Luke 3:29
the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
the son of Joshua
The name "Joshua" is derived from the Hebrew name "Yehoshua," meaning "Yahweh is salvation." This name is significant in biblical history, as it is the same name as Jesus in Hebrew, highlighting the theme of salvation that runs throughout the Bible. Joshua, the successor of Moses, led the Israelites into the Promised Land, symbolizing the deliverance and fulfillment of God's promises. In the context of Luke's genealogy, this name serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness and the ultimate salvation brought through Jesus Christ.

the son of Eliezer
"Eliezer" means "God is my help" in Hebrew. This name reflects a deep reliance on God, a theme prevalent throughout the Scriptures. Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, was entrusted with finding a wife for Isaac, demonstrating faithfulness and trust in God's guidance. In the genealogy, this name underscores the divine assistance and providence that have been evident throughout the history of God's people, culminating in the coming of Christ.

the son of Jorim
The name "Jorim" is less common in the biblical narrative, and its meaning is not as well-documented. However, it is believed to be a variant of "Joram," which means "Yahweh is exalted." This name serves as a reminder of the exaltation and sovereignty of God, a central theme in the Bible. The inclusion of Jorim in the genealogy highlights the continuity of God's plan and the exaltation of His name through the lineage leading to Jesus.

the son of Matthat
"Matthat" is a name that means "gift" in Hebrew. This name reflects the concept of grace and the gifts that God bestows upon His people. In the context of the genealogy, it serves as a reminder of the ultimate gift of Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of God's grace and love for humanity. The lineage leading to Christ is a testament to God's generous and gracious nature.

the son of Levi
"Levi" is a name that means "joined" or "attached" in Hebrew. Levi was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the ancestor of the Levites, the priestly tribe in Israel. The Levites were set apart for religious duties and service to God, symbolizing dedication and holiness. In the genealogy, the mention of Levi connects Jesus to the priestly tradition, emphasizing His role as the ultimate High Priest who intercedes for humanity and brings us into a closer relationship with God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Joshua
In this context, Joshua is a descendant in the genealogy of Jesus. The name Joshua is significant in Jewish history, as it is the same as the Hebrew name Yehoshua, meaning "Yahweh is salvation," and is the name of the leader who succeeded Moses.

2. Eliezer
Another name in the genealogy, Eliezer means "God is my help" in Hebrew. This name is shared with several notable figures in the Old Testament, including the servant of Abraham.

3. Jorim
A lesser-known figure in the genealogy, Jorim's name means "Yahweh is exalted."

4. Matthat
Matthat is another ancestor of Jesus, and his name means "gift" in Hebrew.

5. Levi
Levi is a significant name in Jewish history, as it is the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel, known for their role as priests and temple workers.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Genealogy
Understanding Jesus' genealogy helps us see the fulfillment of God's promises through history. It reminds us that God is faithful to His word and works through generations to accomplish His purposes.

Names with Meaning
Each name in the genealogy carries a meaning that reflects God's character and His relationship with His people. Reflecting on these meanings can deepen our understanding of God's nature and His work in our lives.

God's Sovereignty in History
The genealogy shows that God orchestrates history according to His divine plan. This encourages us to trust in His sovereignty, even when we do not understand our current circumstances.

Spiritual Heritage
Just as Jesus' genealogy includes a rich spiritual heritage, we are encouraged to consider our own spiritual heritage and the legacy we are leaving for future generations.

Role of the Priesthood
The mention of Levi reminds us of the priestly role in the Old Testament, which points to Jesus as our ultimate High Priest. We are called to live as a "royal priesthood," serving God and others.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3:29 enhance your appreciation of God's faithfulness throughout history?

2. What significance do the meanings of the names in this genealogy have for your personal walk with God?

3. In what ways can you see God's sovereignty at work in your own life, similar to how He orchestrated the lineage of Jesus?

4. How can you contribute to a spiritual heritage that honors God and impacts future generations?

5. Reflecting on the role of the Levites, how can you fulfill your calling as part of the "royal priesthood" in your daily life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
The genealogy in Luke 3 connects to the genealogy in Matthew 1, highlighting the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah's lineage.

The name Joshua connects to the Old Testament book of Joshua, where Joshua leads the Israelites into the Promised Land, symbolizing salvation and fulfillment of God's promises.

