Matthew 1:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

After the carrying away, he sets Jeconiah again, as now become a private person.

If we were to position Jechoniah at the conclusion of the previous fourteen generations, we would find that the subsequent fourteen contain only thirteen generations. It is essential to recognize, therefore, that Jechoniah preceded Jehoiakim, indicating that Jehoiakim was the son rather than the father of Jechoniah. Furthermore, the name Jechoniah is composed of the letters c and t, while Jehoiakim's name contains ch and n. Due to the inaccuracies of the scribes and the considerable distance of time from us, these names have been confused by the Greeks and Latins.

Of whom Jeremiah speaks. Write this man dethroned; for there shall not spring of his seed one sitting on the throne of David. (Jer. 22:30.) How is this said of the Prophet, that none of the seed of Jeconias should reign? For if Christ reigned, and Christ was of the seed of Jeconiah, then has the Prophet spoken falsely. But it is not there declared that there shall be none of the seed of Jeconiah, and so Christ is of his seed; and that Christ did reign, is not in contradiction to the prophecy; for He did not reign with worldly honours, as He said, My kingdom is not of this world. (John 18:36.)

But let us see what moral signification these names contain. After Jeconias, which means ‘the preparation of the Lord,’ follows Salathiel, i. e. ‘God is my petition,’ for he who is rightly prepared, prays not but of God. Again, he becomes Zorobabel, ‘the master of Babylon,’ that is, of the men of the earth, whom he makes to know concerning God, that He is their Father, which is signified in Abiud. Then that people rise again from their vices, whence follows Eliacim, ‘the resurrection;’ and thence rise to good works, which is Azor, and becomes Sadoch, i. e. ‘righteous;’ and then they are taught the love of their neighbour. He is my brother, which is signified in Achim; and through love to God he says of Him, ‘My God,’ which Eliud signifies. Then follows Eleazar, i. e.

He is also Zorobabel, that is, ‘the master of confusion,’ according to that, Your Master eateth with publicans and sinners. (Matt. 9:11.) He is Abiud, that is, ‘He is my Father,’ according to that, I and the Father are One. (John 10:30.) He is also Eliacimo, that is, ‘God the Reviver,’ according to that, I will revive him again in the last day. (John 6:54.) He is also Azor, that is, ‘aided,’ according to that, He who sent Me is with Me. (John 8:29.) He is also Sadoch, that is, ‘the just,’ or, ‘the justified,’ according to that, He was delivered, the just for the unjust. (1 Pet. 3:18.) He is also Achim, that is, ‘my brother is He,’ according to that, Whoso doeth the will of My Father, he is My brother. (Matt. 12:50.) He is also Eliud, that is, ‘He is my God,’ according to that, My Lord, and my God. (John 20:28.)

When Jehoniah, only eight years old, took the throne, his reign lasted a brief three months. Following that period, he was taken to Babylon by a great multitude under Nebuchadnezzar, where he ultimately passed away. During his time in Babylon, he became the father of Salathiel, who in turn begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel later returned to Jerusalem and constructed an altar to the Lord (1 Chr. 3:17; 1 Ezra 3:2-8, 1 Ezra 4:2; 4 Sam. 25; 2 Chr. 3:17).

When he arrived in Babylon, Jechoniah fathered Salathiel. Jechoniah himself passed away without offspring, as the prophet Jeremiah had declared regarding this wicked king: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Write this man down as having no children.... For none of his tribe shall sit any more upon the throne of David, and reign in Judah’ (Jeremiah 22:30). The Hebrews upheld a law that stated if a man died without heirs, his widow was not permitted to marry outside the family; rather, she was to be wed to a brother or, in the absence of a brother, to another close relative of the deceased. The children born from this union were legally recognized as the offspring of the deceased. Thus, they had two fathers: one by blood and the other by legal right.

A significant challenge arises from the apparent inconsistency between the Gospel genealogies and the account provided in 1 Chronicles regarding Salathiel. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Zerubbabel is identified as the son of Salathiel, whereas in 1 Chronicles 3:18-19, he is mentioned as the son of Thaddaiah, who is Salathiel's brother, indicating that he was actually the nephew of Salathiel rather than his son. However, Zerubbabel is referred to as Salathiel’s son not only in the Gospel accounts but also in various passages throughout the Old Testament (1 Ezra 3:2; 5:2; Nehemiah 12:2; 2 Ezra 5:5; Haggai 1:1; Haggai 2:3).

“Jechoniah fathered Salathiel” (1 Chron. 3:16-17). Jechoniah was childless in a natural sense; when he was taken into captivity in Babylon, he had no offspring (4 Kings 24:15, cf. Jer. 22:30). During his imprisonment and into his old age after the captivity, he remained without children, and the prophecy given through Jeremiah came to fruition. Thus, while 1 Chron. 3:17-18 lists several sons of Jehoiakim, these were either adopted or recognized according to the law of levirate marriage (from the term ujjik, meaning kinsman). In accordance with this law (Deut. 25:5, Ruth 4:4-5, cf. Matt. 22:24, etc.), it was imperative for the brother or nearest relative of a deceased man who left no heirs to marry his widow and ensure the continuation of his name.