The ancestors of Joseph
| Matt 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.[1] | Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,[1] |
| Matt 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac [2]; and Isaac begat Jacob [3]; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren [4]; | Luke 3:24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, |
| Matt 1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar [5]; and Phares begat Esrom [6]; and Esrom begat Aram [7]; | Luke 3:25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, |
| Matt 1:4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson [8]; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5a And Salmon begat Booz [9] of Rachab [10]; | Luke 3:26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, |
| Matt 1:5b and Booz begat Obed of Ruth [11]; and Obed begat Jesse [12]; 6 And Jesse begat David the king [13]; and David the king begat Solomon [14] of her that had been the wife of Urias [15]; | Luke 3:27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel [28], which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, |
| Matt 1:7a And Solomon begat Roboam [16]; and Roboam begat Abia [17]; | Luke 3:28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, |
| Matt 1:7b and Abia begat Asa; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat [18]; and Josaphat begat Joram [19]; and Joram begat Ozias [20]; | Luke 3:29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, |
| Matt 1:9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz [21]; and Achaz begat Ezekias [22]; | Luke 3:30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, |
| Matt 1:10 And Ezekias begat Manasses [23]; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias [24]; | Luke 3:31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David [13], |
| Matt 1:11 And Josias begat Jechonias [25] and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon [26]: | Luke 3:32 Which was the son of Jesse [12], which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz [9], which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson [8], |
| Matt 1:12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel [27]; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel [28]; | Luke 3:33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram [7], which was the son of Esrom [6], which was the son of Phares [5], which was the son of Juda [4], |
| Matt 1:13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; | Luke 3:34 Which was the son of Jacob [3], which was the son of Isaac [2], which was the son of Abraham [29], which was the son of Thara [30], which was the son of Nachor [31], |
| Matt 1:14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; | Luke 3:35 Which was the son of Saruch [32], which was the son of Ragau [33], which was the son of Phalec [34], which was the son of Heber [35], which was the son of Sala [36], |
| Matt 1:15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; | Luke 3:36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad [37], which was the son of Sem [38], which was the son of Noe [39], which was the son of Lamech [40], |
| Matt 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. | Luke 3:37 Which was the son of Mathusala [41], which was the son of Enoch [42], which was the son of Jared [43], which was the son of Maleleel [44], which was the son of Cainan [45], 38 Which was the son of Enos [46], which was the son of Seth [47], which was the son of Adam [48], which was the son of God. |
Matt 1:17 [49] So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
[1] Luke places the genealogy of Jesus immediately after the baptism, and Matthew begins his book with it. Luke's placement was preserved because it mentions Jesus' age and cannot, therefore, be moved.
For easy comparison, the portions of the genealogy which correspond are listed below:
| Matthew | Luke | Matthew | Luke | Matthew | Luke | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham | Abraham | Asa | Mela | Salathiel | Salathiel | ||
| Isaac | Isaac | Josaphat | Eliakim | Zorobabel | Zorobabel | ||
| Jacob | Jacob | Joram | Jonan | Rhesa | |||
| Judas | Juda | Ozias | Joseph | Joanna | |||
| Phares | Phares | Joatham | Juda | Juda | |||
| Esrom | Esrom | Achaz | Simeon | Joseph | |||
| Aram | Aram | Ezekias | Levi | Abiud | Semei | ||
| Aminadab | Aminadab | Manasses | Matthat | Eliakim | Amos | ||
| Naasson | Naasson | Amon | Jorim | Azor | Mattathias | ||
| Salmon | Salmon | Eliezer | Sadoc | Joseph | |||
| Booz | Booz | Josias | Jose | Achim | Janna | ||
| Obed | Obed | Jechonias | Er | Eliud | Melchi | ||
| Jesse | Jesse | Elmodam | Eleazar | Levi | |||
| David | David | Cosam | Matthan | Matthat | |||
| Solomon | Nathan | Addi | Jacob | Heli | |||
| Roboam | Mattatha | Melchi | Joseph | Joseph | |||
| Abia | Menan | Neri |
There is no reason to believe that Luke's genealogy is that of Mary, Jesus' mother, although some apologists argue that this is the case (for example, see the Scofield Reference Bible footnotes for this section). The fact that the genealogies are identical at some points and different at others make it much more likely that they are simply separate traditions for Joseph's ancestry. In addition, Mary's Cousin, Elisabeth, is a Levite (Luke 1:5) so it is unlikely that Mary is of the house of David.
