Source: Michael S. Heiser, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, The Watchers & The Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 71–86.
This podcast argues that the presence of four specific women in the genealogy of Jesus—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba—is not random but deliberately links to the ancient concept of the sin of the Watchers. The text explains that, according to Enochic tradition, these fallen angels introduced evil through illicit sexual contact and forbidden knowledge, leading to societal corruption. By featuring these women, whose stories involve sexual transgression, seduction, and other elements echoing the Watchers' narrative, the author suggests that Matthew's genealogy subtly points to Jesus as the one who will reverse or repair the damage caused by the Watchers, ultimately restoring humanity.
The Peculiar Inclusion of Four Women in Jesus' Genealogy: The sources highlight that the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is distinct and contains unusual features, particularly the inclusion of four women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (referred to as "the wife of Uriah"). While biblical genealogies can include women, the inclusion of these specific women is considered odd because prominent Jewish female figures like Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel are notably absent. This selectivity suggests that Matthew had a specific reason for including these particular individuals, which interpreters have pondered since the Gospel was written.
Critique of Traditional Explanations for the Women's Inclusion: Traditional scholarly explanations for including these women, such as demonstrating God's grace to sinners or Gentiles, or illustrating God's mysterious plan, are deemed overly speculative and unsatisfying by the sources. The preferred approach, drawn from New Testament scholar Amy Richter's work, seeks explanations that have stronger textual connections to the Old Testament narrative and Second Temple Jewish thinking. This approach also provides a thematic logic that links each woman to the others and to a larger theological concept, suggesting that their presence serves a deeper purpose beyond general theological principles.
The Enochic Watchers Template as a Framework for Understanding Evil: Central to the sources' argument is the "Enochic Watchers Template," a concept derived from Second Temple Jewish traditions, particularly the book of 1 Enoch. According to this template, evil originated when a group of celestial beings, known as the Watchers, violated their heavenly boundary. Their transgression involved engaging in illicit sexual relations with human women and teaching them forbidden knowledge or "illicit arts." These arts included skills for seduction, war-making, sorcery, and astrology. The consequences of this transgression were widespread violence, unrighteousness, idolatry, disease, and the birth of monstrous offspring (often identified as giants or Nephilim). This template provides a specific narrative and set of associated concepts for understanding the origins and nature of evil in the world, which was familiar to ancient readers of Matthew's Gospel.
The Thesis: The Genealogy Foreshadows Jesus' Reversal of the Watchers' Sin: The primary thesis presented is that Matthew uses the genealogy of Jesus to telegraph the idea that Jesus brings about an "eschatological repair" of the consequences of the Watchers' fall. The inclusion of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba is deliberate; these women are linked to the Enochic Watchers Template in specific ways, particularly through their association with sexual transgression, the use of illicit arts (like seduction or beautification), and connections to warfare, angels, unusual offspring, or giants. By associating Jesus' lineage with individuals whose stories echo elements of the Watchers' sin, Matthew suggests that Jesus is the one who will undo the damage caused by this primal transgression, fulfilling a role that even figures like Enoch could not complete.
Detailed Connections Between Each Woman and the Watchers Template: The sources provide specific analysis for how each woman in the genealogy is connected to the Enochic Watchers Template.
◦Tamar: Her story involves illicit sexual transgression (deceiving Judah), the use of illicit arts related to seduction (disguising herself as a prostitute using a veil or beautification), word choices in her narrative that mirror those describing the Watchers' fall, the name of her son Er which is linked to the Hebrew root for "Watcher," and Judah's pledge including jewelry (metallurgy being an art taught by Watchers). Her disguise as a qedēshah (potentially linked to sacred prostitution) also echoes bridging the heavenly and earthly realms, similar to Watchers' transgression.
◦Rahab: As a prostitute, she is directly linked to sexual transgression. As a Canaanite in Jericho, her story is connected to warfare (her actions enabling Israelite conquest) and giants (Jericho was targeted due to the presence of Anakim/giants, and her descendant Boaz is described as a gibbor, a term interpreted as "giant" in Second Temple Judaism). Her story also involves ambiguity regarding the nature of the "messengers" she received, which can be understood as either human spies or angels, linking her to interaction with celestial beings.
◦Ruth: As a Moabitess, she is associated with illegitimacy, idolatry, and sexual wantonness in Israelite tradition. Her actions at the threshing floor, guided by Naomi, involved making herself attractive and offering herself to Boaz, potentially seen as using arts of seduction or beautification and transgressing social norms. Moabites were associated with illicit sexual intercourse and excluded from the assembly of the Lord, a status also applied to the offspring of the Watchers and women (mamzēr). Later rabbinic tradition even linked Ruth's sister Orpah to the lineage of giants like Goliath.
◦Bathsheba: Her story clearly involves sexual transgression (David's adultery) and warfare (the context of Uriah's death). David's action of seeing Bathsheba bathing from his rooftop mirrors the Watchers "seeing" the beautiful daughters of men from their high place. David's subsequent decision to take her parallels the Watchers deciding to take wives. The use of beautification (Bathsheba's great beauty) is also present, and her husband Uriah was one of David's gibborim, again potentially linking her to the concept of giants. Her alternative name, Bath-shua, links her to the Canaanite wife of Judah named Shua, strengthening a potential Gentile connection shared with Tamar.