What does Matthew 1:15 mean?

Most of the names of Jesus' ancestors in this and the previous verses are not known elsewhere in Scripture. After Zerubbabel, the first to lead people back to Israel following the exile in Babylon, the nine descendants listed are found only in this passage. They conclude here with Eliud, the father of Eleazar, the father Matthan, the father of Jacob. It's possible that Matthew skipped some links in the generational chain in this section, as he likely did in the others. This was a common and accepted practice in the genealogies of the times.

The final name mentioned in this verse, however, is known to us. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary and Jesus' earthly "adoptive father."