Boy · Hebrew · New Testament

Matthew

MATH-yoo · from Mattityahu · means “Gift of Yahweh”

Matthew comes from the Hebrew Mattityahu, meaning "gift of Yahweh," rendered in Greek as Matthaios. He was a despised tax collector whom Jesus called with two simple words, and he left everything to follow, later writing the Gospel that bears his name.

“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”

The story behind the name

Matthew sat at a tax booth in Capernaum, a job that made him a collaborator with Rome and an outcast among his own people. Jesus walked by and said only, "Follow me," and Matthew got up, left the booth, and followed (Matthew 9:9). No hesitation is recorded, only obedience.

That same day Matthew threw a banquet in his home, filling it with tax collectors and sinners so they could meet Jesus too. When religious leaders complained, Jesus answered that he had come for the sick, not the healthy (Matthew 9:10-13). Grace found Matthew first, and Matthew wanted others to find it as well.

Tradition holds that this same Matthew, also called Levi, wrote the Gospel of Matthew, carefully tracing Jesus as the promised Messiah for a Jewish audience. A boy named Matthew carries a name that means gift of God, and a story of a life completely remade by grace.

Middle names that sing with Matthew

Chosen for rhythm and meanings that speak to each other.

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