The scriptures which serve as the basis for Matthew and Luke's genealogies are listed with the individual entries. It is obvious that large portions of the genealogies have no scriptural basis.
[2]1 Chronicles 1:34 And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel. In the gospels, Isaac is only referred to in conjunction with Abraham and Jacob (Mark 12:26, Matthew 8:11, 22:32, and Luke 13:28, 20:37)
[3]Genesis 25:26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
[4]Genesis 29:35 And she [Leah, wife of Jacob] conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
[5]1 Chronicles 2:4 And Tamar his [Judah's] daughter in law bare him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
[6]1 Chronicles 2:5 The sons of Pharez; Hezron, and Hamul.
[7]1 Chronicles 2:9 The sons also of Hezron, that were born unto him; Jerahmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai.
[8]1 Chronicles 2:10 And Ram begat Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah.
[9]1 Chronicles 2:11 And Nahshon begat Salma, and Salma begat Boaz.
[10]It is not clear who Rachab is. The name Rahab turns up several times in the old testament (Joshua 2:1, 2:3, 6:17, 6:23, 6:25, Psalms 87:4, 89:10, and Isaiah 51:9), but none of the entries are particularly helpful. A typical entry is Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
[11]Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.
[12]1 Chronicles 2:12 And Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse.
[13]1 Chronicles 2:13 And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third, 14 Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh.
[14]1 Chronicles 14:4 Now these are the names of his [David's] children which he had in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. Solomon, famous for his wisdom, was the third king of Israel and son of David. His story is told in 1 Kings 1-11, 1 Chronicles 22-23, 28-29, and 2 Chronicles 1-10. Legend has it that he wrote the book of Proverbs. Allusions to Solomon are made in Matthew 6:29, 12:42, and Luke 11:31, 12:27.
[15]2 Samuel 11:3 And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
[16]1 Kings 11:43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
[17]2 Chronicles 11:20 And after her he [Rehoboam] took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.
[18]1 Chronicles 3:10 And Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,
[19]2 King 8:16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.
[20]Matthew skips a number of generations between Joram and Ozias as the following passages make clear:
2 King 8:25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
2 King 11:2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
2 King 14:1 In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.
2 Chr 26:1 Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.
[21]2 Kings 15:38 And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
[22]2 Kings 16:20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
[23]1 Chronicles 3:13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son.
[24]1 Chronicles 3:13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14 Amon his son, Josiah his son.
[25] 1 Chr 3:15 And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.
[26]2 King 24:15 And he [Nebuchadnezzar] carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
[27]1 Chronicles 3:17 And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son.
[28]Nehehemiah 12:1 Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra.
[29]Genesis 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
[30]Genesis 11:24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah
[31]Genesis 11:22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor.
[32]Genesis 11:20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug.
[33]Genesis 11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu.
[34]Genesis 11:16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg.
[35]Genesis 10:24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.
[36]Genesis 11:12 lists Arphaxad as the father of Sala: And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah. It is not clear who this Cainan (Luke 3:36) is. Note that another man with this same name is listed in Luke 3:37.
[37]Genesis 11:10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood.
[38]Genesis 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
[39]Genesis 5:28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. Noah's story is told in Genesis 6-9. He, his family, and the animals that they gathered onto a large ark are the only survivors when God sends a flood to wipe wickedness from the face of the earth. Noah is also mentioned in Matthew 24:37-38 and Luke 17:26-27.
[40]Genesis 5:25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.
[41]Genesis 5:21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah.
[42]Genesis 5:18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch.
[43]Genesis 5:15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared.
[44]Genesis 5:12 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel.
[45]Genesis 5:9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan.
[46]Genesis 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
[47]Genesis 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
[48]Genesis 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
[49]If we assume that the first and last person in a list of ancestors are counted as generations, then Matthew's number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen, from David until the carrying away into Babylon is fifteen, and from the carrying away until Christ are fourteen. There seems to be no consistent way to reconcile Matthew's list of ancestors with his own number counting of generations. Matthew's listing of the number of generations is not compatible with Luke's genealogy in any case.