The tribe of Levi is connected to the priestly duties described in the books of Exodus and Leviticus, emphasizing the importance of spiritual leadership and service.
The Baptism and Genealogy of JesusR.M. Edgar Luke 3:21-38
A Binding Corner-StoneBishop Cowper.Luke 3:23-38
From Christ According to the SpiritBishop Cowper.Luke 3:23-38
GenealogiesC. E. Drought, M. A.Luke 3:23-38
Our Lord's DescentJames Foote, M. A.Luke 3:23-38
Sacred and Secular Jewish NamesBiblical things not generally known., Bishop Harvey Goodwin.Luke 3:23-38
The Divine Root of the Human PedigreeS. Cox, D. D.Luke 3:23-38
The Double Genealogies of Christ as the Son of DavidArchdeacon Farrar.Luke 3:23-38
The Genealogical TableJ. Parker, D. D.Luke 3:23-38
The Genealogies in Matthew and LukeF. Godet, D. D.Luke 3:23-38
The Genealogy of ChristJ. Ossian Davies.Luke 3:23-38
The Two Genealogies of Jesus ChristG. D. Beardman.Luke 3:23-38
ThoughtsAmerican Homiletic ReviewLuke 3:23-38
Why have We Joseph's Genealogy, not Mary's?G. W. Butler, D. D.Luke 3:23-38
People
Adam, Addi, Aminadab, Amminadab, Amos, Annas, Aram, Arphaxad, Boaz, Booz, Caiaphas, Cainan, Cosam, David, Eber, Eli, Eliakim, Eliezer, Elmodam, Enoch, Enos, Enosh, Er, Esaias, Esli, Esrom, Heber, Heli, Herod, Herodias, Hezron, Isaac, Isaiah, Jacob, Janna, Jared, Jesse, Jesus, Joanna, Johanan, John, Jonan, Jorim, Jose, Joseph, Joses, Joshua, Judas, Kenan, Lamech, Levi, Lysanias, Maath, Mahalaleel, Mahath, Maleleel, Mathusala, Mattatha, Mattathias, Matthat, Melchi, Melea, Menan, Methuselah, Naasson, Nachor, Nagge, Nahor, Nahshon, Nahum, Nathan, Naum, Neri, Noah, Noe, Obed, Peleg, Perez, Phalec, Phares, Pharez, Philip, Pilate, Ragau, Reu, Rhesa, Sala, Salah, Salathiel, Salmon, Saruch, Sem, Semei, Serug, Seth, Shealtiel, Shelah, Shem, Simeon, Terah, Thara, Tiberius, Zacharias, Zechariah, Zerubbabel, Zorobabel
Places
Galilee, Ituraea, Jordan River, Judea, Trachonitis
Topics
Eliezar, Eliezer, Elie'zer, Joreim, Jorim, Jose, Joses, Joshua, Levi, Maththat, Matthat
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 3:21-38

     2078   Christ, sonship of

Luke 3:23-38

     2535   Christ, family of
     5082   Adam, significance
     7230   genealogies

Library
St John the Baptist
Chester Cathedral. 1872. St Luke iii. 2, 3, 7, 9-14. "The Word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. . . . Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. . . . And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other Sermons

John the Preacher of Repentance
'Now, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2. Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4. As it is written
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

John's Witness to Jesus, and God's
'And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16. John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 17. Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and will gather the wheat into His garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

John's Rebuke of Herod.
Preached May 15, 1853. JOHN'S REBUKE OF HEROD. "But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison,"--Luke iii. 19, 20. The life of John the Baptist divides itself into three distinct periods. Of the first we are told almost nothing, but we may conjecture much. We are told that he was in the deserts till his showing unto Israel. It was a period probably, in which,
Frederick W. Robertson—Sermons Preached at Brighton

Elucidations.
I. (In the body of a dove, cap. iii. p. 523.) The learned John Scott, in his invaluable work The Christian Life, [7283] identifies the glory shed upon the Saviour at his baptism, with that mentioned by Ezekiel (Cap. xliii. 2) and adds: "In this same glorious splendor was Christ arrayed first at his Baptism and afterward at his Transfiguration....By the Holy Ghost's descending like a Dove, it is not necessary we should understand his descending in the shape or form of a Dove, but that in some glorious
Tertullian— On the Flesh of Christ

