Meaning of the Name Matthew
Based on a shortened form of the Hebrew name Mattityahu, meaning 'gift of the LORD' ('mattat', gift, plus a short form of the LORD's name).
Origin
The name Matthew is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Matthew in the Bible?
Matthew is the disciple who heard Jesus' call 'Follow me' while collecting taxes in Capernaum and left everything; Mark and Luke also call him Levi. Tradition associates the first Gospel with his name.
The story of Matthew in the Bible
We first meet Matthew at a tax booth in Capernaum, collecting duties for Rome, a trade that made him unpopular among his own people. As Jesus passed by, he offered a simple two-word call: follow me. Matthew stood up, leaving his table, his income, and his old life behind. Mark and Luke tell the same story but call him Levi, which is why he is known by both names. Soon afterward a great feast filled his house, where Jesus ate with tax collectors and people labeled sinners; when the religious teachers objected, Jesus answered that it is the sick, not the healthy, who need a doctor. Matthew then took his place among the twelve apostles, listed there as 'Matthew the tax collector.' Church tradition links the Gospel that opens the New Testament with his name, remembering a despised tax official who became a witness carrying the story of Jesus to later generations.
Is Matthew mentioned in the Quran?
The name Matthew does not appear in the Quran; the Quran speaks of Jesus' disciples collectively but does not name them one by one. In the Bible, Matthew is one of the twelve apostles, and tradition links the first Gospel with his name.
Verses where Matthew appears
- Matthew 9:9-13 —
As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him. As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners…
- Luke 5:27-28 —
After these things he went out, and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me!” He left everything, and rose up and followed him.