Unnamed#4
Ancestor of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Who is Unnamed#4 in the Bible?
Unnamed#4 is an ancestor of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, appearing in Matthew's genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:15). This person is one of several individuals included in Matthew's account to create a specific numerical structure in Jesus' lineage, arranged into three sets of fourteen generations (Matthew 1:17). Matthew deliberately omitted certain names from the historical record to achieve this symbolic pattern, making Unnamed#4 part of the carefully constructed genealogy that establishes Jesus' legal descent from David. While the individual's name and specific deeds are not recorded, their place in the ancestral line underscores the importance of Jesus' connection to the Davidic lineage and the fulfillment of messianic expectations.
Biography
This unnamed person is inserted to increase the number of generations in Jesus' genealogy as recorded in Matthew to become the same as the number of generations in Luke. Matthew is known to deliberately miss out some individuals (kings Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah) so it is likely he also missed out others, in order to create three sets of 14 generations (Mat.1.17).
Family
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentMatthew 1 verse
- Matthew 1:15
"Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,"
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Mentioned | Greek |