David’s Families Ties

Christianity teaches that Jesus is the son of David — by way of Mary. However, the Bible tells a different story.

Luke 1

The book of Luke says Mary is kin to Elisabeth, calling Elisabeth her ³⁶ …cousin… (syngenēs G4773 συγγενής). And Elisabeth is introduced as being ⁵ …of the daughters of Aaron.

When the author introduces Mary, she is described as being ²⁷ …a virgin espoused (mnēsteuō G3423 μεμνηστευμένην) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.

This is not saying, Mary is of the house of David. Rather, it is the man to whom she was espoused, Joseph, that is of the house of David.

Fathers, Sons, & Daughters-in-Law

When a woman is taken into the “house” of another family through marriage, she does not automatically become a daughter of her husband’s father(s). Her relationship to the husband’s father is that of being a “daughter-in-law”.

When a woman conceives and brings forth a child for her husband, that child is considered to be a son or daughter of the husband & of the husband’s fathers. (In our culture we refer to children of the older generations as grandchildren.)

So, when the angel of the LORD tells Mary ³¹ …thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son,… ³² …and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, the natural understanding is that this child is the natural offspring of Joseph, who is of the house of David.

Zachariah Prophesies

Later in this chapter, following Mary’s 3-month visit with her cousin Elisabeth, Elisabeth gives birth to John the Baptist.

At that time, Zachariah the priest ⁶⁷…was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, ⁶⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, ⁶⁹ And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.

Zachariah is referring to the child that Mary, who was espoused to Joseph, was going to conceive and bring forth for her husband.

While the child is also Mary’s offspring and considered a grandchild of her parents, this story is being told to specifically identify this child as being the fulfilment of what was spoken by the holy prophets, concerning the salvation and redemption of the house of Israel.

^^This^^ is so important to grasp and hold onto. The story being told in this book starting with the birth of Christ is not a Christian story. It is a story written by, about & for the children of Israel.

Luke 2

In the next chapter of Luke, the author tells its reader, ⁴ …Joseph…went…unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; and reiterates (because he was of the house and lineage of David).

And he includes the detail that he was ⁵ …with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Espoused Wife

Notice, he identifies Mary as Joseph’s espoused wife.

There is no Hebrew equivalent used for “married” in the Old Testament, as we understand that term to be in our modern western culture.

In the Bible, married women were identified as either “betrothed/espoused” (“aras” H781) or “taken” (“laqah” H3947). (See Genesis 4:19; 6:2; 11:29 for some examples of “laqah”.)

The fact that Mary is identified as being “espoused” to Joseph is saying she was made a spouse to him.

I used to think this was odd — to point out that his pregnant wife was espoused to him. But then I saw that the Greek word translated in that verse as “wife” is “gynē” (G1135), which simply means “a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow”.

So, if the descriptive phrase was translated properly, it would read “espoused woman”. And then, the reader could properly interpret the phrase as simply meaning “wife”.

Espoused Woman = Wife

Jesus Was Adopted by Joseph?

Christianity also teaches Joseph was the adoptive father of Jesus. However, the Bible never makes that claim.

Instead, we see Joseph hereafter simply being identified as a parent and father of the child, and Jesus being “the son of Joseph”. Nary a mention of adoption by him.

Jesus: The LORD’s Christ

After Jesus was born, the author informs the reader that the child was circumcised and ²¹ …his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

²² And when the days of her [Mary’s] purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they [Joseph & Mary] brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; ²³ (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

The author says, ²⁷ …the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law.

And when they did so, there were two people by the names of Simeon and Anna there. The former was described as a devout & just man waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the latter was identified as a prophetess.

Earlier ²⁶ …it was revealed unto [Simeon] by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. When he saw Mary & Joseph with the baby, Simeon took ²⁸ …him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, ²⁹ Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: ³⁰ For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, ³¹ Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; ³² A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Again, I must reiterate here, that this birth story of Jesus is being told by, about and for the children of Israel.

(While it declares Jesus to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, the Greek word translated as “Gentiles” is “ethnos” (G1484) and simply means “a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together”. Its Hebrew equivalent is “goy” (H1471) and simply means “nation” or “people”.)

The nation of Israel was anticipating a physical son of David to fill the role of Christ, and the author of Luke is making it clear that this child, Jesus, met that prerequisite.

⁴⁰ And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Jesus: About My Father’s Business

The author then writes, ⁴¹ Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

And then we hear the episode where Jesus acknowledges the LORD God as his Father.

