This Bible family tree follows one line from Adam to Jesus, generation by generation. Tap a part of the tree to see only that part, or search for a name. Each person has a Bible reference, and where the Bible names brothers, sisters or a mother, they are shown too. From David on, you can follow the family tree of Jesus in Matthew’s list or in Luke’s.
From Adam to Noah
Genesis 5; Luke 3:36–38
- Adam with Eve
The first man and woman, made in the image of God. (Genesis 1–5)
Brothers and sisters: Cain, Abel
- Seth
Born after the death of Abel. (Genesis 4:25)
- Enosh
(Genesis 5:6)
- Kenan
(Genesis 5:9)
- Mahalalel
(Genesis 5:12)
- Jared
(Genesis 5:15)
- Enoch
He walked with God, and God took him. (Genesis 5:24)
- Methuselah
The longest life in the Bible: 969 years. (Genesis 5:27)
- Lamech
(Genesis 5:28)
- Noah
He builds the ark, and God makes a covenant with him. (Genesis 6–9)
From Noah to Abraham
Genesis 11; Luke 3:34–36
- Shem
The eldest son of Noah. (Genesis 10–11)
Brothers and sisters: Ham, Japheth
- Arpachshad
(Genesis 11:10)
- Shelah
Luke has one more name before him, Cainan, from the Greek Old Testament. (Genesis 11:12; Luke 3:36)
- Eber
His name stands behind the word "Hebrew". (Genesis 11:14)
- Peleg
(Genesis 11:16)
- Reu
(Genesis 11:18)
- Serug
(Genesis 11:20)
- Nahor
(Genesis 11:22)
- Terah
He leaves Ur for Haran with his family. (Genesis 11:24–32)
- Abraham with Sarah
God's covenant begins with him: he is the father of all who believe. (Genesis 12–25)
Brothers and sisters: Nahor, Haran (the father of Lot)
From Abraham to David
Matthew 1:2–6; Ruth 4:18–22
- Isaac with Rebekah
The son of the promise. (Genesis 21)
Brothers and sisters: Ishmael (the son of Hagar)
- Jacob, called Israel with Leah and Rachel
The father of the twelve tribes of Israel. (Genesis 25–35)
Brothers and sisters: Esau, his twin
- Judah with Tamar
The tribe of the kings. Moses, Aaron and Miriam descend from his brother Levi. (Genesis 49:10; Exodus 6:16–20)
Brothers and sisters: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph, Benjamin, and their sister Dinah
- Perez
The son of Judah and Tamar. (Genesis 38)
Brothers and sisters: Zerah, his twin
- Hezron
(Ruth 4:18)
- Ram
Luke has the names Arni and Admin here. (Ruth 4:19; Luke 3:33)
- Amminadab
(Ruth 4:19)
- Nahshon
Leader of the tribe of Judah in the desert. (Numbers 1:7)
- Salmon with Rahab
Matthew names Rahab as the mother of Boaz. (Matthew 1:5)
- Boaz with Ruth
He marries Ruth, the woman of Moab. (Ruth 4)
- Obed
(Ruth 4:17)
- Jesse
Of Bethlehem, father of eight sons. (1 Samuel 16)
- David with Bathsheba
Shepherd, king and psalmist. God promises him a throne that will last for ever. (2 Samuel 7)
Brothers and sisters: Seven older brothers
From David to Jesus in Matthew
Matthew 1:6–16, the line of the kings
- Solomon
Son of David and of her "who had been the wife of Uriah"; he builds the Temple. (1 Kings 1–8)
- Rehoboam
In his reign the kingdom divides. (1 Kings 12)
- Abijah
(1 Kings 15)
- Asa
(1 Kings 15)
- Jehoshaphat
(1 Kings 22)
- Joram
Matthew passes over the next three kings, Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah. (2 Kings 8)
- Uzziah
(2 Kings 15)
- Jotham
(2 Kings 15)
- Ahaz
Isaiah gives him the sign of Emmanuel. (Isaiah 7)
- Hezekiah
A faithful king in the days of Isaiah. (2 Kings 18–20)
- Manasseh
(2 Kings 21)
- Amon
(2 Kings 21)
- Josiah
He renews the covenant. (2 Kings 22–23)
- Jechoniah
He is taken to Babylon. (2 Kings 24)
- Shealtiel
(1 Chronicles 3:17)
- Zerubbabel
He leads the exiles home and rebuilds the Temple. (Ezra 3; Haggai 2)
- Abiud
(Matthew 1:13)
- Eliakim
(Matthew 1:13)
- Azor
(Matthew 1:13)
- Zadok
(Matthew 1:14)
- Achim
(Matthew 1:14)
- Eliud
(Matthew 1:14)
- Eleazar
(Matthew 1:15)
- Matthan
(Matthew 1:15)
- Jacob
(Matthew 1:15)
- Joseph with Mary
The husband of Mary; "of her was born Jesus, who is called the Christ". (Matthew 1:16)
- Jesus
The Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary: Son of David and Son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)
From David to Jesus in Luke
Luke 3:23–31, the line through Nathan
- Nathan
Another son of David and Bathsheba. (1 Chronicles 3:5)
- Mattatha
- Menna
- Melea
- Eliakim
- Jonam
- Joseph
- Judah
- Simeon
- Levi
- Matthat
- Jorim
- Eliezer
- Joshua
- Er
- Elmadam
- Cosam
- Addi
- Melchi
- Neri
- Shealtiel
- Zerubbabel
The two lists meet here for a moment.
