● A careful comparison of Matthew 1:1-16 with Luke 3:23-38 shows that Matthew gave the lineage of Jesus Christ through Solomon, whereas Luke gave it through Nathan, another son of David. Why, then, do both genealogies list Shealtiel and Zerubbabel?—M. K., Alaska.

It was evidently through a marriage that the family line leading to Jesus from King David through his son Nathan merged with the line through Solomon after many generations.

First Chronicles 3:16-18 shows that Shealtiel was the fleshly son of Jeconiah (King Jehoiachin). With this Matthew agrees, in stating: “After the deportation to Babylon Jeconiah became father to Shealtiel.” (Matt. 1:12) However, Luke did not err in indicating that Shealtiel was “the son of Neri.” (Luke 3:27) Apparently this was true, because Neri gave his daughter to Shealtiel in marriage. Since it was not uncommon for the Hebrews to refer to a son-in-law as a son, and especially so in genealogical listings, Luke could properly refer to Shealtiel as the son of Neri, just as he had already referred to Joseph as the son of Heli, who was actually the father of Joseph’s wife, Mary.—Luke 3:23.

Hence, it was through such a marital union that the family line of David through Nathan merged with the line through Solomon. This would also account for the fact that both Matthew and Luke mention Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel. Eventually, through different descendants of Zerubbabel, the two family lines again took separate courses in leading to Jesus Christ.

With good reason, then, the book “Things in Which It Is Impossible for God to Lie” states on page 71: “Most of the Jews surviving the fall and destruction of Jerusalem were carried into exile into Babylon. Among the captive Jews there during the next seventy years was one named Neri, who had descended from King David through his son Nathan. This family line now became interrelated with Solomon’s family through Shealtiel and his son Zerubbabel.” The interrelating of these lines of descent is also shown on pages 112 and 113 of this publication.

For additional information on the genealogies of Jesus Christ as presented by Matthew and Luke, please see The Watchtower of March 1, 1962, pages 158 and 159.

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