Interactive genealogy study
Profiles, branch comparisons, textual differences, interpretation notes, relationships, eras and places—built for deeper Bible study.
Person profiles
Select a person to see their household and supporting passages.
Selected profile
King of Israel and the pivotal ancestor named in both Gospel genealogies.
The division after David
Matthew follows Solomon’s royal succession. Luke follows Nathan and a different sequence.
Evidence guide
Open each topic for the text behind a major difference.
Matthew begins with Abraham and moves forward to Jesus. Luke begins with Jesus and moves backward through Abraham and Adam to God.
Matthew continues through Solomon; Luke continues through Nathan. Both Solomon and Nathan are named among David’s sons.
Matthew passes directly from Jehoram to Uzziah, while the Hebrew royal record includes Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah between them. Ancient genealogies could be selective rather than exhaustive.
Luke includes a Cainan between Arphaxad and Shelah. That name is absent at this point in the Masoretic Hebrew text of Genesis 11, though it appears in the Greek Septuagint tradition.
The supplied comparison follows a textual form with Arni and Admin. The WEB main text reads Aram and notes Admin and Arni as a manuscript variant, illustrating why translations may display different names.
Matthew calls Joseph the son of Jacob. Luke describes Jesus as supposedly Joseph’s son and then names Heli. The text itself does not explain the difference.
Both Gospels share these two post-exile names but place different ancestors and descendants around them. Chronicles also preserves a complex parentage record for Zerubbabel.
Interpretation selector
Matthew moves through David’s son Solomon and Judah’s kings. Luke moves through David’s son Nathan. Both identify Joseph in relation to Jesus, but they give different names for Joseph’s father.
Relationship finder
This tool measures positions in the selected Gospel genealogy; it is not an estimate of years.
Biblical timeline
Dates before the monarchy are especially debated, so the page emphasizes periods and biblical books.
Places in the story
Terah’s household departed Ur of the Chaldees.
Genesis 11:28–31 ↗God called Abram toward the land of promise.
Genesis 12:1–7 ↗The setting of Ruth and Boaz, David’s home and Jesus’ birthplace.
Ruth 1:19; 1 Samuel 16:1; Matthew 2:1 ↗David established his royal city; Judah’s kings ruled there.
2 Samuel 5:6–10 ↗Jeconiah and Judah’s elite were taken into exile.
2 Kings 24:10–16 ↗Mary received Gabriel’s announcement there; Jesus was later known as a Nazarene.
Luke 1:26–27; Matthew 2:23 ↗Teaching mode