1. Name and Meaning
• Name: Matthan (Greek: Ματθάν, Matthan; related to Hebrew: מַתָּן, Mattān)
• Meaning: “Gift” or “gift of God,” expressing divine provision or blessing

2. Genealogical Placement and Lineage Role
• Position: Fifty-seventh generation from Adam; forty-seventh generation after the flood in the Messianic line
• Father: Eleazar – post-exilic Davidic descendant
• Son: Jacob – father of Joseph, husband of Mary
• Lineage Role: Penultimate figure in Matthew’s legal genealogy of Jesus; crucial transmitter of the Davidic line into the family of Christ

3. Life Summary and Historical Setting
• No personal narrative is recorded in Scripture; mentioned only in Matthew 1:15
• Lived in the generation immediately preceding the New Testament era, during the Roman occupation of Judea
• Part of the final transitional generation before the birth of the Messiah

4. Theological and Christological Significance
• His name—“gift of God”—aptly foreshadows the greatest divine gift: the coming of Christ
• Transmits the Davidic and Abrahamic promises one generation before their fulfilment in the Incarnation
• As the grandfather of Jesus’ legal father, Joseph, Matthan represents the final stabilising link in the royal succession

5. Legacy and Interpretive Reflections
• Though unnamed outside of the genealogy, Matthan’s generational role was critical in carrying divine promises across the threshold into fulfilment
• His obscurity reflects the way God works through quiet faithfulness to prepare the way for redemptive history
• His lineage affirms the legal and prophetic continuity of Jesus as the Son of David

6. Summary Insight
• Matthan’s silent but strategic position as grandfather to Joseph highlights the faithfulness of God in preserving His covenant through ordinary yet chosen vessels.

7. Biblical References
• Matthew 1:15