Biblical genealogies
Bible study: Biblical genealogies. Names, families and the thread of a promise.
1. Antediluvian Patriarchs (From Adam to Noah)
The first 10 generations of humanity and the line of promise
Genesis 5:1–32; 1 Chronicles 1:1–4; Luke 3:36–38
AT
Creation to the Flood
Records the godly line of Seth, through which worship of God was preserved amid the growing violence and apostasy of Cain’s line (Gen 4:17–24). It culminates in Noah, preserved through the Flood.
Line of Faith
Early Human Life
The Protoevangelium Unfolding
Judgment and Grace
Genesis 5 emphasizes the solemn reality of death (“and he died”) for each generation, except for Enoch, who walked with God and was taken up alive.
Adam
First man
Lived 930 years
Created directly by God in His image and likeness; the representative head of humanity.
Genesis 1:26–27; 5:1–5
Seth
Son of promise given after Abel’s death
Lived 912 years
Eve declared: “God has given me another son in place of Abel”; founder of the line that calls upon the Name of the Lord.
Genesis 4:25–26; 5:6–8
Enosh
Antediluvian patriarch
Lived 905 years
In his days people began to “call upon the Name of the LORD” together.
Genesis 4:26; 5:9–11
Kenan (Cainan)
Antediluvian patriarch
Lived 910 years
Fourth preserved link in the godly line.
Genesis 5:12–14
Mahalalel
Antediluvian patriarch
Lived 895 years
Fifth in the generational succession from Adam.
Genesis 5:15–17
Jared
Antediluvian patriarch
Lived 962 years
Father of the prophet Enoch.
Genesis 5:18–20
Enoch
Prophet who walked with God
365 years on earth (did not see death)
Walked closely with God and was taken to heaven without experiencing physical death (Heb 11:5; Jude 14).
Genesis 5:21–24; Hebrews 11:5
Methuselah
The longest-lived man in Scripture
Lived 969 years
His extraordinary longevity was a monument to God’s merciful patience before the Flood.
Genesis 5:25–27
Lamech
Father of Noah
Lived 777 years
Prophesied at his son’s birth: “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands.”
Genesis 5:28–31
Noah
Preacher of righteousness and builder of the Ark
Lived 950 years
A righteous and blameless man among his contemporaries; saved with his family in the Ark to repopulate the earth.
Genesis 5:32; 6:8–9; 9:28–29; 2 Peter 2:5
2. Post-Flood Lineage (From Shem to Abraham)
The 10 generations of restoration after the Flood to the father of faith
Genesis 11:10–26; 1 Chronicles 1:24–27; Luke 3:34–36
AT
After the Flood to ~2100 BC
Shows how God directed the redemptive line from Shem (Noah’s blessed son), through the dispersion at Babel, to His call of Abram in Ur of the Chaldeans.
Origins of the Hebrews
Preservation of the Covenant
God’s Sovereignty Among the Nations
In Genesis 11, human longevity progressively declines from more than 400 years to around 175–200 years.
Shem
Son of Noah
Lived 600 years
Blessed by Noah (“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem”); ancestor of all Semitic peoples.
Genesis 9:26; 11:10–11
Arphaxad
Post-Flood patriarch
Lived 438 years
Born 2 years after the Flood.
Genesis 11:12–13
Shelah
Post-Flood patriarch
Lived 433 years
Third generation after the Flood.
Genesis 11:14–15
Eber (Heber)
Ancestor of the Hebrew people
Lived 464 years
The original etymology of the designation “Hebrews” (people who crossed the Euphrates River).
Genesis 10:21; 11:16–17
Peleg
Patriarch in the days when the earth was divided
Lived 239 years
His name means “Division,” “because in his days the earth was divided” (Tower of Babel).
Genesis 10:25; 11:18–19
Reu
Post-Flood patriarch
Lived 239 years
Generation that experienced life after the dispersion at Babel.
Genesis 11:20–21
Serug
Great-grandfather of Abraham
Lived 230 years
Mesopotamian patriarch.
Genesis 11:22–23
Nahor
Grandfather of Abraham
Lived 148 years
Father of Terah.
Genesis 11:24–25
Terah
Father of Abraham, Nahor, and Haran
Lived 205 years
Left Ur of the Chaldeans with his family for Haran, where he died.
