The first reading describes Jacob's deathbed blessing of his sons and the characteristics and future destiny of the twelve tribes of Israel. What is clear is the allusion to the future rule of Israel through the tribe of Israel. Judah's brothers, the other tribes, will bow down to Judah in the last days. This can be seen in the image of a subject showing respect to his monarch as illustrated by the "sceptre", a symbol of a ruler's sovereignty, implying dominion, power and authority. This reinforces the point that Judah has a responsibility to rule and lead.

The genealogy at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew establishes Jesus' place within the Jewish tradition. Jesus is the son of Abraham and David and the continuation of David's line after the exile in Babylon. This demonstrates the fact that several kings of Judah (represent the royal line), the psalmist Asaph (represents the wisdom books), and the prophet Amos (represents the prophets). Their names are included in the genealogy.

The basic affirmation of the genealogy is twofold: that Jesus' origin lies in the old People of God, Israel, and that Jesus fulfils Israel's history and all Scripture. Jesus is born of the royal line within the flow of history, a history carefully guided by the will of God, but as the Messiah, he closes out the sixth and final period of the old Israel and introduces the seventh period, the period of fulfilment and the period of the Messiah.