The genealogy of Matthew 1 often gets some eye rolls. It’s a long passage after all with some 32 generations mentioned, but there’s an important subtext here, and if we dive a little deeper, an important theme emerges: totally badass women.

First, a couple of items to get out of the way:
(1) Yeah, the timeline doesn’t quite add up chronologically. There would be way more than 32 generations from Abraham down to Joseph, and the author even omits a handful of known biblical figures (most notably some of King Ahab’s descendants), BUT the number is the important thing. The author of Matthew divides this family line into three groups of fourteen, with both three and fourteen being highly significant biblical numbers. The numerical importance here overshadows historical factuality, so let’s run with it. Additionally, each group of fourteen spans an important biblical period; the first covers the earliest histories to the establishment of the monarchy, the second records the age of the kings, and the third bridges the gap from known biblical figures to Joseph.
(2) You may have noticed in the previous point that I said “Joseph” rather than “Jesus.” That’s because this genealogy ultimately leads to Jesus’s stepdad rather than Jesus’s biological parent, Mary. Why is this important? Well, as we explore further, it’ll become clear.

Now, sure, there are some incredible stories associated with the men in this family tree, but it’s the remarkable women who really stand out. In the first third of this genealogy, the author makes specific mention of four women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. These four all have two very important things in common.

(1) None of them are Israelites.
All four of these women are foreigners who marry into Israel, just as Mary marries into this family line— see? I told you it would be important later! Tamar enters the picture before Israel has become a nation; Jacob (who also bears the name “Israel”) is one patriarch with many sons, one of whom is Judah, and Judah and Tamar meet because… well, stay tuned. As for Rahab, she’s a resident of Jericho who aids the invading Israelites. Ruth is a Moabite who initially marries one of Naomi’s sons before being widowed and then marrying Naomi’s kinsman, Boaz. And while Bathsheba’s nationality is never explicitly named, she is the granddaughter of one of David’s advisors from the land of Gilon, and she is initially married to Uriah who is a Hittite. So yes, all four of these women are outsiders, but there’s another stigma they carry.

(2) All of them are caught in sexually complicated situations.
Tamar’s story reads like a season of Game of Thrones. She was initially married to Judah’s eldest son, the wicked Er, whom God put to death. As was the custom, Tamar then married Er’s younger brother, Onan. Looking to prevent his brother from having an heir (since any child conceived with Tamar would technically be Er’s rather than Onan’s), Onan went out of his way to enjoy Tamar’s company without ever impregnating her. Well, God was having none of this foolishness, so he struck Onan down, leaving Tamar twice-widowed. Suspicious of his two elder sons’ untimely deaths, Judah attempted to cheat Tamar out of her next rightful marriage to his youngest son, Shelah. Judah stalled and sent Tamar away, but Tamar could see what he was up to. Taking matters into her own hands, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and seduced Judah, stealing his staff and signet (which he would have needed to conduct business) in the process. Claiming her right, Tamar confronted Judah and forced him into a marriage, and her offspring carried on the line which would lead to Joseph.

Rahab’s story isn’t quite so complicated, but there are still sexual overtones here. Over the years, translation choices have led to some disagreement over whether Rahab was a prostitute or merely an innkeeper. Whatever the case, Rahab’s occupation involved some sort of taboo, which is why the Israelite spies were safe in the unsavory environment of Rahab’s home and were able to gather information there which made their siege of Jericho possible. Rahab also claimed a position of authority in Jericho following the Israelites’ entry. She’s a badass, and the book of Hebrews later describes her as a model of faith.

Then there’s Ruth, and this one may be a bit controversial. Following their travel back to Naomi’s homeland, Naomi instructs Ruth on the seduction of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer who has been allowing Ruth and Naomi to harvest from his fields. Late at night, Ruth meets her future husband on the threshing room floor and “lies at his feet.” Now, taking the passage at absolute face value, she could have used her body heat to warm him, but there’s a much more likely PG-13 interpretation. The Hebrew authors loved innuendo, and “feet” is used elsewhere as a codeword for genitals. Well, whatever Ruth did with Boaz’s “feet” that night, it so pleased Boaz that he made his midnight Moabite visitor his wife.

And last in this section of the genealogy, there’s Bathsheba, whom the author of Matthew doesn’t even mention by name; rather, the author calls her “Uriah’s wife.” Though David and Bathsheba were married by the time of Solomon’s conception, the author chooses to highlight the infidelity (and likely rape) which began their relationship. David abused his authority in orchestrating his first night with Bathsheba and the subsequent death of her husband. While modern authors are starting to come around to Bathsheba’s side as a victim and survivor, there is a long unfortunate history painting her as a seductress. The author of Matthew seems kinder in his portrayal, simply citing that she was married to another man when David saw and coveted her. Bathsheba endures their first encounter. She’s a survivor. And she eventually gives birth to another member of Jesus’s genealogy: King Solomon, who she advocates for and advises. Solomon is widely regarded as one of Israel’s wisest and most successful kings thanks, at least in part, to his mother.

Sidebar: I once had a group of church members walk out in protest when I taught a defense of Bathsheba and used the story to talk about objectification of women. It says a lot about their denomination that the popular “Bathsheba the temptress, David the seduced” narrative was acceptable, but the more likely “David the predator, Bathsheba the survivor” version of the story was a bridge too far. Glad I got out of there. Back to business…

All four of these women are cultural outsiders. All of them are caught up in sexually taboo situations. All of them endure and overcome and take control in ways that ultimately help the Israelites and lead to the family of Jesus.

But there’s a fifth woman mentioned here:
Mary, the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
Mary, who would no doubt be suspected of sexual impropriety herself.
Mary, the humble.
Mary, the faithful.
Mary, the outsider.
Mary, who sings of God bringing down the proud and rich while lifting up the poor and hungry.
Mary, who, in an act of radical hospitality, demands Jesus’s first miracle even when he protests.
Mary, who is present at Jesus’s crucifixion and remains with his Apostles after his ascension.

Perhaps the inclusion of Tamar and Rahab and Ruth and Bathsheba gives us our first hint at the sort of woman Mary is and the sort of upbringing Jesus will receive. Perhaps Jesus would grow up with role models like these four Gentile women— outsiders who endured and overcame despite so much social stigma working against them. Jesus was born into a family with a messy history, but a close reading of these generations shows a series of female heroes who made the lineage of Jesus’s family possible.