Genesis 11:26–32; Joshua 24:2
Abraham (Abram)
The Father of Faith and Friend of God
Lived 175 years (~2166–1991 BC)
Called by God to inaugurate the Covenant of Promise; a seed of blessing for all the nations of the earth.
Genesis 12:1–3; 15:6; James 2:23
3. The Covenant Patriarchs and the 12 Tribes of Israel
From Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the twelve sons who formed the chosen nation
Genesis 25, 29–30, 35:22–26, 49; Exodus 1:1–5; 1 Chronicles 2:1–2
AT
~2000 – 1800 BC
Shows how God fulfilled His promise to Abraham to multiply his descendants like the stars of heaven, organizing Israel into the twelve covenant tribes.
Abrahamic Covenant
Sovereign Election
Patriarchal Blessing
Origins of Israel
Judah received the blessing of the Messianic royal scepter (Gen 49:10), Levi the priestly consecration (Ex 32:29), and Joseph the double portion inherited through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
Isaac
Son of promise born to Abraham and Sarah
Lived 180 years
Heir of the Covenant; figuratively offered on Mount Moriah.
Genesis 21:1–7; 22:1–19; 26:1–5
Jacob (Israel)
Patriarch whose name God changed to Israel
Lived 147 years
Father of the 12 patriarchs who founded the twelve tribes of God’s people.
Genesis 28:10–15; 32:28; 35:9–12
Reuben
Jacob’s firstborn son by Leah
Tribe settled east of the Jordan; lost the privilege of the birthright through moral instability (Gen 49:3–4).
Genesis 29:32; 49:3–4
Simeon
Jacob’s second son by Leah
Tribe geographically absorbed into Judah’s territory in the south.
Genesis 29:33; Joshua 19:1
Levi
Jacob’s third son by Leah
Tribe chosen exclusively by God for the sacred service of the Tabernacle and the perpetual priesthood (received Levitical cities rather than a continuous territory).
Genesis 29:34; Numbers 3:5–10; Joshua 21
Judah
Jacob’s fourth son by Leah
The Royal and Messianic Tribe: Jacob prophesied that the scepter would not depart from Judah until Shiloh came (Jesus Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah).
Genesis 29:35; 49:8–12; Revelation 5:5
Dan
Jacob’s son by Bilhah (Rachel’s servant)
Tribe initially settled on the coast and later in the far north of Canaan.
Genesis 30:6; Judges 18
Naphtali
Jacob’s son by Bilhah
Northern tribe beside the Sea of Galilee, the land where Christ’s ministry shone as a great light (Isa 9:1–2; Matt 4:13–16).
Genesis 30:8; Matthew 4:13–16
Gad
Jacob’s son by Zilpah (Leah’s servant)
Valiant tribe settled in Transjordan.
Genesis 30:11; Deuteronomy 33:20
Asher
Jacob’s son by Zilpah
Tribe of the fertile northern coast; the prophetess Anna in the Temple came from Asher (Luke 2:36).
Genesis 30:13; Luke 2:36
Issachar
Jacob’s son by Leah
Tribe with wise men who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chr 12:32).
Genesis 30:18; 1 Chronicles 12:32
Zebulun
Jacob’s son by Leah
Region of Galilee that witnessed much of Jesus’ preaching and many of His miracles.
Genesis 30:20; Matthew 4:15
Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh)
Jacob’s beloved son by Rachel
Governor of Egypt; received the double portion of the inheritance through his two sons adopted by Jacob: Ephraim and Manasseh, who became separate tribes.
Genesis 30:24; 48:1–22; 49:22–26
Benjamin
Jacob’s youngest son by Rachel
Faithful tribe that remained united with Judah in the Southern Kingdom; homeland of King Saul and, in the New Testament, the apostle Paul (Phil 3:5).
Genesis 35:18; Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:5
4. Levitical Priestly Lineage (From Levi to Aaron and Ezra)
The sacred succession of priests and the high priesthood in Israel
Exodus 6:16–25; Numbers 3; 25:10–13; 1 Chronicles 6:1–53; Ezra 7:1–5
AT
~1500 – 450 BC
Records the line God set apart to minister before the altar, offer atoning sacrifices, and carry the Urim and Thummim, foreshadowing Christ’s Perfect and Eternal Priesthood (Hebrews 7).
Holiness of the Altar
Priestly Mediation
Atonement
Covenant Faithfulness
The Levitical priesthood was inherited biologically through Aaron’s line; in contrast, Jesus Christ’s priesthood is eternal according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:11–17).
