In the Bible, Jesus has many different names. He is called things like Son of Man, Son of God, Christ, Messiah, Savior, Rabbi, and Lamb of God. While all of these are perplexing in their own ways, one of the most confusing names of Jesus is ‘Son of David’. Why is he called ‘Son of David’ when his earthly father’s name was Joseph and not David? This article will explore why.
Reading the Bible Through the Right Lenses
The Bible, as an ancient religious text, is not written in the same format as modern documents. When we try to read it, we approach the text wearing certain lenses.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines hermeneutics as the study of “the meaning of human intentions, beliefs, and actions, or the meaning of human experience as it is preserved in the arts and literature, historical testimony, and other artifacts”.
In simple terms, ‘hermeneutics’ is the theological term for these lenses of interpretation that we, as readers, bring to the text.
In order to get the most accurate meaning of the Scripture, we need to ‘put on the lenses’ of the original intended audience – as far as possible, we try to enter their world and think as they do. When we do that, it often makes a lot more sense than when we try to read it through our own familiar ‘lenses’.
The Importance of a Name in Scripture
As with a series of books that is made up of prequels, epilogues, and other side-narratives, all sixty-six books of the Bible color in the ‘world’ of the story.
When a name comes up in a Bible verse, the original audience had a whole knowledge bank of information about the meaning of that name, why it is present in this passage, and what its significance is.
Take Isaiah 43:1 as an example.
“But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
This verse is not a conversation between Isaiah and two friends called Jacob and Israel – no. Those two names are cues giving the perceptive ancient listener or reader a whole kaleidoscope of color and context.
Who Was David in the Bible?
David in the Bible was one of the Israelite kings – the greatest one. He was “a man after God’s own heart”, which was pretty much the biggest compliment one could receive in those days. You can read more about him in the books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings.
In the big story of the Bible, people turned their backs on God in the Garden of Eden, choosing selfishness (the Fall of Sin). But God promised many generations of his people that he would make a plan to set it all right again.
Leading us closer to our answer – David was also a receiver of God’s promised plan to restore the relationship between himself and his people. A king would come from David’s line who would be the savior of God’s chosen people, the Israelites, and bring a message of light to all the nations of the world.
Why Is Jesus the ‘Son of David’?
While Jesus is believed to be God incarnate, he also had normal earthly parents. He was born in a small village called Nazareth, to a carpenter, Joseph, and his wife, Maria. According to the Bible, Maria’s conception was divine and an angelic visitation brought her the news that she was expecting a child – who was the Messiah.
When the Gospel books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) open with genealogies, modern readers scratch their heads and wonder, “Why this long list of names?” But the reason why is the answer to today’s question. Jesus was part of the family line of King David. He formed part of the people-group who received God’s promise of restoration.
Jesus is also called ‘Son of David’ because he fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and proved himself to be God’s promised plan.
Son of David Bible Verses
Here are some of the Bible Verses explaining this further:
2 Samuel 7:12-14
(God to David via the prophet Nathan)
“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. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son.”
Matthew 1:1
“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David”
Matthew 12:23
“All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?””
