From Creation to Jesus

Timeline and genealogy from Adam to Jesus

The main figures in the line leading to the Messiah, with dates, places and their biblical significance.

Timeline from Adam to Jesus
Approximate date	Place	Figure	Genealogy / relationship	Biblical significance
c. 4000 BC	Eden	Adam	First man; husband of Eve	Beginning of humanity according to Genesis
c. 3900 BC	Eden / Mesopotamia	Seth	Son of Adam and Eve	Genealogical line leading to Noah
c. 3300 BC	Mesopotamia	Enoch	Descendant of Seth	Genesis says he “walked with God”
c. 3000 BC	Mesopotamia	Noah	Descendant of Seth	Builder of the ark; survivor of the Flood
c. 2500 BC	Mesopotamia	Shem	Son of Noah	Ancestor of the Semitic peoples and line leading to Abraham
c. 2200 BC	Mesopotamia	Abraham	Descendant of Shem	Patriarch of Israel; covenant with God
c. 2100 BC	Canaan	Isaac	Son of Abraham and Sarah	Heir of the Abrahamic covenant
c. 2000 BC	Canaan	Jacob (Israel)	Son of Isaac and Rebekah	Father of the 12 tribes of Israel
c. 1900 BC	Canaan / Egypt	Joseph	Son of Jacob	Ruler in Egypt; preserved Jacob’s family
c. 1500–1300 BC	Egypt / Canaan	Moses	Of the tribe of Levi	Exodus, Law and covenant with Israel
c. 1200 BC	Canaan	Joshua	Successor of Moses	Israel’s entry and settlement in Canaan
c. 1100–1000 BC	Israel	Samuel	Prophet and judge	Transition from the judges to the monarchy
c. 1040–970 BC	Bethlehem / Jerusalem	David	Descendant of Judah	King of Israel; messianic ancestor
c. 970–931 BC	Jerusalem	Solomon	Son of David	King; built the First Temple
c. 900–500 BC	Judah / Israel	Kings and prophets	Various royal lines	Development of the history of Israel and Judah
c. 600–500 BC	Babylon / Judah	Zerubbabel	Descendant of David	Took part in the return from exile and rebuilding of the Temple
1st century BC	Judea	Joseph	Husband of Mary; descendant of David according to Matthew	Legal father of Jesus
c. 4–1 BC	Bethlehem / Nazareth	Jesus of Nazareth	Son of Mary; genealogies in Matthew and Luke	Messiah and central figure of Christianity

Approximate dates. Before Abraham they follow the traditional chronology based on the genealogies in Genesis; scholars propose different dates, especially for the earliest periods.

Full genealogy: from Adam to Jesus

Following the genealogies of Genesis, Ruth, 1 Chronicles and Matthew, this is the line of generations leading from the first man to Jesus Christ.

1. From Adam to Noah — Genesis 5

From Adam to Noah
Generation	Figure	Father	Place / context	Significance
1	Adam	—	Eden	First man; origin of the human genealogy
2	Seth	Adam	Eden / Mesopotamia	Takes Abel’s place in the genealogical line
3	Enos	Seth	Mesopotamia	Descendant of Seth
4	Cainan	Enos	Mesopotamia	Descendant of Seth
5	Mahalaleel	Cainan	Mesopotamia	Descendant of Seth
6	Jared	Mahalaleel	Mesopotamia	Father of Enoch
7	Enoch	Jared	Mesopotamia	“Walked with God”; Genesis says God took him
8	Methuselah	Enoch	Mesopotamia	Traditionally considered the oldest person in the Bible: 969 years
9	Lamech	Methuselah	Mesopotamia	Father of Noah
10	Noah	Lamech	Mesopotamia	Survives the Flood with his family

Adam → Seth → Enos → Cainan → Mahalaleel → Jared → Enoch → Methuselah → Lamech → Noah

2. From Noah to Abraham — Genesis 10–11

After the Flood, Noah has three main sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. The genealogy leading to Abraham continues through Shem:

From Noah to Abraham
Generation	Figure	Father	Significance
11	Shem	Noah	Ancestor of the line leading to Abraham
12	Arphaxad	Shem	Continues the Semitic line
13	Salah	Arphaxad	Descendant of Shem
14	Eber	Salah	Ancestor of the Hebrews; the word “Hebrew” is traditionally linked to his name
15	Peleg	Eber	Genesis links his time with a “division” of the earth
16	Reu	Peleg	Descendant of Eber
17	Serug	Reu	Ancestor of Terah
18	Nahor	Serug	Grandfather of Abraham
19	Terah	Nahor	Father of Abraham
20	Abraham	Terah	Patriarch; recipient of the covenant

Noah → Shem → Arphaxad → Salah → Eber → Peleg → Reu → Serug → Nahor → Terah → Abraham

3. Abraham → Isaac → Jacob

Here begins the patriarchal line that leads directly to the people of Israel.