Levi
Patriarch of the priestly tribe
Son of Jacob; father of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Genesis 29:34; Exodus 6:16
Kohath
Son of Levi
Head of the Kohathite branch, responsible for carrying the Tabernacle’s most holy furnishings.
Exodus 6:16, 18; Numbers 4:1–15
Amram (with Jochebed)
Father of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
Preserved faith during Egyptian captivity, fathering the three great leaders of the Exodus.
Exodus 6:20; Numbers 26:59
Aaron
Israel’s First High Priest
Consecrated with holy garments and anointing oil; his staff blossomed as a sign of divine choice.
Exodus 28:1–3; Numbers 17:1–10
Eleazar
Aaron’s successor in the High Priesthood
Son of Aaron; received the garments on Mount Hor and assisted Joshua in dividing Canaan.
Numbers 20:25–28; Joshua 14:1
Phinehas
High Priest noted for holy zeal
God granted him “a covenant of peace and the covenant of a perpetual priesthood” for his zeal at Shittim.
Numbers 25:10–13; Psalm 106:30–31
Zadok
Faithful High Priest under David and Solomon
Remained unwaveringly loyal to David and anointed Solomon king at the spring of Gihon (1 Kings 1:39). Ezekiel’s prophetic temple exalts Zadok’s line.
2 Samuel 15:24–29; 1 Kings 1:39; Ezekiel 44:15–16
Hilkiah
High Priest in the time of Josiah
Found the forgotten Book of the Law in the Temple in 622 BC, triggering the great national reform.
2 Kings 22:8–14; 2 Chronicles 34:14
Joshua (Jeshua, son of Jozadak)
Post-Exilic High Priest
Led the rebuilding of the Second Temple with Zerubbabel; prophetically crowned in Zechariah 3 and 6 as a type of the Messiah (“the Branch”).
Ezra 3:2; Haggai 1:1; Zechariah 3:1–9; 6:11–13
Ezra
Priest and Scribe skilled in the Law of Moses
Direct descendant of Aaron through Eleazar and Phinehas; restored public reading of the Bible in Jerusalem.
Ezra 7:1–6; Nehemiah 8:1–8
5. Davidic Royal Lineage (From Judah to David)
King David’s direct ancestors and the faithfulness of divine grace
Ruth 4:18–22; 1 Chronicles 2:3–15; Matthew 1:3–6; Luke 3:31–33
AT
~1800 – 1010 BC
Connects Judah’s prophetic blessing (Gen 49:10) to David’s birth and anointing as king of Israel, showing how God used events and redeemed Gentile people (such as Rahab and Ruth) to weave the royal genealogy.
Kinsman-Redeemer (Goel)
Sovereign Grace
The House of David
The Promised Messiah
The Book of Ruth deliberately concludes with this genealogy of ten names (Ruth 4:18–22), showing that the story of family loyalty culminated in King David.
Judah
Son of Jacob; father of Perez by Tamar
Patriarch of the Messianic royal tribe.
Genesis 38:29; Matthew 1:3
Perez (Pharez)
Son of Judah and Tamar
Leader of Judah’s principal clan family (“the house of Perez”).
Genesis 46:12; Ruth 4:18
Hezron (Esrom)
Grandson of Judah
Entered Egypt with Jacob.
Genesis 46:12; 1 Chronicles 2:5
Ram (Aram)
Royal ancestor
Preserved during the period in Egypt.
1 Chronicles 2:9; Ruth 4:19
Amminadab
Leader in Judah during the Exodus
Father-in-law of the high priest Aaron (whose wife was Elisheba, Amminadab’s daughter).
Exodus 6:23; Numbers 1:7
Nahshon (Naasson)
Prince of the children of Judah in the wilderness
Led Judah’s camp on the wilderness march.
Numbers 2:3; 7:12; 1 Chronicles 2:10
Salmon (with Rahab)
Leader after the conquest of Jericho
Married Rahab, the woman of Jericho welcomed into Israel through faith.
Ruth 4:20; Matthew 1:5; Joshua 6:25
Boaz (with Ruth)
The Noble Kinsman-Redeemer of Bethlehem
Redeemed Elimelech’s land and married Ruth the Moabite, fathering Obed.
Ruth 2:1; 4:9–17; Matthew 1:5
Obed
Son of Boaz and Ruth
Called by the neighbors “a restorer of Naomi’s soul”; grandfather of David.
