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How many generations were there from David to the Captivity?
Matthew: “From David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations” (i, 17).
In order to obtain a uniformity of numbers—three periods of double seven (seven was the sacred number of the Jews) each—Matthew purposely falsifies the records of the Old Testament. A reference to the Davidic genealogy (1 Chronicles iii) shows that he omits the generations of Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, and Jehoiakim, four Jewish kings, lineal descendants of David, whose combined reigns amount to over eighty years.
| Matthew. | Chronicles. |
| David, | David, |
| Solomon, | Solomon, |
| Reboam, | Rehoboam, |
| Abia, | Abia, |
| Asa, | Asa, |
| Josaphat, | Jehoshaphat, |
| Joram, | Joram, |
| Ahaziah, | |
| Joash, | |
| Amaziah, | |
| Ozias, | Azariah, |
| Joatham, | Jotham, |
| Achaz, | Ahaz, |
| Ezekias, | Hezekiah, |
| Manasses, | Manasseh, |
| Amon, | Amon, |
| Josias, | Josiah, |
| Jehoiakim, | |
| Jechonias. | Jechoniah. |
The first three omissions are thus explained by Augustine: “Ochozias [Ahaziah], Joash, and Amazias were excluded from the number, because their wickedness was continuous and without interval.”
As if the exclusion of their names from a genealogical list would expunge their records from history and drain their blood from the veins of their descendants. But aside from the absurdity of this explanation, the premises are false. Those whose names are excluded from the list were not men whose “wickedness was continuous and without interval,” while some whose names are not excluded were. Ahaziah reigned but one year. Joash reigned forty years and both Kings and Chronicles affirm that “He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings xii, 2; 2 Chron. xxiv, 2). Amaziah reigned twenty-nine years, and he, too, “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings xiv, 3). On the other hand, Rehoboam, Joram and Jechonias, whose names are retained in Matthew’s table, are represented as monsters of wickedness.