The patriarchs
Generation	Figure	Father	Mother / relationship	Significance
21	Abraham	Terah	Sarah	Father of the promised nation
22	Isaac	Abraham	Sarah	Son of the promise
23	Jacob / Israel	Isaac	Rebekah	Father of the 12 tribes of Israel

The 12 sons of Jacob

Jacob had 12 sons, who gave rise to the 12 tribes of Israel:

Reuben — Leah
Simeon — Leah
Levi — Leah
Judah — Leah
Dan — Bilhah
Naphtali — Bilhah
Gad — Zilpah
Asher — Zilpah
Issachar — Leah
Zebulun — Leah
Joseph — Rachel
Benjamin — Rachel

For the genealogy that later leads to David and Jesus, the key link is: Jacob → Judah.

4. Judah → David

Here the royal line of Judah appears, according to Ruth 4:18-22 and 1 Chronicles 2:

From Judah to David
Generation	Figure	Father	Significance
24	Judah	Jacob	Ancestor of the tribe of Judah
25	Pharez / Perez	Judah	Son of Judah and Tamar
26	Hezron	Pharez	Ancestor of the family of Judah
27	Ram	Hezron	Ancestor of David
28	Amminadab	Ram	Ancestor of the royal line
29	Nahshon	Amminadab	Prince of the tribe of Judah
30	Salmon	Nahshon	Husband of Rahab according to Matthew
31	Boaz	Salmon	Husband of Ruth
32	Obed	Boaz	Son of Boaz and Ruth
33	Jesse	Obed	Father of David
34	David	Jesse	King of Israel; central figure of the messianic genealogy

Jacob → Judah → Pharez → Hezron → Ram → Amminadab → Nahshon → Salmon → Boaz → Obed → Jesse → David

5. David → Solomon → kings of Judah → Jesus

This is essentially the genealogy presented in Matthew 1:6-16. After David: David → Solomon.

The kings of Judah in Matthew
Figure	Relationship	Significance
David	Father	King of Israel
Solomon	Son of David	King; builder of the First Temple
Rehoboam	Son of Solomon	King of Judah
Abijah	Son of Rehoboam	King of Judah
Asa	Son of Abijah	King of Judah
Jehoshaphat	Son of Asa	King of Judah
Jehoram	Son of Jehoshaphat	King of Judah
Uzziah	Descendant of Jehoram	King of Judah
Jotham	Son of Uzziah	King of Judah
Ahaz	Son of Jotham	King of Judah
Hezekiah	Son of Ahaz	King of Judah
Manasseh	Son of Hezekiah	King of Judah
Amon	Son of Manasseh	King of Judah
Josiah	Son of Amon	King of Judah
Jeconiah	Descendant of Josiah	King during the period of the exile

After Jeconiah, Matthew continues:

Jeconiah → Salathiel → Zerubbabel → Abiud → Eliakim → Azor → Zadok → Achim → Eliud → Eleazar → Matthan → Jacob → Joseph → Jesus

Important: Matthew presents Joseph as the husband of Mary, and says that Jesus was born of Mary. Matthew’s genealogy therefore establishes Joseph’s legal/paternal line; it does not claim that Joseph was Jesus’ biological father.

6. Luke’s genealogy: David → Nathan → Jesus

Luke presents a different line after David. In Luke 3:23-38 the sequence ascends from Jesus:

Jesus → Joseph → … → Nathan → David → Jesse → Obed → Boaz → Salmon → Nahshon → Amminadab → Ram → Hezron → Pharez → Judah → Jacob → Isaac → Abraham → … → Adam

The fundamental difference is:

Matthew

David → Solomon → line of the kings of Judah → Joseph → Jesus

Luke

David → Nathan → another line of descent → Joseph → Jesus

This has produced different historical interpretations of how to relate the two genealogies. The biblical text does not give an explicit explanation for each difference. The names in Nathan’s line can be read in the full text of Luke 3:23-38 below.