Ruth 4:17; 1 Chronicles 2:12
Jesse
Bethlehemite, father of eight sons
Isaiah’s prophecy declares: “A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse” (Isa 11:1).
1 Samuel 16:1–13; Isaiah 11:1
King David
King of Israel after God’s own heart
~1040 – 970 BC
Received the Eternal Davidic Covenant (2 Sam 7:12–16): his Throne and Kingdom will endure forever through Jesus the Messiah.
1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 7:12–16; Acts 13:22
6. The Royal and Legal Genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1)
The royal Messianic line through Solomon and Joseph: “Son of David, Son of Abraham”
Matthew 1:1–17
NT
~2100 BC to the birth of Christ (~6–4 BC)
Matthew writes primarily to show the Jewish reader that Jesus is the rightful Messiah King with legal royal rights to David’s throne. It is divided symmetrically into three groups of 14 generations: from Abraham to David, from David to the Babylonian Exile, and from the Exile to Christ.
Jesus the King of Israel
Davidic Covenant
Prophetic Fulfillment
Women of Faith Included by Grace
Notably contains 4 Old Testament women with unique stories of faith and redemption: Tamar (a Canaanite), Rahab (from Jericho), Ruth (a Moabite), and Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba), culminating in Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus.
Abraham
Father of Isaac
Isaac
Father of Jacob
Jacob
Father of Judah and his brothers
Judah
Father of Perez and Zerah (with Tamar)
Perez
Father of Hezron
Hezron
Father of Ram
Ram
Father of Amminadab
Amminadab
Father of Nahshon
Nahshon
Father of Salmon
Salmon
Father of Boaz (with Rahab)
Boaz
Father of Obed (with Ruth)
Obed
Father of Jesse
Jesse
Father of King David
King David
Father of Solomon (with Uriah’s wife / Bathsheba)
King Solomon
Builder of the Temple
King Rehoboam
King at the time of the division
King Abijah
King of Judah
King Asa
Reforming king
King Jehoshaphat
King who feared the Lord
King Jehoram
King of Judah
King Uzziah (Azariah)
King with a long reign
King Jotham
Godly king
King Ahaz
King in the days of the Immanuel prophecy
King Hezekiah
Great and faithful reforming king
King Manasseh
King of Judah
King Amon
King of Judah
King Josiah
King at the rediscovery of the Law
Jeconiah (Jehoiachin)
King at the time of the deportation to Babylon
Shealtiel
Exiled nobleman
Zerubbabel
Leader of the return and rebuilder of the Second Temple
Abiud
Post-exilic generation
Eliakim
Post-exilic generation
Azor
Intertestamental generation
Zadok
Intertestamental generation
Achim
Intertestamental generation
Eliud
Intertestamental generation
Eleazar
Intertestamental generation
Matthan
Grandfather of Joseph
Jacob
Father of Joseph
Joseph (Mary’s husband)
Legal father of Jesus according to the Law
A righteous man of the house and lineage of David; welcomed Mary and assumed legal fatherhood of Jesus.
Matthew 1:16, 18–25
JESUS CHRIST (THE MESSIAH)
The Incarnate Son of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords
God’s Anointed, descended from Abraham and David, in whom all the eternal promises of redemption are fulfilled.
Matthew 1:1, 16, 21–23; Revelation 19:16
7. The Biological and Universal Genealogy of Jesus Christ (Luke 3)
The ascending lineage to Adam and God: “The Son of Man, Savior of All Humanity”
Luke 3:23–38
NT
From Jesus Christ back to Adam and God
Luke, writing to Theophilus and the Gentile Greco-Roman world, traces Jesus’ family tree in ascending order (from Jesus to Adam and God). He shows that Jesus is not only the King of the Jews, but the Second Adam and the universal Savior of all humanity.
Universality of the Gospel
The Second Adam
Son of Man
Grace for All Peoples
Luke passes through Nathan (another son of David, 2 Sam 5:14) rather than Solomon, and mentions Heli/Eli as Joseph’s father (under the classical theological and legal understanding that Joseph was the son-in-law of Eli, Mary’s biological father). He goes back beyond Abraham to Adam (“son of God”).
