Heli

Background and Family

Heli was a member of the Tribe of Judah and a descendant of the royal house of David. According to Luke 3:23-24, he was the son of Matthat and the father of Joseph. He lived in the first century BC, in the years leading into the birth of Christ. While the biblical text is brief, his lineage traces back through the non-regnal line of Nathan, contrasting with the regnal line of Solomon found in Matthew's account.

Major Life Events

The biblical record does not preserve specific events from Heli's life, such as his occupation or personal deeds. His whole significance in the New Testament is his placement within the genealogy of Jesus. Luke 3:23 reads, "Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli." Because the phrase "was regarded as" qualifies Joseph, many commentators have argued that the list which follows is Mary's lineage, making Heli the maternal grandfather of Jesus; others read it as Joseph's own line, differing from Matthew's by adoption or levirate marriage. Scripture itself does not say.

Relationship to Other Biblical Figures

Heli's relationships in Scripture are two: he is the son of Matthat (Luke 3:24) and the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary (Luke 3:23). The widely held reading that Luke gives Mary's descent would make him her father and Joseph's father-in-law, but no verse names Mary's father, so the site does not record him as her parent. Later traditions that attach other children to him, such as Salome the mother of the sons of Zebedee, rest on no biblical statement at all.

Spiritual Significance

The presence of Heli in the Lucan genealogy serves a christological purpose. Luke traces Jesus' descent back past David to Adam, presenting him as the son of David and the son of man; the line that runs through Heli is part of that descent, however the difference with Matthew is resolved. Heli stands as a testament to the careful preservation of Davidic records among the Jews of the first century BC and to the fulfillment of the promise made to David's house.