Prophecy of the Messiah’s Dwelling Place
It is well known in the study of antiquity that the Jews kept impeccable records for the genealogies of their citizens. Unless a man could prove by his lineage that he was of pure Jewish descent, he forfeited his right to be called a Jew and a member of God’s chosen people. We see an indication of this importance in the autobiography of Flavius Josephus, the most famous of all Jewish historians. In establishing himself as an authority in the history of the Jews, Josephus first confirms his genealogy.
“Thus have I set down the genealogy of my family as I have found in the public records.”1
In matters of the priesthood, before any man could be approved to serve in the Temple, he had to provide proof of his genealogy all the way back to Aaron. If he was married, his wife would also have to prove that she was a Jew by genealogy, back five generations.
When the Jews were released from Babylon to return to Jerusalem, Ezra records that upon a search of the genealogies of the Jews, there were certain men who were unable to prove their descendancy from Aaron and were therefore, excluded from serving as priests in the Temple
Ezra 2:1 Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.
