THE PURPOSE OF GENEALOGIES

THE PURPOSE OF GENEALOGIES

Genealogies appear at a number of places in the Bible. Some readers may be tempted to skip over these lists as if they were inconsequential, but that would be a mistake. The genealogies of Scripture serve several important purposes. For example, some of them trace the ancestry of important people in the narrative (Gen. 5:1). Others show the links between the people and nations of the world (Gen. 10:1). Others reveal God’s sovereign plan at work down through generations (Ruth 4:18–22).

 Generally speaking, there are two kinds of genealogies, linear and segmented. A linear genealogy traces the history of a people to a particular goal, person, or office. For example, the extended genealogy of 1 Chr. 1—9 highlights the royal line of David, among other things. By contrast, a segmented genealogy shows how various social groups are related. For example, Gen. 25:1–4 gives the names of Abraham’s sons through his wife Keturah, believed to be the ancestors of some of the Arabian tribes.

 The genealogies of the Bible help to show that faith in God is not just a subjective experience but an objective, historical reality based in fact. Belief can be rooted in history, which is moving toward a goal. On the other hand, genealogies help to remind us that genuine faith involves human beings who are linked together by blood. History is handed down from parents to children, generation after generation, until it reaches its dramatic conclusion in God’s good time.