According to the Bible, Jesus is presented as a direct descendant of King David. Matthew opens its genealogy by calling Jesus “the son of David,” while Luke’s genealogy also traces his ancestry back to David.
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel, ruling traditionally around the 10th century BCE. Biblical promises about David’s dynasty became central to Jewish expectations of a future anointed ruler, or Messiah. By linking Jesus to David, the Gospel writers present him as fulfilling that royal and messianic expectation.
Matthew and Luke list different lines of ancestry, which has long prompted discussion among readers. Matthew traces the line through Solomon and Joseph, Jesus’ legal father. Luke traces a different line through Nathan, another son of David. Christian interpretations vary over how these genealogies relate to Joseph and Mary, but both Gospels connect Jesus with David. Abraham is also an ancestor in Matthew’s genealogy, yet David is the specific royal ancestor traditionally emphasized in this question.