Christ Came Through Solomon and Bathsheba. How did David's Son Nathan Come in to It? Reconcile the Genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3?
1) Direct answer
There is no contradiction. Matthew gives the royal, legal line to Joseph through David’s son Solomon. Luke gives the natural, blood line to Mary through David’s son Nathan. Joseph is named in Luke “as was supposed” because he was the husband, the legal head; but the descent there runs through Mary, whose father was Heli. So Jesus has the legal right to David’s throne through Joseph (Solomon’s line) and the blood of David through Mary (Nathan’s line), all without being Joseph’s physical son.
2) Scriptural explanation
- Matthew’s record: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), traces from Abraham down to “Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus” (Matthew 1:16). Notice it never says Joseph begat Jesus. It’s the royal succession through Solomon (Matthew 1:6-7).
- Luke’s record: “Jesus… being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23), then traces back through Nathan, not Solomon (Luke 3:31). “As was supposed” marks that men thought Joseph was the father, but he was not.
- The virgin birth: “A virgin shall conceive” (Isaiah 7:14). “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee… that holy thing… shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). So Jesus is not Joseph’s seed.
- Yet He must be David’s seed: “Made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3). Mary is of David (Luke 1:27), and the Lord gives Him “the throne of His father David” (Luke 1:32).
- The Jeconiah barrier: God said of Coniah/Jeconiah, “no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David” (Jeremiah 22:30). Matthew’s legal line runs through Jeconiah (Matthew 1:11-12). If Jesus were Joseph’s physical son, He would be under that judgment. But He wasn’t Joseph’s seed; He was born of a virgin. Thus:
- Legal right comes by Joseph’s line through Solomon (Matthew).
- Blood descent comes by Mary’s line through Nathan (Luke), bypassing Jeconiah.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Two sons of David cannot both be Joseph’s fathers. So one record is Joseph’s legal line (Matthew), and the other is Mary’s natural line (Luke), with Joseph named as “son” of Heli by marriage (a son-in-law). That fits the wording “as was supposed.”
- Matthew is about the throne—kingship—so it follows Solomon. Luke is about true humanity all the way to Adam, so it follows Mary’s bloodline through Nathan.
- God guarded the promise perfectly: Jesus is truly David’s Son by Mary, yet not under Jeconiah’s curse; and He holds the legal title through Joseph.
4) Reinforcing statement
You see, the Bible fits like a glove. The virgin birth, Davidic promises, and the two branches—Solomon and Nathan—come together in Christ without a single break in the Scripture.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Trying to do God a service without it being His will
65-0718M §25
Notice, David got the revelation. And notice, it was not the prophet Nathanael that got the revelation; it was David the king that got the revelation. Neither was Nathanael consulted about them. He never asked Nathanael. But did you see here in I Chronicles? He consulted captains of thousands and captains of hundreds. He never consulted Nathanael. He consulted the people, and he consulted also the priests and the theologians of that day, the scribes and the theologians. David consulted first, said, "If this be of G...
My commission
51-0505 §18
came someone to Him one time. Nathanael went and got his brother. That's just where this Angel referred to. Or, Philip went and got Nathanael. And when he came, Jesus said, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile." He said, "Whence knowest Thou me, Rabbi?" He said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree." And watch his heart. Now, he could've backed off and said, "There's some kind of a trick to this." He would've never received the blessing that he did. But he said, "Thou art the C...
And then Jesus came
57-1213 §44
Jesus said, "Search the Scripture, for they are they that testify of Me." Search the Scriptures. And when Nathanael came and brought him, and He performed the miracle by telling him where he was before he came to the meeting, why, he recognized. He said, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God, the King of Israel." The Samaritan woman said, "We know ... I know that You're a prophet. You must be a prophet otherwise, but we know that when the Messiah cometh that's called Christ, He will tell us these things. But I don't know...
Questions and Answers, Part 3
64-0830M §85
You remember down in, I believe, down in ... where she come from, down in the land of Sheba where she came from, the people would come through, you know, and tell about great things that's going on, that they had a God up there that has anointed their king, and how the king was anointed of God. I don't believe she thought that Solomon's name---or God's name was Solomon, 'cause if she did, that would make her a pagan again. See? So, she could have did that. In her heart she could have thought that God was Solomon---...
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 4:E-95
God came down in a blood cell, not through a man, but by the Holy Ghost, and in that virgin womb a tabernacle for the purpose of death was built. The Seed of the woman came in order that He be bruised to bring us our salvation. When the Holy Ghost came upon Mary, He created within her womb the cell that would multiply and become the body of our Lord. That cell was created. It was the Beginning of the Creation of God. That is Who Jesus is. And that Holy One was filled with Holy blood, even the blood of God. That tab...