Luke 3:31-32
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 Sala, the son of Nahshon,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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While Matthew traces Jesus' royal lineage through Solomon, Luke shows Jesus descending from David through Nathan. This highlights that Jesus' claim to kingship wasn't just through the throne of Solomon, but through a broader Davidic ancestry.
This passage is part of Jesus' genealogy, tracing his lineage back through David, but through a different line than Matthew's Gospel. Luke emphasizes Jesus' connection to all of humanity by tracing the line all the way back to Adam, highlighting Jesus as the Messiah who fulfills God's promise to Abraham and is the Savior for everyone.
Matthew's genealogy highlights Jesus' kingship. But Luke's list, leading all the way back to Adam, does something different.
While Matthew traces Jesus' legal line through Joseph, emphasizing his claim to David's throne for Jewish readers, Luke traces a different path. Luke's genealogy, starting from Adam and leading to Jesus (supposedly through Joseph, but really through Mary), emphasizes Jesus as the universal Savior, the 'Seed of the Woman' (Genesis 3:15) meant to bless all humanity, not just Israel. This broader scope shows that Jesus is the Redeemer for everyone, connecting us all back to the first man, Adam.
Why does Luke include David's son Nathan in Jesus' lineage, when Matthew points to Solomon?
Both Matthew and Luke trace Jesus' lineage back to King David, but they follow different sons of David. Matthew follows Solomon, the king who built the temple and represented the royal succession. Luke, however, traces the line through Nathan. This is significant because Nathan's line may represent a different, perhaps more natural or familial, connection to David, which eventually leads to Jesus through Mary. This distinction helps reconcile the two genealogies and emphasizes that Jesus is the promised Messiah, ultimately fulfilling God's covenant with David through a line that might not have been the direct heir to the throne after the Babylonian exile.
Understand the original words
David · Hebrew Proper Noun
The Hebrew term for 'beloved' or 'friend', referring to the second king of Israel. He is the central figure in the Davidic Covenant, through whose lineage the Messiah was promised to come.
Yishay · Hebrew Proper Noun
The father of David and the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. He is significant as the progenitor of the royal line that culminates in Jesus Christ.
Boaz · Hebrew Proper Noun
A Moabite woman who married into an Israelite family and later married Boaz. She is a key figure in the lineage of David and Jesus, demonstrating God's grace extending to Gentiles.
c. 1000 BC
David's Reign and Solomon's Succession
King David establishes a united kingdom, and his son Solomon succeeds him, beginning a royal line.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
After Solomon's death, the united kingdom splits into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah, with David's lineage continuing to rule Judah.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
The Kingdom of Judah falls to Babylon, its king deposed, and many of its people exiled, disrupting the direct royal line.
c. 538 BC
Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great allows the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem, beginning the rebuilding of the Temple and the re-establishment of Jewish community life.
c. 400 BC - 1 BC
Post-Exilic Period
Jewish society is reorganized under Persian, Greek, and then Roman rule, with a continued, though diminished, sense of Davidic lineage and messianic expectation.
This passage lists the lineage from David, mentioning Solomon, directly connecting to the Messianic lineage and the royal line that Luke's genealogy also traces, albeit through a different son of David.
2 Samuel 7:12-14This is the foundational promise from God to David concerning his lineage and an eternal kingdom, underscoring the significance of David's descendants as seen in both Matthew's and Luke's genealogies.
Ruth 4:17-22This passage provides a genealogy from David to Zerubbabel, highlighting Nathan as an ancestor and showing a different but related line to Matthew's account, reinforcing the royal Davidic line's continuation.
1 Chronicles 3:1-9This chapter details the descendants of David, specifically listing Solomon and his successors, and also mentions Nathan, offering a key point of comparison and contrast with the genealogies in Luke and Matthew.
pooleLuke 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,"
See Poole on "Luke 3:24"
bengelLuke 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,"
Luke 3:31 . Τοῦ Ναθὰν , Nathan ) [Luke substitutes him for Solomon, who is put down by Matthew here in this series, because that Mary drew her descent from Nathan, or else because Joseph derived his genealogy alike from Solomon and from Nathan; for it was a common practice of the Jews to adopt some one of their nearest relatives in the plac…
While Matthew traces Jesus' royal lineage through Solomon, Luke shows Jesus descending from David through Nathan. This highlights that Jesus' claim to kingship wasn't just through the throne of Solomon, but through a broader Davidic ancestry.
This passage is part of Jesus' genealogy, tracing his lineage back through David, but through a different line than Matthew's Gospel. Luke emphasizes Jesus' connection to all of humanity by tracing the line all the way back to Adam, highlighting Jesus as the Messiah who fulfills God's promise to Abraham and is the Savior for everyone.
This passage is part of Jesus' genealogy, tracing his lineage back through David, but through a different line than Matthew's Gospel. Luke emphasizes Jesus' connection to all of humanity by tracing the line all the way back to Adam, highlighting Jesus as the Messiah who fulfills God's promise to Abraham and is the Savior for everyone.
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c. 20 BC - 1 BC— this verse
Genealogy of Jesus Compiled
Luke compiles a genealogy tracing Jesus' lineage back through Nathan (a son of David) and ultimately to Adam, possibly to emphasize Jesus' universal significance.
"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 Sala, the son of Nahshon," — While Matthew traces Jesus' royal lineage through Solomon, Luke shows Jesus descending from David through Nathan. This highlights that Jesus' claim to kingship wasn't just through the throne of Solom…