7. Summary genealogy: Adam → Jesus

A continuous chain to memorise, from the first man to David:

Adam
Seth
Enos
Cainan
Mahalaleel
Jared
Enoch
Methuselah
Lamech
Noah
Shem
Arphaxad
Salah
Eber
Peleg
Reu
Serug
Nahor
Terah
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob / Israel
Judah
Pharez
Hezron
Ram
Amminadab
Nahshon
Salmon
Boaz
Obed
Jesse
David

From David there are two important genealogical lines:

Matthew’s line

David → Solomon → Rehoboam → Abijah → Asa → Jehoshaphat → Jehoram → Uzziah → Jotham → Ahaz → Hezekiah → Manasseh → Amon → Josiah → Jeconiah → Salathiel → Zerubbabel → Abiud → Eliakim → Azor → Zadok → Achim → Eliud → Eleazar → Matthan → Jacob → Joseph → Jesus

Luke’s line

David → Nathan → … → Joseph → Jesus

The fundamental family structure

Adam

Seth

Enos

Cainan

Mahalaleel

Jared

Enoch

Methuselah

Lamech

Noah

Shem

Eber

…

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

Judah

Pharez

…

Jesse

David

Solomon

…

Matthew 1

Nathan

…

Luke 3

Joseph

husband of

Mary

JESUS

Both lines reach Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born (Matthew 1:16).

Main biblical sources for building the whole genealogy

Main biblical sources for building the whole genealogy
Section	Passage
Adam → Noah	Genesis 5:1-32
Descendants of Noah	Genesis 10:1-32
Shem → Abraham	Genesis 11:10-32
Abraham → Isaac	Genesis 21:1-7
Isaac → Jacob	Genesis 25:19-26
Jacob → his sons	Genesis 29–30; 35:16-26
Judah → Pharez	Genesis 38:27-30
Pharez → David	Ruth 4:18-22
Additional genealogies	1 Chronicles 1–3
David → kings → Jesus	Matthew 1:1-17
Adam → Abraham → David → Jesus	Luke 3:23-38
Birth of Jesus	Matthew 1–2; Luke 1–2

The two main genealogies of Jesus

The Bible presents two different genealogies of Jesus:

Matthew 1:1–17

Abraham → Isaac → Jacob → Judah → … → David → Solomon → … → Joseph → Jesus

It descends from Abraham and arranges the list in three groups of fourteen generations: from Abraham to David, from David to the exile in Babylon, and from the exile to Christ (Matthew 1:17). It presents Jesus as heir of the covenant with Abraham and of David’s throne.

Read Matthew 1:1-17 in full

¹ The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. ² Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; ³ And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; ⁴ And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; ⁵ And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; ⁶ And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; ⁷ And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; ⁸ And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; ⁹ And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; ¹⁰ And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; ¹¹ And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: ¹² And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; ¹³ And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; ¹⁴ And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; ¹⁵ And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; ¹⁶ And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. ¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Luke 3:23–38

Jesus → Joseph → … → David → Nathan → … → Abraham → … → Adam

It ascends from Jesus to Adam, “which was the son of God” (Luke 3:38). By reaching back to the first man, it presents Jesus as Saviour of all humanity, not of Israel alone.

Read Luke 3:23-38 in full

²³ And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, ²⁴ Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, ²⁵ Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, ²⁶ Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, ²⁷ Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, ²⁸ Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, ²⁹ Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, ³⁰ Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, ³¹ 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, ³² Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, ³³ Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, ³⁴ Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, ³⁵ Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, ³⁶ Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, ³⁷ Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, ³⁸ Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

Solomon and Nathan: two sons of David

The difference between Solomon and Nathan, both sons of David, is one of the main points of study in biblical genealogy. The two lists agree from Abraham to David, part after David and meet briefly again at Shealtiel (Salathiel) and Zerubbabel, before reaching Joseph. Since the early Church several explanations have been proposed:

Legal line and natural line. Matthew would present Joseph’s royal and legal line, heir to the throne through Solomon, while Luke would show natural descent. Julius Africanus, in the third century, explained the difference through levirate marriage, by which a man could have a legal father and a biological one (Deuteronomy 25:5-6).

Mary’s line. Other interpreters propose that Luke follows Mary’s ancestry, with Heli as her father and therefore Joseph’s father-in-law. Jesus would then be son of David both legally, through Joseph, and by blood, through Mary.

Jeconiah. Some link Nathan’s line to the prophecy of Jeremiah 22:30 about Jeconiah, a descendant of Solomon who appears in Matthew’s list, of whom it was said that none of his seed would prosper sitting upon the throne of David.

Beyond these explanations, both gospels agree on the essential point: Jesus is the promised descendant of Abraham and David, and the Saviour announced from Genesis 3:15.