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Summary
- Jesus was from the tribe of Judah: Hebrews 7:14 says “it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda”, and Juda is simply the King James spelling of Judah.
- Matthew 1 traces his line from Abraham through Judah, David and Solomon down to Joseph, and Luke 3 runs from Jesus back up to Adam through Nathan, David and Judah.
- Jacob’s blessing gave Judah the sceptre (Genesis 49:10), and God chose David out of Judah and promised his throne to David’s descendants (Psalm 78:68–70; 2 Samuel 7:12–13).
- Joseph was “of the house and lineage of David” (Luke 2:4), and through him Jesus was counted in David’s family, even though Joseph was not his natural father.
- Scripture does not name Mary’s tribe, but Christian writers from very early on, Ignatius of Antioch and Augustine among them, held that she too came from David; her relative Elizabeth was “of the daughters of Aaron” (Luke 1:5), of the tribe of Levi, yet Hebrews counts Jesus in “another tribe” and makes him a priest “after the order of Melchisedec”.
- Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea and grew up in Nazareth of Galilee, and the very word “Jew” goes back to Judah’s name, which his mother Leah gave him as a word of praise.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- The Holy Bible, King James Version: Genesis 29:32–35; 35:22; 49:1, 49:9–10, 49:33; Exodus 4:14; 6:23; Numbers 1:18; 2:3; 36:6–8; 2 Samuel 7:12–16; 1 Chronicles 5:1–2; Psalm 78:67–70; 110:4; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:1–6, 1:16; 2:1, 2:21–23; 21:9; Luke 1:5, 1:26–27, 1:32, 1:36; 2:4; 3:23, 3:31–33; John 4:9; 7:41–42; Acts 2:30; Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 7:13–17; Revelation 5:5, via BibleGateway.
- New American Bible, Revised Edition, Matthew 1 with notes, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, bible.usccb.org.
- Strong’s Greek 4773, συγγενής, with Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Bible Hub.
- Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Ephesians 18, translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1, New Advent.
- “St. Ignatius of Antioch”, The Catholic Encyclopedia vol. 7 (New York: Robert Appleton, 1910), New Advent.
- The Protoevangelium of James 1 and 10, translated by Alexander Walker, Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 8, New Advent.
- Eusebius, Church History 1.7, with the letter of Julius Africanus, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series vol. 1, New Advent.
- Augustine of Hippo, The Harmony of the Gospels 2.2, translated by S. D. F. Salmond, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series vol. 6, New Advent.
- John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.14, translated by E. W. Watson and L. Pullan, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series vol. 9, New Advent.
- Anthony Maas, “The Blessed Virgin Mary”, The Catholic Encyclopedia vol. 15 (New York: Robert Appleton, 1912), New Advent.
- Liz Abrams, “Jesus’ Genealogies in Matthew and Luke”, Answers in Genesis, 23 December 2022, answersingenesis.org.
- “Jew (The Word)”, The Jewish Encyclopedia (New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1901–1906), vol. 7, JewishEncyclopedia.com.
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