Matthew 1:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It was a noble purpose of St. Matthew to proclaim that the Lord took on human form to erase the sins of everyone (1 Pet. 5:8) and that He experienced scandal and suffering. The Evangelist argued that He could not be deemed to have been stripped of the compassion that allowed Him to accept a lineage that included flawed ancestors. Additionally, the Church should not feel embarrassed to comprise those who have sinned if the Lord had sinners in His family tree. Thus, Matthew commenced his account of the gracious act of redemption with a genealogy of Christ, ensuring that no one would presume that a flawed background could impede virtue.

Hosea was a king who took the bold step of offering sacrifices in the temple, yet he was struck with leprosy as a consequence. He is known by two names, Hosea and Azariah. It is important to clarify that Hosea, also referred to as Azariah, was not a descendant of Joram, but was a member of his lineage. Hosea or Azariah was actually the son of Amassiah, who in turn was the son of Joash. This establishes that the Evangelist Matthew chose not to mention these three names: Ohoziah, Joash, and Amassiah (1 Chron. 3:10, 15; 1 Chron. 26:19; 1 Chron. 3:11-12; 4 Kings 15:1).

Hosea fathered Jehotham, as stated in 2 Kings 15:5, 32, 38. Joatham is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 27:9, and Ahaz is referenced in 2 Chronicles 28:27 and 1 Samuel 18:1 as the preceding figure to Hezekiah.