Les Feldick Bible Study

Were the four women in Jesus' genealogy immoral?

Yes, the four women in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 were all immoral. The transcript notes that no one would want any of them in their own genealogy because of their immorality. This underscores the grace of God, not license.

Les explains that when he teaches Matthew chapter 1, he points out that not one of us would like to have had any one of those four women in our genealogy, because they were all immoral women, every one of them. Yet this points out the grace of God—not the license, but the grace of God. The context identifies one of these women as Rahab, a prostitute living on the wall of Jericho, whose house the Israelite spies entered. Her inclusion in Christ's genealogy demonstrates God's grace.