The genealogy of Jesus appears twice in the Bible. Matthew 1:1-17 traces His line forward from Abraham through David and Solomon to Joseph, arranged in three sets of fourteen generations. Luke 3:23-38 traces it backward from Joseph through David's son Nathan all the way to Adam, "which was the son of God" (Luke 3:38). Both show that Jesus is the promised son of Abraham and son of David. Many believe Luke follows Mary's family line, while Matthew gives Joseph's legal, royal line.
Most people skip the long lists of names in the Bible. But the genealogy of Jesus is one of the most important passages in the Christmas story. Matthew opens the entire New Testament with it, because for Jewish readers a family line proved who someone was. God had promised that the Saviour would come from Abraham (Genesis 22:18), from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10) and from the family of King David (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The genealogies show that Jesus fits every part of that promise. They also tell a story of grace. The family tree of Jesus includes kings and shepherds, heroes and failures, foreigners and outsiders. Matthew even names four women besides Mary, which was unusual for that time: Thamar, Rachab, Ruth and her that had been the wife of Urias (Matthew 1:6). Each had a complicated story, and God wove each one into the line of the Messiah. The twelve King James verses below explain the two lists, highlight the people in them and connect them to God's promises. For the whole birth narrative, see The Christmas story in the Bible; for the promises themselves, see Prophecies about Jesus.
Matthew's genealogy: son of David, son of Abraham
1. Matthew 1:1
"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
The New Testament's first sentence: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew names the two great promise-holders right away. God promised Abraham that in his seed all nations would be blessed, and promised David a son whose throne would last forever. Matthew's message is clear from line one: the wait is over, and Jesus is the one both promises were pointing to.
2. Matthew 1:16
"And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."
Matthew's list repeats the word begat again and again, but at the end the pattern changes: Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus. The word whom refers to Mary alone. Matthew does not say Joseph begat Jesus, because Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost. Joseph was His legal father, and through Joseph Jesus received the royal family rights of David's line.
3. Matthew 1:17
"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."
Matthew arranges the history into three sets of fourteen generations: Abraham to David, David to the exile in Babylon, and the exile to Christ. Ancient genealogies often skipped generations to make a pattern easy to remember, and Matthew leaves out several kings. Many note that the Hebrew letters of David's name add up to fourteen. Either way, the structure says history was moving on God's schedule toward Jesus.
4. Galatians 3:16
"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."
God's promises to Abraham were made to thy seed, which is Christ. Paul points out that the promise uses a singular word, seed, not seeds. The whole long family line from Abraham was carrying one great promise toward one Person. The genealogy is not just a list of ancestors. It is a promise traveling through two thousand years of history until it arrives in Bethlehem.
Grace in the family tree: Rahab, Ruth and Boaz
5. Ruth 4:17
"And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David."
When Boaz and Ruth had a son, the neighbor women celebrated with Naomi, who had lost her husband and two sons: they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Ruth was a Moabite, a foreigner, who chose Israel's God. The book of Ruth ends with this family line, and Matthew includes her by name (Matthew 1:5). God brought a widow from a foreign land into the family of the Messiah.
6. Joshua 6:25
"And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho."
Rahab lived in Jericho, a Canaanite city, and the Bible does not hide her past. She protected Israel's spies because she believed Israel's God was God in heaven above, and in earth beneath (Joshua 2:11). When Jericho fell, Joshua saved Rahab... and her father's household. Matthew 1:5 says Salmon fathered Boaz of Rachab, the same woman. She became the great-great-grandmother of King David.
7. Hebrews 11:31
"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace."
Hebrews lists Rahab in the great hall of faith, right after Moses and the walls of Jericho: By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not. James also praises her actions (James 2:25). The genealogy of Jesus is good news for anyone who feels disqualified by their past. God is not ashamed to write people of faith into His story, whatever they have been.
8. Ruth 4:21-22
"And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David."
