetuate a literal rendering of the Greek phrase.
(3) It is also possible to take this phrase to include the whole Gospel of Matthew, which may be the intention of Luther: “This is the book of the story of Jesus Christ….”
On the whole, the second of these three possibilities seems to be the best choice in light of the way that this phrase is used in Genesis; though, as can be seen from the translations quoted, most translators apparently prefer the first of these possibilities.
Translators who choose the second interpretation of the phrase The book of the genealogy, and understand it to include the events surrounding Jesus’ birth and childhood as well as the list of his ancestors, can use a phrase such as “This is the story of the ancestors of Jesus Christ and his birth.” (For “ancestors,” see comments on the section heading.) In some languages “story” is usually reserved for some tale that is not true. In such cases a better sentence will be “This writing (or, book) is about the ancestors of Jesus Christ and his birth.”
“Birth” will in some cases be translated by a noun, as in the above examples, and in others by a verb, as in “and how he was born.”
Those who follow the third interpretation, which suggests that book of the genealogy refers to all of Matthew, will use sentences such as “This book (or, writing) is the story of Jesus Christ” or “… is about Jesus Christ.”
Most translators, however, will follow the first interpretation and understand book of the genealogy to refer to a list of ancestors. Then, like Good News Translation, they may say “This is the list of the ancestors of Jesus Christ.” In languages where there is no word “list,” or in which it would be awkward to use that word in this context, translators can say “These are the ancestors” or “These are the names of the ancestors.”
This verse may be restructured in a variety of ways. But if the exegesis followed by the majority of translators is accepted, then Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch gives a more natural order: “Jesus Christ is a descendant of David and Abraham. Here is the list of his ancestors:….” This restructuring has a twofold advantage: (1) It introduces at the very first the information about Jesus’ ancestry from David and Abraham, which is so important to the Gospel of Matthew; and (2) the list of ancestors is given immediately following the mention of the list.
Note that even though The book of the genealogy is not a complete sentence, all the solutions we are suggesting are. (“These are…,” “This is…,” etc.) Many readers will find complete sentences easier to follow.
The word Jesus is a Greek equivalent of a well-known Hebrew name. It is constructed from two Hebrew words which mean “Lord” and “save,” and it is probably best taken in its root meaning: “O Lord, save.” In 1.21 the angel indicates to Mary the true and full significance of the name Jesus—he will save his people from their sins. However, even though the meaning of the name is significant, translators should not try to translate Jesus, but write it as a proper noun.
Most translators and commentators are apparently in agreement that the word Christ in this verse is used as a proper name, not with the force of “the Christ,” as in verses 16 and 17. The Greek word “Christ” is a translation of the Hebrew “Messiah,” meaning “the Anointed One.” In New Testament times it was a technical term used to describe the promised Savior-King, and it generally had political and military overtones. However, when used of Jesus by Matthew and the other New Testament writers, it is used exclusively in a spiritual sense. The complete name Jesus Christ is rare in the first three Gospels. It occurs here and in Mark 1.1 for certain; in 1.18 and 16.21 the Greek manuscripts vary between “Jesus” and “Jesus Christ.”
It is difficult in a Handbook to advise translators on writing proper nouns, since the problem is wider than just the specific names in any one book. It is important for translators to agree on the principles to follow fairly early in their work. (They can discuss this with their Translation Consultant.) In areas where a major language such as Spanish, French, English, or Portuguese dominates, translators often take the pronunciation of names in that language and adapt them so that they follow the phonological and orthographic patterns of their own language. Exceptions are sometimes made for well-known names in common usage in the area, such as Peter, John, or James.
A further problem is the case of several variants of one name in the Scriptures themselves, as we see with “Ram” in verse 3. Translators will have to consider what will be best for their readers. Certainly those preparing common language translations (CLTs) will find that following the lead of Good News Bible will help avoid confusion with this problem.
For translators, there are two basic decisions that have to be made about “Christ” and “Messiah.” As we said, the two terms mean the same thing, but whereas “Messiah” is always used as a title (“the Messiah”), “Christ” is sometimes a title (“the Christ”) and sometimes a name or part of a name (“Jesus Christ”). This can be very confusing to readers. Since “Messiah” in English now is understood very much as in the biblical text, Good News Bible has followed the policy in the Gospels of using “Messiah” whenever the title is involved, whether the text has “the Christ” or “the Messiah.” Good News Bible then reserves “Christ” for its usage as a name. Many translators will want to consider doing the same thing.
A second decision to make is whether to transliterate “Messiah” or to translate it. Some translators have said “God’s promised Savior,” “God’s chosen Savior,” or simply “the One God promised (or, chose).” There are those who both transliterate and translate, saying “the Messiah, God’s chosen Savior.”
Christ as a name (as here) will be written in accordance with the principles followed for names.
Jesus Christ is specified as the son of David, the son of Abraham. Most languages have a noun that means “descendant” (Good News Translation), and translators either use a sentence similar to Good News Bible or use a construction such as “He descended from David and from Abraham” or “He descended from David, who descended from Abraham.”
In languages which use “son” to mean “descendant,” the sentence must be constructed so that it is clear that David was not the biological father of Jesus, and that Abraham was neither David’s father nor the father of Jesus. Sentences such as “one of his fathers of long ago was David and another was Abraham” or “One of his fathers of long ago was David, and one of David’s fathers was Abraham” will also be good ways to handle the phrase.
Matthew’s readers knew that David was the famous king of Israel’s history, but many readers today will not know that, particularly in languages that do not have an Old Testament. Translators in these languages may want to supply that information in a footnote or in the glossary, or they can insert it directly into the text by saying “King David.”
Similarly, not all modern readers will know that Abraham was the great founder of the nation of Israel, and translators sometimes say “Our founder Abraham” or “Abraham, who founded our nation.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .