Jesus' Genealogy Reverses the Watchers' Sin

Matthew's genealogy includes four women, which was not how genealogies were normally written. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba.
One reading, drawn from how Second Temple Jews told these stories, is that Matthew includes them to portend a messianic reversal of the sin of the Watchers - the Genesis 6 episode in which divine beings took human wives. Rahab's story in particular maps onto the illicit arts listed in 1 Enoch, which pairs the making of war with the beautification of women.
Worth saying plainly: the sources call this a portent, and describe the identification of all four women as plausible and possible, but the matter is not certain. It is a reading with good ancient company, not a settled conclusion.
Scripture links:
- Matthew 1:1-17 - the genealogy, with four women named in it.
- Genesis 6:1-4 - the sons of God and the daughters of men.
Matthew wrote for readers who already knew these stories. We are the ones needing the footnote.