Matthew 1:15
“Eliud became the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan. Matthan became the father of Jacob.”
What does Matthew 1:15 mean?
This verse is part of Matthew's genealogy, the long list of names tracing Jesus's ancestry back to Abraham. These particular names (Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, and Jacob) are part of the final stretch of that family tree, leading directly toward Jesus's earthly parents. While we don't know much about these individuals personally, Matthew includes them to show that Jesus came through a real human lineage, not as a figure dropped from heaven but as someone rooted in the history of God's people. The genealogy reminds us that God works through ordinary families and generations, and that every name mattered in the unfolding story of redemption.