Why do Matthew and Luke give different genealogies of Christ?

Difficult Passages · Who, Where, and Which

Why do Matthew and Luke give different genealogies of Christ?

Matthew gives Joseph’s line, the legal right to David’s throne; Luke gives Mary’s, Christ’s descent by blood.

The Passages

Matthew 1:1-16

1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; 7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; Read all of Matthew 1:1-16

Luke 3:23-38

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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, Read all of Luke 3:23-38

The Difficulty

Matthew traces Jesus from Abraham through David and Solomon to “Jacob [who] begat Joseph the husband of Mary” (Matthew 1:16). Luke traces Him back to Adam through Nathan, another son of David, and calls Joseph “the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23). Between David and Joseph the names hardly meet. Who was Joseph’s father, Jacob or Heli?

The Answer

Matthew gives Joseph’s descent. Luke gives Mary’s, under her husband’s name, since genealogies were reckoned by fathers; Heli was Mary’s father, and Joseph was his son by marriage. Joseph was Jacob’s son by birth and Heli’s by law.

The words support this. Matthew’s line runs “begat … begat” to Joseph, then turns: “Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus” (the Greek “whom” is feminine, Mary). Luke says Jesus was “(as was supposed) the son of Joseph,” and the words “the son” before Heli are in italics in the KJV: the Greek says only “of Heli,” and so through the list. Jewish tradition, hostile as it is, names Mary “the daughter of Heli” (Gill and Haley, after Lightfoot).

And the two lines together show how Christ is the Son of David both ways. Matthew’s line runs through Jeconiah, of whom God said “no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David” (Jeremiah 22:30); Jesus, not Joseph’s son by birth, inherits through Joseph the legal right to the throne without the curse. Luke’s line, through Nathan, is His own flesh, “made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3).

Sources

John W. Haley, An Examination of the Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible (1874), p. 326

Mary, since she had no brothers, was an heiress; therefore her husband, according to Jewish law, was reckoned among her father’s family, as his son. So that Joseph was the actual son of Jacob, and the legal son of Heli. In a word, Matthew sets forth Jesus’ right to the theocratic crown; Luke, his natural pedigree.

Checked against: Internet Archive scan of the 1874 edition, 2026-10-19
John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament, vol. 1 (1746–48), p. 488, on Luke 3:23

Joseph was the son of Eli, having married his daughter; for Mary was the daughter of Eli … this we gain by it, that by their own confession, Mary is the daughter of Eli; which accords with this genealogy of the evangelist, who traces it from Mary, under her husband Joseph.

Checked against: Internet Archive scan of the first edition, 2026-10-23