Genealogy According to Luke.
^C Luke III. 23-38. ^c 23 And Jesus himself [Luke has been speaking about John the Baptist, he now turns to speak of Jesus himself], when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age [the age when a Levite entered upon God's service--Num. iv. 46, 47], being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son [this may mean that Jesus was grandson of Heli, or that Joseph was counted as a son of Heli because he was his son-in-law] of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Appendix vii. On the Date of the Nativity of Our Lord
So much, that is generally accessible, has of late been written on this subject, and such accord exists on the general question, that only the briefest statement seems requisite in this place, the space at our command being necessarily reserved for subjects which have either not been treated of by previous writers, or in a manner or form that seemed to make a fresh investigation desirable. At the outset it must be admitted, that absolute certainty is impossible as to the exact date of Christ's Nativity
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Fate of the Enemies of Jesus.
According to the calculation we adopt, the death of Jesus happened in the year 33 of our era.[1] It could not, at all events, be either before the year 29, the preaching of John and Jesus having commenced in the year 28,[2] or after the year 35, since in the year 36, and probably before the passover, Pilate and Kaiapha both lost their offices.[3] The death of Jesus appears, moreover, to have had no connection whatever with these two removals.[4] In his retirement, Pilate probably never dreamt for
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

Jesus at Capernaum.
Beset by an idea, gradually becoming more and more imperious and exclusive, Jesus proceeds henceforth with a kind of fatal impassibility in the path marked out by his astonishing genius and the extraordinary circumstances in which he lived. Hitherto he had only communicated his thoughts to a few persons secretly attracted to him; henceforward his teaching was sought after by the public. He was about thirty years of age.[1] The little group of hearers who had accompanied him to John the Baptist had,
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Distinction of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from his Son, Jesus Christ.
We have seen thus far that the Holy Spirit is a Person and a Divine Person. And now another question arises, Is He as a Person separate and distinct from the Father and from the Son? One who carefully studies the New Testament statements cannot but discover that beyond a question He is. We read in Luke iii. 21, 22, "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon
R. A. Torrey—The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit

The Doubting Soul More Particularly Assisted in Its Inquiries as to the Sincerity of Its Faith and Repentance.
1. Transient impressions liable to be mistaken for conversion, which would be a fatal error.--2. General scheme for self-examination.--3. Particular inquiries--what views there have been of sin?--4. What views there have been of Christ?--5. As to the need the soul has of him;--6. And its willingness to receive him with a due surrender of heart to his service.--7. Nothing short of this sufficient. The soul submitting to Divine examination the sincerity of its faith and repentance. 1. IN consequence
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul

A New Age and New Standards
As the Kingdom Comes Ethical Standards Must Advance Every approximation to the Reign of God in humanity demands an advance in the social relations of men, that is, an advance in ethics. Every really epochal advance must have it or slip back. There must be, first, better obedience to the moral principles already recognized and accepted by society; second, an expansion of the sway of ethical duty to new fields and wider groups of humanity; and third, a recognition of new duties and the assimilation
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

Luke.
Lucas, Evangelii el medicinae munera pandens; Artibus hinc, illinc religione, valet: Utilis ille labor, per quem vixere tot aegri; Utilior, per quem tot didicere mori!" Critical and Biographical Schleiermacher: Ueber die Schriften des Lukas. Berlin, 1817. Reprinted in the second vol. of his Sämmtliche Werke, Berlin, 1836 (pp. 1-220). Translated by Bishop Thirlwall, London, 1825. James Smith (of Jordanhill, d. 1867): Dissertation on the Life and Writings of St. Luke, prefixed to his Voyage and
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

The First Ministry of the Baptist.
(LUKE III.) "Hark, what a sound, and too divine for hearing, Stirs on the earth and trembles in the air! Is it the thunder of the Lord's appearing? Is it the music of his people's prayer? "Surely He cometh, and a thousand voices Shout to the saints, and to the deaf and dumb; Surely He cometh, and the earth rejoices, Glad in his coming who hath sworn, I come." F. W. H. MYERS. The Preaching of Repentance--His Power as a Preacher--His Message--Warning of Impending Judgment--The Wages of Sin Thirty
F. B. Meyer—John the Baptist

