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 God's will
65-1127B §71
Remember, but him being king, and got the revelation, he overstepped his place. There was a prophet in the land by the name of Nathan, he was the one that was ordained to get the revelation. There's anything to be spoke, he said, "The Lord doeth nothing, until he reveals it to his servants the prophet." But you see, David being king, with the anointing upon him... Now, is that the Scripture? Anointing upon him, and got a true revelation, but it was wrong. Because Nathan was the prophet of that age, and the revelati...
The Queen of Sheba
58-0313 §48
He said He did not heal people. How many knows that? "It's not Me that doeth the works, it's My Father that dwelleth in Me. And the Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing." That's the reason when He went and got Nathanael and brought Him to Him, the Jew... When Philip went and got him, he said ... found him under a tree, and he said, "Come, see who we found: Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph." He said, "Could any good thing come out of Nazareth?" He said, "Come, see." Maybe that's what...
Who is this Melchisedec?
65-0221E §56
There was a man standing there, by the name of Philip. Oh, he got real excited! He knowed another man, he'd been studying the Bible with. Away he went, around the hill, and he found him out there in his olive grove. He was kneeling down, praying. They'd had lots of Bible lessons together, so he come out there. And he said, after he'd got through praying, he said, "Come, see who we've found; Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. He's the Messiah we're looking for." Now I can hear Nathanael say, "Now, Philip, you ain...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
58-0515 §29
And Nathanael had the same idea, said, "Now just a minute, if there's anything good could come out of Nazareth, it wouldn't be the Son of God; He'd come to the high priest." And I think Philip give him the best answer that anybody could give him; he said, "Come and see." Now that's sensible, logical, correctly: "Come and see for yourself; don't stay home. Come out and find out for yourself. Come and see." And I tell you what ... [Gap in the audio.] and besides that, He told him who his daddy was and what his name w...
Life Story
54-0314 §53
A fellow by the name of Philip got converted (Luke the first chapter). And he goes and finds Nathanael: A very good sign of conversion, (Isn't it?) when he goes and hunts somebody to get him saved too. So He finds Nathanael under a tree. And he said, "Come, see who I found: Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph." He said, "Could any good thing come out of Nazareth?" A very pious, religious man. He said, "Come, see." So, let's say that Jesus was standing in the prayer line, praying for the sick. And up come Nathanael...