Jesus' Ancestors

In Matthew 1:1-17 the writer lists the genealogy of Jesus. Here is a detailed list of Jesus' ancestors from Matthew 1:1-17, with a notable good deed and/or sinful act or failing for each individual (when known), along with a Bible reference. The list reveals how God's plan unfolded through both the righteous and the flawed–demonstrating that His purposes are not limited by human virtue or vice.

Genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17)

1. Abraham

• Good: Obeyed God and left his homeland (Genesis 12:1-4)
• Failing: Lied about Sarah being his sister (Genesis 12:10-20)

2. Isaac

• Good: Trusted God when offered as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:6-9)
• Failing: Imitated his father's deception about his wife (Genesis 26:7)

3. Jacob

• Good: Sought God's blessing (Genesis 32:26-30)
• Failing: Deceived his father Isaac (Genesis 27:18-29)

4. Judah

• Good: Offered himself in place of Benjamin (Genesis 44:18-34)
• Failing: Committed immorality with Tamar, his daughter-in-law (Genesis 38)

5. Perez (son of Tamar)

• Good: No specific moral act mentioned
• Background: Born from an incestuous relationship (Genesis 38:29)

6. Hezron

• No specific deeds recorded.

7. Ram

• No specific deeds recorded.

8. Amminadab

• No specific deeds recorded.

9. Nahshon

• Good: Leader of Judah during wilderness period (Numbers 1:7)

10. Salmon

• Good: Married Rahab the former harlot (Matthew 1:5; Joshua 2)

11. Boaz

• Good: Kind and righteous redeemer (Ruth 2-4)

12. Obed

• Good: Born of Boaz and Ruth, lineage of promise (Ruth 4:21-22)

13. Jesse

• Good: Father of David; chosen lineage (I Samuel 16:1)

14. David

• Good: A man after God's heart (I Samuel 13:14)
• Failing: Adultery and murder with Bathsheba and Uriah (II Samuel 11)

15. Solomon (by Bathsheba)

• Good: Built the temple; known for wisdom (I Kings 3:9-12)
• Failing: Idolatry through foreign wives (I Kings 11:1-10)

16. Rehoboam

• Failing: Harsh rule led to division of the kingdom (I Kings 12:1-16)

17. Abijah

• Good: Some trust in the Lord (II Chronicles 13:10-12)
• Failing: Continued sinful practices (I Kings 15:3)

18. Asa

• Good: Reformer, removed idols (II Chronicles 14:2-5)
• Failing: Relied on man instead of God in later years (II Chronicles 16:7-10)

19. Jehoshaphat

• Good: Trusted God in battle (II Chronicles 20:1-30)
• Failing: Allied with wicked Ahab (II Chronicles 18:1-3)

20. Joram (Jehoram)

• Failing: Married Ahab's daughter; led Judah into idolatry (II Chronicles 21:4-6)

21. Uzziah (Azariah)

• Good: Did right early in reign (II Chronicles 26:4)
• Failing: Pride led him to unlawfully enter temple (II Chronicles 26:16-21)

22. Jotham

• Good: Did right in God's sight ([II Chronicles 27:2]])

23. Ahaz

• Failing: Practiced idolatry; burned his sons as offerings (II Kings 16:2-4)

24. Hezekiah

• Good: Trusted God; reformer (II Kings 18:5-6)
• Failing: Pride before Babylonian envoys (II Kings 20:12-19)

25. Manasseh

• Failing: Deeply wicked early reign–idolatry, child sacrifice (II Kings 21:1-9)
• Good: Repented later in life (II Chronicles 33:12-13)

26. Amon

• Failing: Continued idolatry, did not repent (II Chronicles 33:21-23)

27. Josiah

• Good: Rediscovered the Law, brought national reform (II Kings 22-23)

28. Jeconiah (Jehoiachin)

• Failing: Did evil in God's sight (II Kings 24:8-9)
• Note: His line was cursed (Jeremiah 22:30), yet God still fulfilled His promise through legal lineage.

29. Shealtiel

• No specific deeds recorded.

30. Zerubbabel

• Good: Led the return from exile; rebuilt the temple foundation (Ezra 3:8)

31. Abiud

• No specific deeds recorded.

32. Eliakim

• No specific deeds recorded.

33. Azor

• No specific deeds recorded.

34. Zadok

• No specific deeds recorded.

35. Achim

• No specific deeds recorded.

36. Eliud

• No specific deeds recorded.

37. Eleazar

• No specific deeds recorded.

38. Matthan

• No specific deeds recorded.

39. Jacob

• No specific deeds recorded.

40. Joseph (husband of Mary)

• Good: Righteous, obedient to God's messages (Matthew 1:19-24)

41. Jesus (called the Christ)

• Perfect: Sinless Son of God, Savior of mankind (Hebrews 4:15; I Peter 2:22)

Summary: God's Grace in the Genealogy

The genealogy of Jesus includes:

• Patriarchs and prostitutes (Abraham, Rahab),
• Kings and idolaters (David, Manasseh),
• Gentiles and Jews (Ruth, a Moabite),
• The faithful and the fallen (Josiah, Ahaz),
• Men and women (rare for genealogies),
• Known and unknown individuals.

Yet God used every one of them to bring forth the Messiah, showing that:

Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
- Romans 5:20

Conclusion

This lineage testifies to God's sovereign grace and redemptive purpose. The Savior's heritage reflects the brokenness of humanity, yet it also displays the triumph of God's plan–a plan that reaches even the least and lifts them to be part of something eternal.