"And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;"
Introduction
This brief verse, Matthew 1:7 — “And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa” — is one link in Matthew’s opening genealogy that traces Jesus’ legal ancestry. Placed within Matthew 1:1–17, these names connect Jesus to the Davidic dynasty and to the history of the southern kingdom of Judah, showing the human lineage through which the promise to David is carried toward its fulfillment in Christ.
Historical-Cultural Context and Authorship
The Gospel of Matthew is traditionally attributed to Matthew the tax collector, one of the twelve apostles, though the book itself in the earliest manuscripts is anonymous; many scholars describe the author as a Jewish-Christian teacher writing for a primarily Jewish audience sometime in the late first century (commonly dated ca. 70–90 AD). Matthew’s genealogy is carefully arranged (classical interpretation sees three groups of fourteen generations) and draws on Israel’s scriptural memory to present Jesus as Israel’s promised King.
Matthew compiles names known from the Hebrew Scriptures but writes in Greek. The verb translated “begat” in the Greek text is ἐγέννησεν (egennēsen), which can mean “fathered” or more broadly “became the ancestor of,” allowing Matthew the flexibility to convey legal and biological descent. The individual names here also have Hebrew forms used in the Old Testament (e.g., Solomon = שְׁלֹמֹה; Rehoboam/"Roboam" = רְחַבְעָם; Abijah/"Abia" = אֲבִיָּה; Asa = אָסָא), and the Old Testament narrative accounts of these kings appear in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles (for example, Rehoboam and the division of the kingdom, Asa’s reforms and long reign).
Characters and Places
Solomon (Greek Σολομών, Hebrew שְׁלֹמֹה): son of David, third king of Israel, famed for wisdom and for building the Jerusalem temple; his reign and policies set the stage for the later division of the united kingdom.
Roboam / Rehoboam (Greek Ῥοβοάμ, Hebrew רְחַבְעָם): Solomon’s son and successor; his harsh response to the northern tribes’ request (recorded in 1 Kings 12) led to the split of the united monarchy into Israel (north) and Judah (south).
Abia / Abijah (Greek Ἀβιά, Hebrew אֲבִיָּה): son of Rehoboam and king of Judah for a short period; biblical accounts (1 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 13) note conflict with the northern kingdom and mixed assessments of his reign.
Asa (Greek Ἀσά, Hebrew אָסָא): son of Abijah and a king of Judah remembered for significant religious reforms and a long reign (2 Chronicles 14–16), characterized by efforts to remove idolatry and to seek the Lord, though later years showed human weakness and reliance on alliances.
Places: These figures are associated primarily with the Davidic kingdom centered in Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Judah after the national division.
Explanation and Meaning of the Text
Literally, Matthew records a sequence of ancestors: Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. That simple genealogical formula situates Jesus within the royal line of David through Solomon, emphasizing legal and dynastic continuity. Matthew’s choice to trace through Solomon (rather than through other branches found in Luke) highlights Jesus’ claim to the royal succession and the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to David.
At the same time, the names evoke a complex, often fractured history: kings who were wise and righteous, kings who failed, and a people whose story is marked by both faithfulness and failure. By placing Jesus in this mixed lineage, Matthew shows that God’s redemptive purposes work through ordinary, even flawed, human history. The Greek verb ἐγέννησεν allows for both biological and legal descent; Matthew’s genealogy functions theologically to assert Jesus’ rightful place in Israel’s story and to prepare the reader to see the promised Messiah appear within that troubled yet covenantal line.
Devotional
Take comfort in the truth that God’s purposes move through ordinary, sometimes messy family lines. The line from Solomon to Asa includes wisdom, sin, division, reform, and renewal — a reminder that God’s faithfulness does not depend on human perfection but on divine covenant and mercy. Jesus comes into a real history, not an abstract pedigree, which brings hope: the Lord meets us in our brokenness and works redemption through imperfect people.
Let this genealogy lead you to humble trust. Reflect on your own place in God’s unfolding story and ask for grace to be faithful in the small duties of life, trusting God to bring good from weakness. Pray for a heart that seeks the Lord as Asa once did in his better days, and rest in the promise that the Savior who bears this human ancestry is the King who fulfills God’s promises for all who come to Him.