Matthew's Gospel Includes Five Women in Jesus's Genealogy

Matthew's genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament deliberately includes five women—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah), and Mary—breaking from traditional patrilineal Jewish genealogies. Tamar, a Canaanite, disguised herself as a prostitute to secure offspring from Judah. Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute in Jericho, hid Israelite spies and was spared. Ruth, a Moabite, showed loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi and married Boaz. Bathsheba, an Israelite, committed adultery with King David, leading to Uriah's death. Mary, a virgin from Galilee, conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Matthew's inclusion of these women—sinners, foreigners, and the vulnerable—highlights themes of God's grace and redemption for all people, contrasting with Greco-Roman genealogies used for political propaganda. The genealogy is structured in three groups of fourteen generations from Abraham to David, David to the Babylonian exile, and exile to Christ.