What was Mary’s lineage? | GotQuestions.org

In today's video I'll answer your question, what was Mary's lineage? Then afterward, as always,

I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end. It is common knowledge that the genealogies contained in Matthew and Luke differ.

Most conservative Bible commentators explain the difference by holding that Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1, verses 1 -16 is traced through Joseph's line to show

Jesus' royal right to the Davidic throne. Correspondingly, the genealogy in Luke 3, verses 23 -38 traces

Jesus' ancestry through Mary's line. This means that Mary's lineage is recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

Mary's lineage as recorded by Luke does not mention Mary, but that's to be expected, including women's names and genealogies, was in standard practice.

It begins this way, Jesus was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph the son of Heli, Luke 3, verse 23.

This comment affirms the truth of Jesus' virgin birth, see Luke 1, verses 29 -38.

Joseph was a son of Heli by virtue of his marriage to Mary, who would have been the daughter of Heli.

Matthew 1, verse 16 lists Joseph's biological father as Jacob. Some notable points in Mary's lineage are that she was a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Luke 3, verse 34.

She was specifically of the tribe of Judah, verse 33. She was also a descendant of Boaz, verse 32, and David, verse 31.

Significantly, Luke traces Mary's lineage all the way back to Adam, verse 38. This fits with Luke's purpose as he wrote to Gentiles and emphasized that Jesus is the

Son of God who came to save all people, see Luke 2, verses 10 and 11. Another issue relating to Mary's lineage is her relation to Elizabeth, the mother of John the

Baptist. Luke says that Mary was related to Elizabeth, who was in the tribe of Levi, Luke 1, verses 5 and 36.

An argument sometimes put forward by those who deny the credentials of Christ is that if Mary was

Elizabeth's cousin, then Mary must have also been a Levite. Some translations, such as the

KJV, do state that Mary was the cousin of Elizabeth. However, the

English word cousin does not have to imply a close relation, and other versions of the

Bible translate the word as relative. Even if Elizabeth and Mary were close relatives, it was still possible for them to be of different tribes, as women were identified with their father's tribe, not their mother's.

Elizabeth's father was a Levite, making her a Levite by birth, but her mother may have been of Judah.

Conversely, Mary's mother may have been a Levite and kin to Elizabeth's family, while Mary's father was of Judah.

Luke's genealogy shows that Heli, whom we assume to be Mary's father, was a direct descendant of Judah, not

Levi. In addition, the angel Gabriel affirmed Jesus' Judean lineage, telling Mary that He will be very great and will be called the

Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor, David.

Luke 1, verse 32, David was of the tribe of Judah. Regardless of Mary's specific lineage, that Jesus is a direct descendant of David and Judah is beyond doubt.

Other Bible verses, such as Hebrews 7, verse 14, and Revelation 5, verse 5, also point to the fact of Judah being the tribe of Jesus' heritage as the rightful

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