The book of Ruth ends with a short genealogy: Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David. It shows how a small family story of loss, loyalty and redemption led to Israel's greatest king. Boaz, the kinsman redeemer who rescued Ruth and Naomi, is often seen as a picture of Christ, who redeems us at His own cost.
Luke's genealogy and the promise to David
9. Luke 3:38
"Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."
Luke's genealogy runs backward and goes further than Matthew's, ending which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. Luke wrote for a wider, Gentile audience, and his message is that Jesus belongs to the whole human race, not one nation only. Luke also takes the line from David through his son Nathan (Luke 3:31), not Solomon, which is one of the main differences from Matthew.
10. Psalms 89:3-4
"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah."
God swore to David, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. After the exile, David's family lost the throne, and for centuries it looked as if the promise had failed. Both genealogies show that the line of David survived, hidden among ordinary people like a carpenter in Nazareth, until the eternal King was born. The angel told Mary that God would give Him the throne of his father David (Luke 1:32).
11. Hebrews 7:14
"For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood."
It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda. Everyone in the early church knew Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, the royal tribe, not the priestly tribe of Levi. Hebrews uses this to explain that Jesus is a different kind of priest, after the order of Melchisedec, whose priesthood rests on His endless life. The genealogy connects Jesus to Jacob's ancient prophecy that the sceptre would stay with Judah.
12. Jeremiah 33:15
"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land."
Jeremiah promised that God would cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David. A family tree is the perfect picture: the royal tree of David looked cut down, but a new Branch would grow. Isaiah used the same image: there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots (Isaiah 11:1). That is where the Advent tradition of the Jesse Tree comes from.
A short prayer
Faithful God, thank You for keeping Your promises across thousands of years and hundreds of names. Thank You that the family tree of Jesus includes foreigners, outsiders and people with broken pasts, because that gives me hope. You are not ashamed to call us Your family. Thank You for sending Jesus, the son of David and the son of Abraham, to bless all nations. Make me part of the story You are still writing. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Study Matthew 1 slowly in the SOAP Bible Study Journal · Learn where Ruth, Matthew and Luke sit with the free Books of the Bible printable · Trace the family line to Bethlehem with the free Advent reading plan
Frequently asked questions
Why are there two genealogies of Jesus?
Matthew and Luke had different goals. Matthew, writing for Jewish readers, shows Jesus as the royal heir of David and Abraham through Joseph's legal line. Luke, writing for a wider audience, traces Jesus back to Adam to show He is the Saviour of all people. Luke also says Jesus was as was supposed the son of Joseph (Luke 3:23), which many read as a hint that Luke follows Mary's family. Christians have offered several explanations, and none is required for faith. See Bible verses about family.
Who are the women in the genealogy of Jesus?
Matthew names Thamar (Matthew 1:3), Rachab (1:5), Ruth (1:5), Bathsheba, called her that had been the wife of Urias (1:6), and Mary (1:16). Several were foreigners, and each had a story that included hardship or scandal. Their presence shows that God's grace reached past every barrier long before Jesus was born. Read more in Bible verses about women.
How many generations from Adam to Jesus?
Luke's list has more than seventy names from Jesus back to Adam and to God (Luke 3:23-38). Matthew counts forty-two generations from Abraham to Jesus, in three groups of fourteen (Matthew 1:17), though he skips some names, as ancient genealogies often did. That is why the Bible's genealogies are not designed to calculate exact dates. Their purpose is to show God's faithfulness through history.
Was Jesus really from the line of David?
Yes. The New Testament repeats it many times. Paul says Jesus was made of the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3), blind men cried, Thou son of David (Matthew 9:27), and the crowds on Palm Sunday shouted Hosanna to the Son of David (Matthew 21:9). Joseph was of the house and lineage of David (Luke 2:4). See Jesus as King.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Family · Jesus as King · Christmas · Advent · Grace · Women · Faithfulness of God · Faith
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