Matthew 1 with Metaphysical Footnotes (ASV)

^1:1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham2.

^1:2Abraham begat3 Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judah and his brethren; ^1:3and Judah begat Perez and Zerah of Tamar; and Perez begat Hezron; and Hezron begat Ram; ^1:4and Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon; and Nahshon begat Salmon; ^1:5and Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; ^1:6and Jesse begat David the king.

And David begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah;^1:7and Solomon begat Rehoboam; and Rehoboam begat Abijah; and Abijah begat Asa; ^1:8and Asa begat Jehoshaphat; and Jehoshaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Uzziah; ^1:9and Uzziah begat Jotham; and Jotham begat Ahaz; and Ahaz begat Hezekiah; ^1:10and Hezekiah begat Manasseh; and Manasseh begat Amon; and Amon begat Josiah;^1:11and Josiah begat Jechoniah and his brethren, at the time of the carrying away to Babylon.

^1:12And after the carrying away to Babylon, Jechoniah begat Shealtiel; and Shealtiel begat Zerubbabel; ^1:13and Zerubbabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; ^1:14and Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; ^1:15and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; ^1:16and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.3

^1:17So all the generations from Abraham unto David are fourteen generations; and from David unto the carrying away to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon unto the Christ fourteen generations.

1. Cf. Luke 3:23-38
2. the son of David, the son of Abraham. David represents love and Abraham faith. These two faculties, when quickened in man, bring him into the Christ consciousness. The Christ in man is thus the offspring of love and faith.
3. Metaphysically, this is from faith to Christ.

^1:18Now the birth of Jesus Christ2 was on this wise:3 When his mother Mary4 had been betrothed to Joseph5, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit6. ^1:19And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. ^1:20But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord7 appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David8, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ^1:21And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. ^1:22Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,

^1:23Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,

And they shall call his name Immanuel9;

which is, being interpreted, God with us. ^1:24And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; ^1:25and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS.

1. Cf. Luke 1:26-38
2. Jesus Christ. The Christ is the perfect-idea man, whom God created, the real self of all men. Jesus Christ is the Christ self brought into perfect expression and manifestation. Christ is the Savior of mankind, the free, divine gift of God to us.
3. was on this wise. Everything first takes place in the mind. In truth it is in mind where real demonstrations find their impetus. Joseph and Mary’s betrothal was to them such a sacred and holy thing that it stirred into activity the most spiritual forces of their souls, which forces perhaps had never been set into expression before, and their spiritual union was consummated. There followed such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (which is God’s Word in action) that Mary, through Joseph, was over-shadowed by this heavenly power, and though she did not “know man” in a physical way, the initial germ seed was thereby projected, and she conceived and brought forth the child, Jesus.
4. Mary. Metaphysically interpreted within the soul, Mary, the Virgin mother, represents a pure state of mind that ponders spiritual things in her heart and believes in revelations from angels and messengers from God. Her imagination is so intense that she vitalizes the ultra-microscopic germs of life and they multiply in her body without external contact.
5. Joseph. Mary represents the soul; Joseph, intuitive wisdom. Joseph, “being a righteous man,” wished to do what was right without regard to his own interests, and he meditated on the course he should take. In meditation the mind is stilled and becomes receptive to the true ideas of universal Mind, in which all wisdom and knowledge abides. Joseph received guidance from the Lord in a dream following meditation.
6. found with child of the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth is the awakening of the mind of man to the conception of the Christ Spirit as the only reality. The miraculous conception by which the Virgin Mary is held to have conceived without original sin. Joseph, not fully understanding the prophecy, “was minded to put her away privily,” meaning that we do not in the first stages of the birth of Christ in us understand the process, and sometimes are moved to put it away from us. Joseph’s soul (the name Joseph meaning “from perfection to perfection”) is so heavily charged with divine life that it cannot express itself intelligently, because no union has yet taken place between it and the understanding, which union—when it is consumated—always equalizes and adjusts.
7. an angel of the Lord. An angel is a messenger of the Lord. Metaphysically, our angels are our spiritual perceptive faculties, which ever dwell in the presence of the Father.
8. Joseph, thou son of David. Wisdom is the outcome of love deeply and quietly held. We understand those whom we love. “Joseph [wisdom], thou son of David [love].” Together, wisdom and love form the mind of the Christ.
9. they shall call his name Immanuel. Immanuel means “God with us,” but the metaphysician sees it as the consciousness that God is with us and that we are one with Him. The name thus means to him, “God within us.”