Matthew 1: The answer to the question is 42 not 41!

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When reading from the Institute for Scripture Research’s “The Scriptures” translation of the Bible, I found they listed the missing name from the genealogies in Matthew/Mattityahu 1. The missing name is in verse 13 and is Abner or Avner. They said they found it in the Hebrew text of the book of Matthew/Mattityahu called the du Tillet. In Matthew/Mattityahu chapter 1 there are supposed to be listed 42 names grouped in 3 sets of 14 generations each. There are actually only 41 names in most translations. I believe many do not realize this name is missing in most Bibles including the King James.

Another interesting point. When mentioning this to a friend, she wondered what the name meant so I looked it up. It means “father of lights”. I wondered what it might mean for the “father of lights” to be missing from most Bibles’ Book of Matthew. I say this because I saw an historical documentary a while back that said scribes would make false scrolls on purpose and there would be a key/clue that Believers looked for to determine if a scroll was false or not. Wouldn’t it be stunning if the Book of Matthew in most of our Bibles was from a false scroll! I did a comparison of the Hebrew du Tillet and the KJV Matthew and there were some interesting differences. Those will be included in another study.

Please see below for the verse from the ISR Matthew 1:13 and the name and root meaning of Abner.

The missing name is in the 2009 edition of The Scriptures and not in earlier ones.

http://www.isr-messianic.org/downloads/ts_example_2009.pdf

“13 And Zerubbabel brought forth Abihud, and Abihud brought forth [Abner and
Abner brought forth]b Elyaqim, and Elyaqim brought forth Azor.
Footnote 1b [Abner and Abner brought forth] appears in the du Tillet Hebrew text.”
The missing name is also commented on in the study below.

http://www.yashanet.com/Studies/matstudy/mat5a.htm

“4. The last segment of “14 generations” only having 13 generations listed

Regarding #4, this is an error in transcribing (more evidence of someone translating the book from an original Hebrew into the Greek). There is a version of Matthew that does not include this error and shows the (missing) 14th generation. The “duTillet” Hebrew Matthew corrects “Abiud begat Eliakim,” showing that Abiud actually begat Av’ner (Abner), who in turn begat Eliakim. The mention of 42 generations (3 x 14) is also of interest, as 14 is the numerical value of “David,” and 42 is the numerical value of God (Eloah) in the Hebrew.”

Below is what Strong’s has as the meaning and roots of the name:

Abner is Strong’s H74:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H74&t=KJV

  1. Abner = “my father is a lamp”

Abnêr, ab-nare’; or (fully) אֲבִינֵר ʼĂbîynêr ; from H1 and H5216; father of light (i.e. enlightening); Abner, an Israelite:—Abner.

From root Strong’s H1 Ab:

  1. father of an individual

  2. of God as father of his people

  3. head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan

  4. ancestor

    1. grandfather, forefathers — of person

    2. of people

  5. originator or patron of a class, profession, or art

  6. of producer, generator (fig.)

  7. of benevolence and protection (fig.)

  8. term of respect and honour

  9. ruler or chief (spec.)

And from root Strong’s H5216 niyr:

nîyr, neer; or נִר nir; also נֵיר nêyr; or נֵר nêr; or (feminine) נֵרָה nêrâh; from a primitive root (see H5214; H5135) properly, meaning to glisten; a lamp (i.e. the burner) or light (literally or figuratively):—candle, lamp, light.