The story goes, ⁴³ And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. They eventually went back to find ⁴⁶ …him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

⁴⁸ And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. ⁴⁹ And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

Note, Mary identifies Joseph as Jesus’ father, but here Jesus speaks of another father. And the author tells us ⁵⁰ And they understood not which he spake unto them. ⁵¹ And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

Mary knew Joseph was the father of her child, but she also knew what the angel of the LORD had told her before that child was ever conceived:

³¹ And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. ³² He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: ³³ And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke 3

Many think the lineage given in Luke 3 is actually Mary’s lineage. And they typically lean on this verse for that justification:

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,

They insist Heli is the father of Mary, and therefore, he is Joseph’s “father-in-law”. And this is how they justify the notion that Jesus is the son of David by way of Mary.

They base their assumption on the parenthetical phrase “was supposed” (nomizō G3543 ἐνομίζετο) in that verse.

NOTE: The Greek word “nomizo” means “to hold by custom or usage, own as a custom or usage; to follow custom or usage” or “to deem, think, suppose“. That word comes from the word “nomos” (G3551), and that word is always translated as “law” in the KJV New Testament.

I’ve heard some explain this parenthetical by saying either the people “supposed” Jesus was the son of Joseph (when he really wasn’t), or he was the son of Joseph “by law” through Mary’s lineage. But Mary is never mentioned anywhere in this chapter, so why would anyone surmise this was her lineage?

Regardless of these two explanations, the author clearly states him (Jesus) being…the son of Joseph.

It seems to me the supposition that Heli is Joseph’s father-in-law (aka Mary’s father) demonstrates a lack of understanding of the Mosaic law.

Also, I believe the KJV English translation makes it more confusing. It inserts the phrase “the son” all throughout the list of names given in verses 23-38, even though the source text only mentions “huios” (G5207) once. (And that one mention is in relation to Jesus being the son of Joseph.)

I’m afraid all those inserted “son”s gives the reader the false notion that this list is a genealogy. But apparently it isn’t. Because Adam was not genetically tied to God. He was created by Him, yet verse 38 says, “Adam, which was the son of God”.

The Law of Levirate Marriage

In the Law of Moses there is what’s commonly referred to as the law of levirate marriage. It is presented in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. The first two verses are relevant to the passage at hand.

⁵ If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. ⁶ And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.

Judah Gets It

While many apart from the Israel of the Bible (& modern-day Judaism) may lack understanding or simply awareness of this law/custom, the children of Judah would have been well aware of it. And I imagine all of the children of Israel were, too.

That is because according to Genesis 38, Judah’s widowed & childless daughter-in-law, Tamar, tricked Judah into producing seed through her, because he withheld her husband’s youngest brother from her.

Had Tamar not done this, then the name of her deceased husband would have been put out of Israel.

And the name of her deceased husband was Judah (being the son of Judah).

Furthermore, the house of Judah (& the rest of the children of Israel) would have been well aware of this story surrounding Tamar because one of the twin sons she bore was the (great x7) grandfather of David.

²⁷ And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. ²⁸ And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

²⁹ And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. ³⁰ And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

The one who actually came out first, was Pharez. And Pharez is in the lineage of David.

Ruth: Another Levirate Marriage Story

Judah & Tamar’s story is alluded to in the book of Ruth, chapter 4, when it became known that Boaz and Ruth were being united.

¹² And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.

This mention is likely due to the fact that Ruth was another childless widow of a man from the tribe of Judah. And Boaz, following this Levirate law of marriage, acted as a kinsman-redeemer for her. He was not a brother or near-relative to the childless deceased, but he was of the tribe of Judah.

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.

The story of Ruth is also noteworthy, because she was the daughter-in-law to a widowed woman (Naomi) who had two sons who had both died childless. (Both of these sons were married to Moabite women who were not of the house of Israel).

Naomi insisted her two daughters-in-law return to their mother‘s house following the death of their husbands. She said she had no other sons to offer them as kinsman-redeemer — and she herself was widowed and unlikely to bear more children. One did so, but the other, Ruth, remained with Naomi.

(If you’re unfamiliar with this story, I recommend giving it a fresh read.)

The story concludes, focusing on Naomi, the new grandmother. We’re told her grandson was named ¹⁷  …Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

And with that, I’m going to wrap up this post on David’s Family Ties. While Christianity may insist on the notion that Jesus is the son of David by way of Mary, I think Luke has made it very clear that Joseph is who ties Jesus back to David.

For more on this subject, see The Genealogies of Jesus and The Lineage of Luke 3:23-38 – Jesus, the Son of God.

What Do You Think?

Does what I present here make sense to you? Do you have any questions (or corrections) for me? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this material beneficial.