Chapter
Verse

Luke 3:31

ESV the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
NIV the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
NASB the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
CSB son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David,
NLT Eliakim was the son of Melea. Melea was the son of Menna. Menna was the son of Mattatha. Mattatha was the son of Nathan. Nathan was the son of David.
KJV Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,
NKJV the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

What does Luke 3:31 mean?

Other than Zerubbabel (Luke 3:27), the recognizable names in Luke's genealogy are mostly repetitions of earlier, more famous figures. The men called Levi, Joseph, Judah, and so forth are named after those celebrated persons. The other names are almost totally obscure, with no information at all given other than their inclusion in this genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:23).

Here, Luke's record of Jesus' earthly lineage reaches a critical point. The line of fathers and sons reaches back to Nathan, a son of David (2 Samuel 5:14). This establishes that Jesus is part of the line of David, from which Messiah was promised to come (2 Samuel 7:12–16).

This also marks a change in the visibility of the people mentioned for the rest of the genealogy. While the men mentioned thus far are mostly unknown, many of the names seen in the rest of the list (Luke 3:32–38) are well-established in Old Testament stories.
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