Genealogies in the Bible

There are various genealogies described in the Bible.

The book of Genesis records the descendants of Adam and Eve. The enumerated genealogy in chapters 4, 5, and 11, reports the lineal male descent to Abraham, including the age at which each patriarch fathered his named son and the number of years he lived thereafter. The genealogy for Cain is given in chapter 4, and the genealogy for Seth is in chapter 5. The genealogy in chapter 10, recording the male descendants of Noah, is known as the Table of Nations.

Family tree of Adam

Adam^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Eve^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Cain^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Abel^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Seth^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Enoch^{[lower-alpha 4]}

Enos^{[lower-alpha 5]}

Irad^{[lower-alpha 6]}

Kenan^{[lower-alpha 7]}

Mehujael^{[lower-alpha 6]}

Mahalalel^{[lower-alpha 8]}

Methushael^{[lower-alpha 6]}

Jared^{[lower-alpha 9]}

Adah^{[lower-alpha 10]}

Lamech^{[lower-alpha 6]}

Zillah^{[lower-alpha 10]}

Enoch^{[lower-alpha 11]}

Jabal^{[lower-alpha 12]}

Jubal^{[lower-alpha 13]}

Tubal-Cain^{[lower-alpha 14]}

Naamah^{[lower-alpha 14]}

Methuselah^{[lower-alpha 15]}

Lamech^{[lower-alpha 16]}

Noah^{[lower-alpha 17]}

Shem^{[lower-alpha 18]}

Ham^{[lower-alpha 18]}

Japheth^{[lower-alpha 18]}

Genesis 4:1
Genesis 4:2
Genesis 4:25; 5:3
Genesis 4:17
Genesis 4:26; 5:6–7
Genesis 4:18
Genesis 5:9–10
Genesis 5:12–13
Genesis 5:15–16
Genesis 4:19
Genesis 5:18–19
Genesis 4:20
Genesis 4:21
Genesis 4:22
Genesis 5:21–22
Genesis 5:25–26
Genesis 5:28–30
Genesis 5:32

Table of Nations

Within the book of Genesis, the Table of Nations is an extensive list of descendants of Noah, which appears within the Torah at Genesis 10, representing an ethnology from an Iron Age Levantine perspective and its reflections in the medieval and modern history and genealogy researches.^{[citation needed]}

Family tree of Abraham

Shem^[1]

Unnamed daughters

Almodad

Sheleph

Hazarmareth

Jerah

Hadoram

Serug

Uzal

Diklah

Obal

Abimael

Sheba

Nahor

Ophir

Havilah

Jobab

Terah

Sarah^[2]

Abraham^[3]

Hagar

Haran^[3]

Keturah

Nahor^[3]

Ishmael^[4]

Milcah^[3]

Lot^[3]

Iscah^[3]

6 sons

Ishmaelites

7 sons^[5]

Bethuel

1st daughter

2nd daughter

Isaac

Rebekah

Laban

Moabites

Ammonites

Edomites

1. Reuben
2. Simeon
3. Levi
4. Judah
9. Issachar
10. Zebulun
11. Dinah

7. Gad
8. Asher

5. Dan
6. Naphtali

12. Joseph
13. Benjamin

The New Testament provides two accounts of the genealogy of Jesus, one in the Gospel of Matthew and another in the Gospel of Luke.^[6]^{[non-primary source needed]} Matthew starts with Abraham, while Luke begins with Adam.{Luke 3:23-38} The lists are identical between Abraham and David but differ radically from that point.^{[citation needed]} Matthew has twenty-seven generations from David to Joseph, whereas Luke has forty-two, with almost no overlap between the names on the two lists.^{[citation needed]}⁠ Notably, the two accounts also disagree on who Joseph's father was: Matthew says he was Jacob, while Luke says he was Heli.^[7]^{[non-primary source needed]}

