The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

The Bible records the genealogy of Jesus Christ in two places: Matthew 1:1–17 and Luke 3:23–38. These genealogies establish Jesus within the history of Israel and connect Him to important biblical figures including Abraham and King David.

Matthew begins with Abraham and moves forward to Jesus, while Luke begins with Jesus and traces His ancestry backward through David and Abraham all the way to Adam. Although the two records differ after David, both identify Jesus with the line of David.

Below are the two genealogical records as they appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Matthew proves that Jesus is the descendant of both King David and Abraham (Matthew 1:1-16). Matthew’s genealogy goes back to Abraham and shows that Jesus was related to all Jews.

Record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ from Matthew:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jeconiah,
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim
Akim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Luke’s genealogy goes back to Adam, showing that Jesus is related to all human beings (Luke 3:23-37).

Record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ from Luke:

Joseph the son of Heli, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, the son of Maath
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Joseph, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, the son of Melki,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Simeon,
the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David, the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah, the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan,
the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan, the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.

Why Are the Genealogies in Matthew and Luke Different

Matthew and Luke present the genealogy of Jesus differently. Matthew traces the line from Abraham forward to Jesus and follows David’s son Solomon, while Luke traces the genealogy backward from Jesus to Adam and follows David’s son Nathan.

Christians and biblical scholars have proposed several explanations for the differences between the two genealogies. One traditional explanation is that Matthew presents Jesus’ legal or royal line associated with Joseph, while Luke records a different family line. Another explanation is that both genealogies concern Joseph but reflect different legal and biological relationships within Jewish family and inheritance practices. Scripture itself does not explicitly tell us why the two lists differ, so it is wise not to state one explanation as established fact.

What both Gospel records clearly establish is Jesus’ connection to David and Abraham, placing His birth within the biblical history that preceded Him.

Why Does the Genealogy of Jesus Matter

The genealogy of Jesus reminds us that His birth did not appear suddenly or without history. Jesus was born into a real family, among real people, at a particular point in history. Matthew connects Him to Abraham and David, while Luke carries His ancestry all the way to Adam. The Gospel writers were presenting Jesus not as a mythical character, but as a person rooted within generations of human history.