LUKE 3:23-30 Genealogy of Jesus: What's in a Name?

LUKE 3:23-30

Genealogy of Jesus:

What's in a Name?

Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Susie: Luke traced the lineage of Jesus through Mary. Wait, what? Yes, this lineage is through Mary according to this note from the Macarthur Study Bible:

Luke’s genealogy moves backward, from Jesus to Adam; Matthew’s moves forward, from Abraham to Joseph. Luke’s entire section from Joseph to David differs starkly from that given by Matthew. The two genealogies are easily reconciled if Luke’s is seen as Mary’s genealogy, and Matthew’s version represents Joseph’s. Thus the royal line is passed through Jesus’ legal father, and His physical descent from David is established by Mary’s lineage. Luke, unlike Matthew (see note on Matt. 1:3), includes no women in his genealogy—even Mary herself. Joseph was “the son of Heli” by marriage (Heli having no sons of his own), and thus is named here in v. 23 as the representative of Mary’s generation.

Susie: Many of these men are mentioned only here in the Bible. Therefore, not much is known about them. We will share brief information on those who are mentioned elsewhere and give cross references for those of you who want to explore further. The main purpose of the genealogies found in both Matthew and Luke was to link Jesus to the kingly line of David and to Abraham the father of the nation of Israel. However, Luke goes beyond that to trace Jesus’s earthly lineage all the way back to Adam, the first man, thus showing Jesus is the “Seed” promised to Eve (Genesis 3:15).

Susan: We will give you the meaning of each man’s name because names are significant. Notice how many of these names point to the coming King, the Messiah. Heli means “ascending, climbing up” and is a derivative of the name Eli. He was actually the father of Mary and the father-in-law of Joseph.

Luke 3:24 Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,

Susie: Matthat, the grandfather of Mary, is mentioned only here and in Matthew’s genealogy.

Susan: Matthat means “a gift.”

Susie: We know nothing else about this Levi except that even though he was of the tribe of Judah, he was named after the father of the Levites who served as priests in the temple.

Susan: Levi means “joined or an adhesion”. Melchi means “Jehovah is my King,” and that is about all that is know about this ancestor of Jesus. Perhaps he was named after an earlier Melchi in the lineage. Janna or Jannai means “He will answer.” Joseph means “may God add or increaser.” Surely, this Joseph was named for other Josephs in the family and ultimately for the Old Testament Joseph who increased the storehouses of Egypt and saved his family from starvation.

Luke 3:25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,

Susan: Mattathias means “gift of Jehovah,” and this is all we know about him other than there was another ancestor of Joseph five generations before him with the same name. Amos means “burden bearer or one with a burden.” He was possibly named after an Amos from a previous generation who was a herdsman called by God to be a prophet (Amos 7:14-15). Naum (Nahum) means “compassionate, comforter, or full of comfort”.

Susie: Nahum who was an ancestor of Mary may have been named after the prophet who preached the complete doom of Nineveh when they went back to their evil ways after repenting due to the message of Jonah. Ironic that the name involved compassion and comfort, isn’t it?

Susan: Esli means “God at my side or Jehovah hath reserved.” He probably lived after the captivity. Nagge (Naggai) means “splendor of the sun.”

Luke 3:26 Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,

Susan: Maath means “wiping away”.

Susie: Maath lived after the time of Zerubbabel who was governor of Judah during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah the wall-builder.

Susan: Then there is another Mattathias whose name means “gift of Jehovah.” Semei means “hear or obey” and may be the same person as Shemei. Joseph, a.k.a Josech in some translation was one of several Joseph’s in the family line of Mary, Jesus’s mother. The name means “may God add or increaser.”  Juda whose name could be translated Joda which means “haste,” and he lived at the time of the exile.

Luke 3:27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,

Susan: Joanna, also spelled Joanan means “Jehovah hath been gracious.” Rhesa means “will or course”. Zorobabel or Zerubbabel means “an offspring of babel or begotten in Babylon.”

Susie: Zerubbabel is the first person in the genealogy of Mary for whom we have more information. As his name implies, he was born during the Babylonian captivity. He led a group of captives back to Israel and was instrumental in rebuilding the temple (Zechariah 4:1-14) which is sometimes referred to “Zerubbabel’s temple.” He was in the kingly line of David and served as a governor under Persian rule. You can read more about him in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Susan: Salathiel which is also rendered Shealtiel means “Ii have asked of god.” He was the father of Zerubbabel who led the captives back from Babylon. Neri means “light of the Lord.”

Luke 3:28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,

Susan: Here is another Melchi which means “Jehovah is my king.” There is no other mention of him in the Bible. Addi means “my witness or adorned.” Cosam means “most abundant.” Elmodam or Elmadam means “the God of measure.” Er means “awake or on the watch,” and all we know for sure is that he lived between the time of King David and Governor Zerubbabel.

Luke 3:29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi,

Susan: Jose means “aid.” Eliezer means “God is my help.”

Susie: There are several Eliezers in the Bible, but nothing more is known about this particular one.

Susan: Jorim means “he that exalts the Lord.” Matthat, sometimes rendered Matthan, means “a gift.” Levi means “joined or adhesion.”

Susie: This Levi is in the line of King David which means he is descended from Judah. Therefore, even though he bears the name Levi he was not a “Levite” or priest.

Luke 3:30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,

Susan: Simeon (Symeon) means “hearing, hears and obeys or hearing with acceptance.”

Susie: This Simeon who lived generations before the birth of Jesus bears the same name as the man who was granted the privilege of holding the baby Jesus in order to die in peace, knowing the Messiah had arrived.

Susan: Juda (Judah) means “praise”. His father was yet another Joseph, “May God add or increaser.” The Joseph who saved the nation from starvation, the grandson of Isaac, was a well-respected leader. Therefore, it makes sense that this would be a popular Hebrew name. Jonan or Jonam means “God hath been gracious.” Eliakim means “God is setting up or doth establish.”

Susie: Our next lesson will cover some of the more well-known men in the genealogy of Jesus.

Ponder This: Look back over the meanings of the names listed in Jesus’s lineage. Do you see a foreshadowing of their descendant, the Anointed One, the Messiah?