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Family Tree

1. Matthew’s Genealogy: The Legal, Royal Line 👑 (Red)

This lineage is the legal and royal line of Jesus, tracing his right to the throne of David through his adoptive father, Joseph. It’s the lineage of kings.

  • Lineage Type: Patrilineal / Legal Line [🔴]
  • Key Person: Joseph, Jesus’s legal father.
  • Proof & Verses: The line passes through David’s son Solomon, who inherited the throne. This establishes Jesus as the rightful legal heir.
    • Matthew 1:16 names Joseph’s father as Jacob.
    • Matthew 1:6-7 shows the direct line of succession from King David to Solomon and the subsequent kings. This demonstrates the royal path.
  • Significance: Because Joseph was Jesus’s legal father, Jesus inherits all of Joseph’s legal claims, including the right to the throne of David. This fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of a Messiah from the royal line.

2. Luke’s Genealogy: The Biological, Bloodline ❤️ (Blue)

This lineage is the biological bloodline of Jesus, tracing his physical connection to the house of David through his mother, Mary. It’s the line of humanity.

  • Lineage Type: Matrilineal / Biological Line [🔵]
  • Key Person: Mary, Jesus’s biological mother.
  • Proof & Verses: The line passes through David’s son Nathan, who was not the heir to the throne. This establishes Jesus’s biological connection to David’s family, fulfilling prophecies of a Messiah “descended from David according to the flesh.”
    • Luke 3:23 uses the key phrase “being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli…” The parenthetical phrase “as was supposed” hints that Joseph was not the biological father, making it likely that Heli was Mary’s father.
    • Luke 1:32 records the angel’s prophecy to Mary that her son would receive “the throne of his father David,” which implies the throne comes through her own lineage.
  • Significance: This lineage connects Jesus not only to David but all the way back to Adam, and from Adam to God. This highlights Jesus’s universal significance as the Savior of all humanity, not just the Jewish people.
Luke vs. Matthew Genealogy

The Two Lineages: Luke vs. Matthew

Scroll down each side to compare. Names that appear in both lineages are **highlighted in yellow**.

The **Orange** name is the point of major divergence: **David**.

Luke’s Account (Human Line: Nathan ← David)

Traced backward from Jesus to Adam and God.

Matthew’s Account (Royal Line: Solomon → David)

Traced forward from Abraham to Jesus.