- Rhesa
- Joanan
- Joda
- Josech
- Semein
- Mattathias
- Maath
- Naggai
- Esli
- Nahum
- Amos
- Mattathias
- Joseph
- Jannai
- Melchi
- Levi
- Matthat
- Heli
- Joseph with Mary
Jesus was, "as was supposed", the son of Joseph. (Luke 3:23)
- Jesus
Luke traces the line back to Adam, "the son of God". (Luke 3:38)
How to read the family tree
- The tree has five parts: Adam to Noah, Noah to Abraham, Abraham to David, and then two ways from David to Jesus.
- Each line is one generation, father to son. “With” names the wife or the mother where the Bible gives her.
- Brothers and sisters are listed under the person who carries the line on, so you can see where Cain and Abel, Ishmael, Esau and the twelve sons of Jacob belong.
- “Son of” can skip generations. In the Bible “son” also means descendant; Matthew, for example, leaves out three kings.
Why are there two family trees of Jesus?
Matthew and Luke give the same line from Abraham to David. After David they differ: Matthew goes through King Solomon, Luke through another son of David, Nathan. Both end with Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Christians have explained this in two main ways since the first centuries:
- Matthew gives the line of Joseph, Luke the line of Mary. On this reading Heli, whom Luke names before Joseph, was Mary’s father and Joseph’s father-in-law.
- Both give the line of Joseph, one by blood and one by law. An early Christian writer, Julius Africanus, explained that Joseph’s mother was widowed and married again in the same family, so that Joseph had one father by birth and another by law.
The Church has not decided between them. What both evangelists teach is clear: Jesus is the promised Son of David (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32), and through Joseph, his father before the law, he belongs to David’s house.
Matthew arranges his list in three groups of fourteen generations, from Abraham to David, from David to the exile, and from the exile to Christ (Matthew 1:17). Luke goes further back, to Adam, to show that Jesus came for the whole human family.
The women in the family tree of Jesus
Jewish family lists rarely name women. Matthew names five: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba), and Mary. Rahab and Ruth were foreigners, and all four came into the line in surprising ways. They prepare the reader for the greatest surprise, a virgin who bears the Son of God.
The twelve sons of Jacob
The twelve tribes of Israel come from the sons of Jacob, born of four mothers (Genesis 35:23–26):
| Mother | Sons |
|---|---|
| Leah | Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun (and a daughter, Dinah) |
| Rachel | Joseph, Benjamin |
| Bilhah | Dan, Naphtali |
| Zilpah | Gad, Asher |
The kings, and Jesus himself, come from Judah. The priests come from Levi: Levi’s son Kohath was the father of Amram, and Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Miriam, Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:16–20).
Frequently asked questions
How many generations are there from Adam to Jesus?
Luke’s list has 77 names, counting Jesus at one end and God at the other.
How many generations are there from Abraham to Jesus?
Matthew counts three groups of fourteen, forty-two in all. Luke has fifty-six names over the same stretch, because he follows a different line after David.
Was Mary also descended from David?
The New Testament calls Jesus a descendant of David “according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3), and Christian tradition from the second century on has held that Mary too was of David’s family.
Who was Jesse?
The father of King David, from Bethlehem. Isaiah foretold a shoot from “the stump of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1), which is why the Advent custom of the Jesse Tree carries his name.
Why does Matthew leave out some kings?
To keep his three groups of fourteen. Between Joram and Uzziah he passes over Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah. Ancient family lists often did this.