Mary’s Geneology

Mary’s lineage is listed in Luke 3 . Notice that Mary’s name doesn’t actually appear in this list, while Joseph’s does. For a more thorough explanation of why this is actually Mary’s geneology, see Jesus’ Geneology.

While Luke doesn’t mention Mary by name, that shouldn’t be considered unusual. Mary’s geneology was written as Jesus’ geneology, and would traditionally include only notable family members. Very few women are listed by name in such lists, which is to be expected in a patriarchal society. This list has been reversed to list Mary’s family beginning with Adam.

Note that God is listed first. This is not to say that God is the physical father of Adam, of course. It’s listed here because it’s listed in Luke 3. The Hebrew words used for “father” and “son” are very flexible, being used to describe a historical family relationship rather than simple parentage. We see this when we read of Jesus that He is ‘the son of David’. Biblical genealogies weren’t written to account for every generation but to establish succession. This would include notable ancestors rather than comprise a complete list of every physical father and son.

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