1. Name and Meaning
• Name: Jacob (Greek: Ἰακώβ, Iakōb; Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Yaʿăqōḇ)
• Meaning: “He grasps the heel” or “supplanter,” originally given to the patriarch Jacob in Genesis; reused in the New Testament for Joseph’s father

2. Genealogical Placement and Lineage Role
• Position: Fifty-eighth generation from Adam; forty-eighth generation after the flood in the Messianic line
• Father: Matthan – a descendant in the Davidic line
• Son: Joseph – the legal (though not biological) father of Jesus
• Lineage Role: Final named patriarch in Matthew’s genealogy prior to Jesus’ legal father; his name links the Old Testament legacy with the Gospel era

3. Life Summary and Historical Setting
• No personal narrative is recorded in the Bible aside from Matthew 1:16
• Lived during the Roman occupation of Judea, immediately preceding the birth of Christ
• As the father of Joseph, he raised the man who would become the earthly guardian of Jesus and husband of Mary

4. Theological and Christological Significance
• Jacob transmits the legal Davidic right to Joseph, through whom Jesus inherits royal legitimacy according to Jewish custom
• Completes the legal structure of Matthew’s genealogy, which frames Jesus as the fulfilment of the Abrahamic and Davidic promises
• His role is essential in establishing Jesus’ title as “Son of David,” despite Jesus’ virgin birth

5. Legacy and Interpretive Reflections
• Though not prominent in Scripture, Jacob’s place in redemptive history is essential due to his connection to both Joseph and Jesus
• His name recalls the patriarch Jacob, symbolising continuity between Israel’s origins and its Messianic fulfilment
• Represents the final human link in a long chain of covenantal preservation stretching from Adam to Christ

6. Summary Insight
• Jacob’s legacy is quietly profound—through him, the legal line of David reached Joseph, and through Joseph, Jesus was declared heir to the eternal kingdom.

7. Biblical References
• Matthew 1:15–16