Pontius Pilate
BY REV. PRINCIPAL WALTER F. ADENEY, D.D. In spite of the fact that he condemned Jesus to death, the Gospels present us a more favourable portrait of Pontius Pilate than that which we derive from secular historians. Josephus relates incidents that reveal him as the most insolent and provoking of governors. For instance, the Jewish historian ascribes to him a gratuitous insult, the story of which shows its perpetrator to have been as weak as he was offensive. It was customary for Roman armies to
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

Questions.
LESSON I. 1. In what state was the Earth when first created? 2. To what trial was man subjected? 3. What punishment did the Fall bring on man? 4. How alone could his guilt be atoned for? A. By his punishment being borne by one who was innocent. 5. What was the first promise that there should be such an atonement?--Gen. iii. 15. 6. What were the sacrifices to foreshow? 7. Why was Abel's offering the more acceptable? 8. From which son of Adam was the Seed of the woman to spring? 9. How did Seth's
Charlotte Mary Yonge—The Chosen People

Quirinius the Governor of Syria
WE come now to the last serious difficulty in Luke's account of the "First Enrollment". He says that it occurred while Quirinius was administering Syria. The famous administration of Syria by Quirinius lasted from about AD. 6 to 9; and during that time occurred the" Great Enrollment" and valuation of property in Palestine. [94] Obviously the incidents described by Luke are irreconcilable with that date. There was found near Tibur (Tivoli) in AD. 1764 a fragment of marble with part of an inscription,
Sir William Mitchell Ramsay—Was Christ Born in Bethlehem?

One Argument which Has Been Much Relied Upon but not More than Its Just Weight...
One argument which has been much relied upon (but not more than its just weight deserves) is the conformity of the facts occasionally mentioned or referred to in Scripture with the state of things in those times, as represented by foreign and independent accounts; which conformity proves, that the writers of the New Testament possessed a species of local knowledge which could belong only to an inhabitant of that country and to one living in that age. This argument, if well made out by examples, is
William Paley—Evidences of Christianity

Second Stage of the Roman Trial. Jesus Before Herod Antipas.
(Jerusalem. Early Friday Morning.) ^C Luke XXIII. 6-12. ^c 6 But when Pilate heard it [when he heard that Jesus had begun his operations in Galilee], he asked whether the man were a Galilaean. 7 And when he knew that he was of Herod's jurisdiction [Herod was tetrarch of Galilee--Luke iii. 1], he sent him unto Herod, who himself also ["also" includes both Pilate and Herod, neither of whom lived at Jerusalem] was at Jerusalem in these days. ["These days" refers to the passover season. Pilate had come
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Messianic Call
Matt. iii. 13 TO iv. 11; Mark i. 9-13; Luke iii. 21, 22; iv. 1-13; John i. 30-34 85. In the circle about John all classes of the people were represented: Pharisees and Sadducees, jealous of innovation and apprehensive of popular excitement; publicans and soldiers, interested in the new preacher or touched in conscience; outcasts who came in penitence, and devout souls in consecration. The wonder of the new message was carried throughout the land and brought great multitudes to the Jordan. Jesus
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

Private Property and the Common Good
Private Property Must Serve Social Welfare A glance across history or a simple acquaintance with human life in any community will show us that private property is at the same time a necessary expression of personality and stimulator of character, and, on the other hand, a chief outlet and fortification of selfishness. Every reformatory effort must aim to conserve and spread the blessings of property, and every step toward a better social order will be pugnaciously blocked by its selfish beneficiaries.
Walter Rauschenbusch—The Social Principles of Jesus

Not that Light, but a Witness.
(John I. 8.) "Nothing resting in its own completeness Can have worth or beauty; but alone Because it leads and tends to farther sweetness, Fuller, higher, deeper than its own. "Spring's real glory dwells not in the meaning, Gracious though it be, of her blue hours; But is hidden in her tender leaning To the summer's richer wealth of flowers." A. A. PROCTOR. Resentment of the Sanhedrim--The Baptist's Credentials--Spiritual Vision--"Behold the Lamb of God"--The Baptism of the Spirit The baptism and
F. B. Meyer—John the Baptist

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