JESUS CHRIST
About 30 years old when He began His ministry
Joseph (as was supposed, son-in-law of Eli / Mary)
Legal father
Eli (Heli, Mary’s father)
Biological Davidic descent
Matthat
Ancestor of Mary
Levi
Ancestor
Melchi
Ancestor
Jannai
Ancestor
Joseph
Ancestor
Mattathias
Ancestor
Amos
Ancestor
Nahum
Ancestor
Esli
Ancestor
Naggai
Ancestor
Maath
Ancestor
Mattathias
Ancestor
Semein
Ancestor
Josech
Ancestor
Joda
Ancestor
Joanan
Ancestor
Rhesa
Ancestor
Zerubbabel
Prince of the post-exilic return
Shealtiel
Father of Zerubbabel
Neri
Ancestor
Melchi
Ancestor
Addi
Ancestor
Cosam
Ancestor
Elmadam
Ancestor
Er
Ancestor
Joshua
Ancestor
Eliezer
Ancestor
Jorim
Ancestor
Matthat
Ancestor
Levi
Ancestor
Simeon
Ancestor
Judah
Ancestor
Joseph
Ancestor
Jonam
Ancestor
Eliakim
Ancestor
Melea
Ancestor
Menna
Ancestor
Mattatha
Ancestor
Nathan
Son of David and Bathsheba
Solomon’s biological brother (2 Sam 5:14; 1 Chr 3:5), through whom Luke traces Mary’s physical lineage back to David.
King David
King of Israel
Jesse
Father of David
Obed
Son of Boaz and Ruth
Boaz
Kinsman-redeemer
Salmon
Father of Boaz
Nahshon
Prince of Judah
Amminadab
Ancestor
Hezron
Ancestor
Perez
Son of Judah
Judah
Patriarch of the royal tribe
Jacob
Israel
Isaac
Son of promise
Abraham
Father of faith
Terah
Father of Abraham
Nahor
Grandfather of Abraham
Serug
Ancestor
Reu
Ancestor
Peleg
Ancestor
Eber (Heber)
Ancestor of the Hebrews
Shelah
Ancestor
Cainan
Mentioned in the Septuagint and in Luke
Arphaxad
Son of Shem
Shem
Son of Noah
Noah
Righteous man preserved through the Flood
Lamech
Father of Noah
Methuselah
Longest-lived patriarch
Enoch
Walked with God and was taken up
Jared
Antediluvian ancestor
Mahalalel
Antediluvian ancestor
Kenan (Cainan)
Antediluvian ancestor
Enosh
Time when people began to call upon the Lord
Seth
Son of promise given to Adam and Eve
Adam
First man, created in God’s image
GOD
The Sovereign Creator and Source of Life
The supreme culmination of Luke’s genealogy: Jesus is the Son of God, bringing reconciliation between fallen creation and the Eternal Creator.
Luke 3:38
Biblical and Theological Harmonization: Matthew 1 vs. Luke 3
Distinct Theological Purpose
Description
Matthew wrote with a focus on the Jewish community to demonstrate that Jesus is the Royal Messiah promised in Old Testament prophecies, the legal heir to David’s throne and Abraham’s covenant. Luke, with a universal and medical sensitivity, wrote to Gentiles to show that Jesus is the Son of Man and the Second Adam, whose salvation reaches all peoples and nations without partiality.
Legal Lineage vs. Biological Lineage
Description
The classical harmonization most widely recognized by biblical scholars (such as Eusebius of Caesarea and Reformed and conservative theologians) demonstrates that Matthew provides the legal royal lineage through Joseph (a descendant of Solomon), transferring the legitimacy of the Davidic crown. Luke provides the biological descent through Heli (Mary’s father), a branch descending from Nathan, another son of David (2 Sam 5:14), demonstrating that Jesus is biologically of David’s seed according to the flesh (Rom 1:3).
The Curse upon Jeconiah (Jeremiah 22:30)
Description
God declared in Jeremiah 22:30 that no physical descendant of Jeconiah would reign on David’s throne. Jesus, born of the virgin Mary (without Joseph’s human seed), received the legal royal right to the throne without inheriting Jeconiah’s biological curse!
The Remarkable Inclusion of Women in Matthew
Description
At a time when ancient genealogies almost never mentioned women, the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew deliberately to include four women before Mary: Tamar (a Canaanite), Rahab (from Jericho), Ruth (a Moabite), and Bathsheba (“the wife of Uriah”). This testifies that God’s grace does not depend on human merit, welcomes Gentiles, and redeems sinners.