Luke 3:23-38·~1 min

The Genealogy of Jesus

Jesus begins his ministry at about thirty years old, marking the start of his public work before the genealogy begins.

J²³esus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry.

The genealogy runs through Matthat, Levi, and Melchi, carrying the line backward in ordered sequence as the names continue there.

²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, ²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, ²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, ²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, ²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,

The line continues through Joshua, Simeon, Jesse, Boaz, and Abraham, bringing the descent into Israel’s remembered fathers in full view.

²⁹the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, ³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, ³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, ³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,

The list moves still farther back through Serug, Shem, Enoch, and Seth until it reaches Adam, closing the descent at humanity’s beginning.

³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, ³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, ³⁸the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam,

Section summaryLuke traces Jesus’ ancestry from his public beginning back through the generations named in reverse order. The line moves through David, Abraham, and the early fathers until it reaches Adam, marking his place in the full human family.

Role in the chapterThis final movement places Jesus within the whole named line of descent and leaves the chapter with his relation to Israel and humanity in view, from his ministry back to Adam.