Traditional Christian scholars (starting with the historian Eusebius^[8]) have put forward various theories that seek to explain why the lineages are so different,^[9] such as that Matthew's account follows the lineage of Joseph, while Luke's follows his legal lineage through his biological uncle via Levirate marriage ("Matthan, whose descent is traced to Solomon, begot Jacob, Matthan dying, Matthat, whose lineage is from Nathan, by marrying the widow of the former, had Heli. Hence, Heli and Jacob were brothers by the same mother."^[10]) Some modern critical scholars like Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan claim both genealogies as inventions, to bring the Messianic claims into conformity with Jewish criteria.^[11] However, it is not unusual, since ancient genealogies often skip generations that are not of particular interest to the topic at hand.^{[citation needed]}

The following table is a side-by-side comparison of the genealogies found in Genesis 5&11, Ruth 4, 1Chronicles 1-3, Matthew 1 and Luke 3.

More information Luke 3, 1 Chronicles 1-3 ...

Comparison of genealogies
Luke 3^[12]	1 Chronicles 1-3^[13]	Genesis 5, 11^[14]	Ruth 4^[15]	Matthew 1^[16]
God-Jesus	Adam-David	God-Perez	Perez-David	Dynastic & Selective Bloodline
God	—	God	—	—
Adam	Adam	Adam	—	—
Seth	Seth	Seth	—	—
Enos	Enos	Enos	—	—
Cainan	Cainan	Cainan	—	—
Mahalaleel	Mahalaleel	Mahalaleel	—	—
Jared	Jared	Jared	—	—
Enoch	Enoch	Enoch	—	—
Methuselah	Methuselah	Methuselah	—	—
Lamech	Lamech	Lamech	—	—
Noah	Noah	Noah	—	—
Shem	Shem	Shem	—	—
Arphaxad	Arphaxad	Arphaxad	—	—
Cainan	Cainan	Cainan	—	—
Shelah	Shelah	Shelah	—	—
Eber	Eber	Eber	—	—
Peleg	Peleg	Peleg	—	—
Reu	Reu	Reu	—	—
Serug	Serug	Serug	—	—
Nahor	Nahor	Nahor	—	—
Terah	Terah	Terah	—	—
Abraham	Abraham	Abraham	—	Abraham
Isaac	Isaac	Isaac	—	Isaac
Jacob	Jacob	Jacob	—	Jacob
Judah	Judah	Judah	—	Judah
Perez	Perez	Perez	Perez	Perez
Hezron	Hezron	—	Hezron	Hezron
Arni	Arni	—	Arni	Arni
Amminadab	Amminadab	—	Amminadab	Amminadab
Nahshon	Nahshon	—	Nahshon	Nahshon
Salmon	Salmon	—	Salmon	Salmon
Boaz	Boaz	—	Boaz	Boaz
Obed	Obed	—	Obed	Obed
Jesse	Jesse	—	Jesse	Jesse
David	David	—	David	King of Israel, David
Nathan	Nathan, Solomon	—	—	King of Israel, Solomon
Mattatha	—	—	—	King of Judah, Rehoboam
Menna	—	—	—	King of Judah, Abijam
Melea	—	—	—	King of Judah, Asa
Eliakim	—	—	—	King of Judah, Jehoshaphat
Jonam	—	—	—	King of Judah, Joram
Joseph	—	—	—	King of Judah, Uzziah
Judah	—	—	—	King of Judah, Jotham
Simeon	—	—	—	King of Judah, Ahaz
Levi	—	—	—	—
Matthat	—	—	—	King of Judah, Hezekiah
Jorim	—	—	—	—
Eliezer	—	—	—	King of Judah, Manasseh
Joshua	—	—	—	—
Er	—	—	—	King of Judah, Amon
Elmodam	—	—	—	—
Cosam	—	—	—	—
Addi	—	—	—	King of Judah, Josiah
Melchi	—	—	—	King of Judah, Jeconiah
Neri	—	—	—	—
Shealtiel	—	—	—	Shealtiel
Zerubbabel	—	—	—	Zerubbabel
Rhesa	—	—	—	—
Joannan	—	—	—	Abiud
Joda	—	—	—	—
Josech	—	—	—	Eliakim
Semei	—	—	—	—
Mattathias	—	—	—	Azor
Maath	—	—	—	—
Nagge	—	—	—	Zadok
Esli	—	—	—	—
Naum	—	—	—	—
Amos	—	—	—	Achim
Mattathias	—	—	—	—
Joseph	—	—	—	Eliud
Jannai	—	—	—	—
Melchi	—	—	—	Eleazar
Levi	—	—	—	—
Matthat	—	—	—	Matthan
Heli	—	—	—	Jacob
Joseph	—	—	—	Joseph
Jesus Christ	—	—	—	Jesus Christ

