Translation commentary on Matthew 1:5 – 1:6

In 1 Chronicles 2.11 Salmon is listed as the father of Boaz, though Rahab is not mentioned. Obed and Jesse are Septuagint forms and come from 1 Chronicles 2.12. The names of the women Rahab and Ruth are not listed in the genealogy of 1 Chronicles.

David the king: there are several ways to translate this naturally: “King David” (Good News Translation) or “David who was (or, became) king.” Some languages have to specify the people over whom he was king. These translations can say “the king of Israel.”

Those translators who used a short summary at the beginning of verse 2 to introduce the list of ancestors will do a similar thing here: “These are the descendants of David until the people of Israel were taken into exile in Babylon” or “After David, and until the people of Israel were taken into exile in Babylon, these are the names of his descendants.”

For Good News Translation‘s “Babylon” and “exile” (or, “deportation”), see comments on verse 11.

Solomon is listed in 1 Chronicles 3.5, 10. As with Rahab and Ruth, the wife of Uriah is not given in the Chronicles list, either by name or by indirect allusion.

By the wife of Uriah: as with “by Tamar” in Matthew 1.3, this phrase may need a separate sentence: “His mother was Uriah’s wife.” In many cases it is important to specify that she was not Uriah’s wife at the time of Solomon’s birth but had been his wife previously. Translators can follow Good News Translation or even say “His mother had been the wife of Uriah before.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 1:6

1:6a

David the king: It may be more natural in your language to indicate that David became king many years after he was born. For example:

David ⌊who later became⌋ king

king: The word king refers to a ruler who has highest authority over a large region, usually a country.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

high/supreme leader
-or-
chief

Paragraph 1:6b–11

The second group of fourteen names of men in the family line of Jesus starts at 1:6b.

1:6b

Solomon by Uriah’s wife: In this verse, Solomon’s mother is identified as the Uriah’s wife. Her name was Bathsheba. But when Solomon was born, Bathsheba was married to David. This is because David caused Uriah to die in a war and then married Bathsheba. Solomon was born after David married her. (The full story is in 2 Samuel chapters 11–12.)

In some languages, it may be important to indicate that Uriah was dead when Solomon was born. For example:

whose mother had been ⌊the late⌋ Uriah’s wife
-or-
by the ⌊former⌋ wife of Uriah
-or-
by the widow of Uriah

-or-

(his mother was the woman who had been Uriah’s wife) (Good News Translation)

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