Luke 3:27

King James Version (KJV)

Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,

Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

Verses 24-38

See, on this genealogy, the notes at Matthew 1:1-16.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Matthew's list of the forefathers of Jesus showed that Christ was the son of Abraham, in whom all the families of the earth are blessed, and heir to the throne of David; but Luke shows that Jesus was the Seed of the woman that should break the serpent's head, and traces the line up to Adam, beginning with Eli, or Heli, the father, not of Joseph, but of Mary. The seeming differences between the two evangelists in these lists of names have been removed by learned men. But our salvation does not depend upon our being able to solve these difficulties, nor is the Divine authority of the Gospels at all weakened by them. The list of names ends thus, "Who was the son of Adam, the son of God;" that is, the offspring of God by creation. Christ was both the son of Adam and the Son of God, that he might be a proper Mediator between God and the sons of Adam, and might bring the sons of Adam to be, through him, the sons of God. All flesh, as descended from the first Adam, is as grass, and withers as the flower of the field; but he who partakes of the Holy Spirit of life from the Second Adam, has that eternal happiness, which by the gospel is preached unto us.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

27. Zorobabel. That is, Zerubbabel. Luke calls Zerubbabel the son of Salathiel, and Salathiel the son of Neri. Matthew also calls Zerubbabel the son of Salathiel, but calls Salathiel the son of Jeconiah (see on Matt. 1:12). While there may have been more than one Zerubbabel during this period (the name probably means “a shoot of Babylon” or “begotten in Babylon”) with a father named Salathiel, such a possibility is almost universally discounted. Thus the problem here raised is common to both general theories advanced in explanation of the differences between the two genealogical lists (see on Luke 3:23).

Various solutions to the problem of Salathiel’s parentage have been proposed. Some suggest that Salathiel was the literal son of Neri, but the “son” of Jeconiah [Jehoiachin; see on 1 Chron. 3:16] by adoption. Others suggest that Salathiel, though the son of Neri, became the legal successor to Jeconiah, possibly owing to the extinction of Jeconiah’s family (see on Jer. 22:30), or for some other reason. Still others suggest that a daughter of Jeconiah married Neri, and that Salathiel was thus the son of Neri and the grandson of Jeconiah, but called “son” of Jeconiah according to Jewish custom. As to Zerubbabel’s parentage, both Luke and Matthew call him the son of Salathiel (Shealtiel), in agreement with Ezra 3:2; 5:2; Neh. 12:1; and Haggai 1:1, though the Masoretic text of 1 Chron. 3:19 calls Zerubbabel the son of Pedaiah (see on 1 Chron. 3:19; Ezra 2:2). However, the LXX of 1 Chron. 3:19 lists Salathiel as the father of Zerubbabel, and it is apparent that Luke here follows the LXX whenever it provides information pertinent to his genealogical list (see on Luke 3:36).

Neri. The persons named from Neri in v. 27 to Mattatha in v. 31 are not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible. The period of time covered by this group extends from the Babylonian captivity back through the time of the divided kingdom to Solomon.

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The Birth, Childhood, and Baptism of Jesus

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Luke 3:27