SEED OF DAVID

THESIS: JESUS IS A BIOLOGICAL DESCENDANT OF KING DAVID.

2 Samuel 7:12
καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ μετὰ τῶν πατέρων σου καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ
σπέρμα σου μετὰ σέ ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ
King James Bible
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee,
which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
New King James Version
“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will
come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom
New American Standard Bible
When your days are finished and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after
you, who will come from you, and I will establish his kingdom.
Amplified Bible
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down [in death] with your fathers (ancestors), I will raise up
your descendant after you, who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom.
American Standard Version
When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that
shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And whenever your days are finished and you have slept with your fathers, I shall raise up your seed from
after you which came out from your loins, and I shall establish his kingdom
Brenton Septuagint Translation
And it shall come to pass when thy days shall have been fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers,
that I will raise up thy seed after thee, even thine own issue, and I will establish his kingdom.

To say that a child would “come forth out of thine own bowels” did not conjure the
awkward and uncomfortable image it does today. It simply means that the child
would come from your own body, would be your own flesh and blood. What is
inside you will produce the child. Likewise, we read:
“And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner
of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be
stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger,”
(Genesis 25:23, KJV).
https://carm.org/king-james-onlyism/the-kjv-and-the-changing-use-of-words-bowels/
New American Standard Bible
But Naomi said, "Return, my daughters. Why should you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb, that
they may be your husbands?

in my womb
‫( ְּֽבֵמַ֔ע י‬bə·mê·‘ay)
1) internal organs, inward parts, bowels, intestines, belly 1a) inward parts 1b) digestive organs 1c)
organs of procreation, womb 1d) place of emotions or distress or love (fig.) 1e) external belly

Psalm 71:6
HEB: ‫ִנְסַ֬מ ְכִּת י ִמֶּ֗ב ֶטן ִמְּמ ֵ֣ע י ִ֭א ִּמ י ַא ָּ֣ת ה‬
KJV: me out of my mother's bowels: my praise
INT: have been sustained from birth bowels my mother's who

Psalm 71:6

Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from
my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.

12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up
your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish
his kingdom.
12 cumque conpleti fuerint dies tui et dormieris cum patribus tuis suscitabo
semen tuum post te quod egredietur de utero tuo et firmabo regnum eius

12 Y cuando tus días fueren cumplidos, y durmieres con tus padres, yo

afirmaré tu simiente después de ti, la cual procederá de tus entrañas, y
afirmaré su reino.
your offspring
‫( ַזְר ֲעָ֙ך‬zar·‘ă·ḵ ā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2233: 1) seed, sowing, offspring 1a) a sowing 1b) seed 1c) semen virile 1d) offspring,
descendants, posterity, children 1e) of moral quality 1e1) a practitioner of righteousness (fig.) 1f) sowing
time (by meton)

καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ μετὰ τῶν πατέρων σου καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ
σπέρμα σου μετὰ σέ ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ
 B. The Promise of a Future King Who Will Rule Forever

What is most significant in this covenant is the Lord’s use of the word forever. In
verse 13 it says, ‘I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.’ In verse 16,
‘your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be
established forever.’ This is one of the basis for the Jewish nation to expect a
Messiah and King from the line of David to come and save them from their
predicaments. If God promised that David’s kingdom will last forever, surely
someone will again come and retake that throne.

Luke 1:30-33:

30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with
God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God
will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s
descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Just in case you heard the criticism that the genealogy of Luke is different
compared to the genealogy in Matthew. Bible scholars explain that Matthew's
genealogy is based on Joseph's family, while Luke's genealogy is from Mary's
family. As we said in the past two Sundays, the Gospels don't contradict; they
complement to give us a more comprehensive knowledge of the Savior.
https://bcinj.org/sermons/2021/10/10/luke-jesus-is-the-son-of-man

Is Mary’s lineage in one of the Gospels?

Here is the comment of Ryrie in the “Ryrie Study Bible.”

The genealogy in Matt. 1:1f is traced through Joseph, Jesus’ legal (though not natural) father,
and it establishes His claim and right to the throne of David (v. 6). The genealogy in Luke 3:23-
38 is evidently that of Mary, though some believe it is also Joseph’s, by assuming that Matthan
(Matt 1:15) and Matthat (Luke 3:24) were the same person and Jacob (Matt 1:16) and Eli (Luke
3:23) were brothers (one being Joseph’s father and the other his uncle). See note on Luke 3:23.

Many conservative scholars have taken this view because of the many differences in the names
between the two accounts. The biggest difference is that after David, many of the names are
different. It would seem best to explain the difference by viewing Luke’s genealogy as tracing
the physical ancestors of Christ through Mary, while Matthew’s genealogy traces the kingly line
of Christ through Joseph.

The following is the comment from The Bible Knowledge Commentary:

In addition Luke’s and Matthew’s lists from David to Shealtiel (during the time of the Exile)
differ. That is because the lists trace different lines. Luke traced David’s line through Nathan,
whereas Matthew traced it through Solomon. Following Shealtiel’s son, Zerubbabel, the lists
once again differ until both lists unite at Joseph whom, Luke noted, was “thought” to be the
father of Jesus. Little doubt exists that Matthew’s genealogy traced the kingly line of David—the
royal legal line. The question is, What is the significance of Luke’s genealogy? Two main
possibilities exist.

1. Luke was tracing the line of Mary. Many interpreters argue that Luke was giving the
genealogy of Mary, showing that she also was in the line of David and that therefore Jesus was
qualified as the Messiah not only through Joseph (since he was the oldest legal heir) but also
through Mary.

2. Luke was tracing the actual line of Joseph. This view maintains that the legal line and the
actual line of David through which Jesus came met at Joseph, the supposed father of Jesus. In
this view Jacob, Joseph’s uncle, would have died childless and therefore Joseph would have
been the closest living heir. Thus Joseph and then Jesus would have been brought into the royal
line.

Both views have problems which are difficult to answer, not the least of which is the fact that the
two genealogies meet at Shealtiel and Zerubbabel and then split a second time only to come
together at Joseph and Jesus. (Cf. comments on Matt. 1:12.) Regardless of one’s view it is
important to note an important aspect of the theology Luke expressed in his genealogy. He
related Jesus not only to Abraham but all the way back to Adam and to God. This is an
indication of the universal offer of salvation, which is common to his Gospel—that Jesus came to
save all people—Gentiles as well as the nation of Israel (cf. Luke 2:32).

Luke 3:23 says, “And when He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age,
being supposedly the son of Joseph, the son of Eli.” Many believe that Luke is saying that Jesus
was the grandson of Eli or Heli through Mary. Eli was Mary’s father and Jesus’ grandfather. By
contrast, Joseph was son of Jacob according to Matthew.
There is another argument that comes from the theme, purpose, and audience of the two gospels.
Matthew was written to the Jews to prove that Jesus was in the legal line of David by adoption
through Joseph. However, this was not Luke’s purpose. Luke was writing to show and
emphasize the humanity of Christ. He was writing to Gentiles or Greeks to show Jesus’
involvement with the needs of men. In keeping with this focus, we might naturally expect Luke,
the doctor, to present the genealogy of Jesus through Mary, the source of his true humanity. For
further study you might check out the studies on “Prophecies of the Birth of Christ” on of our
web site.
https://bible.org/question/mary%E2%80%99s-lineage-one-gospels

Jeremiah 23:5
New International Version
5
“The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
[a]

a King who will reign wisely

and do what is just and right in the land.