Close

[1]
https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.11.11?lang=bi&aliyot=0
[2]
Sarah was the half–sister of Abraham (Genesis 20:12). An alternative tradition holds that she was Abraham's niece (see Sarah#In rabbinic literature).
[3]
Genesis 11:27–29
[4]
Genesis 16:15
[5]
Genesis 22:21–22: Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, and Jidlaph
[6]
Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–38
[7]
Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23
[8]
Eusebius Pamphilius, Church history, Life of Constantine §VII.
[9]
R. T. France, The Gospel According to Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Eerdmans, 1985) page 71-72.
[10]
Eusebius Pamphilius, Ecclesiastical History Book 1, Chapter 7, 2nd paragraph, 2nd Sentence, pg. 21.
[11]
Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan, The First Christmas (HarperCollins, 2009) page 95.
[12]
Luke 3:23–38.
[13]
1 Chronicles 1.
[14]
Genesis 5.
[15]
Ruth 4:18–22.
[16]
Matthew 1:1–16.

Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Genealogy (in the Bible)" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
FactGrid:The Bible & Quran Project, Wikibase data for all Persons mentioned in the Bible with their respective genealogical ties and references. FactGrid, a database for historians

[Genesis_4:1-1] Genesis 4:1

[2] Genesis 4:2

[3] Genesis 4:25; 5:3

[4] Genesis 4:17

[5] Genesis 4:26; 5:6–7

[Genesis_4:18-6] Genesis 4:18

[7] Genesis 5:9–10

[8] Genesis 5:12–13

[9] Genesis 5:15–16

[Genesis_4:19-10] Genesis 4:19

[11] Genesis 5:18–19

[12] Genesis 4:20

[13] Genesis 4:21

[Genesis_4:22-14] Genesis 4:22

[15] Genesis 5:21–22

[16] Genesis 5:25–26

[17] Genesis 5:28–30

[Genesis_5:32-18] Genesis 5:32

[19] [1]
https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.11.11?lang=bi&aliyot=0

[20] [2]
Sarah was the half–sister of Abraham (Genesis 20:12). An alternative tradition holds that she was Abraham's niece (see Sarah#In rabbinic literature).

[Gen_11-21] [3]
Genesis 11:27–29

[22] [4]
Genesis 16:15

[23] [5]
Genesis 22:21–22: Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, and Jidlaph

[24] [6]
Matthew 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–38

[25] [7]
Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23

[26] [8]
Eusebius Pamphilius, Church history, Life of Constantine §VII.

[27] [9]
R. T. France, The Gospel According to Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Eerdmans, 1985) page 71-72.

[28] [10]
Eusebius Pamphilius, Ecclesiastical History Book 1, Chapter 7, 2nd paragraph, 2nd Sentence, pg. 21.

[29] [11]
Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan, The First Christmas (HarperCollins, 2009) page 95.

[30] [12]
Luke 3:23–38.

[31] [13]
1 Chronicles 1.

[32] [14]
Genesis 5.

[33] [15]
Ruth 4:18–22.

[34] [16]
Matthew 1:1–16.

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Genealogies in the Bible

Family tree of Adam

Table of Nations

Family tree of Abraham

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Genealogies in the Bible

Family tree of Adam

Table of Nations

Family tree of Abraham

Wikiwand in your browser!

Genesis

Genealogy of Jesus in the New Testament

Comparison of the genealogies

See also

References

External links