"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
Matthew 1:1 · King James Bible
Genealogies matter
Modern readers skip the genealogies. That is a mistake. In Genesis, the family tree is the story. The whole promise-line runs from the seed of the woman (3:15) through Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Terah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah… all the way to Christ. The New Testament begins by re-tracing this same tree (Matthew 1).Adam to Noah · Genesis 5
Adam → Seth → Enosh → Cainan → Mahalaleel → Jared → Enoch (walked with God, and was not) → Methuselah (longest-lived) → Lamech → Noah (from whom every human line after the flood comes).Noah's three sons · Genesis 10
Shem — from whom come the Semitic peoples, including the line of Abraham.Ham — from whom come Cush, Mizraim (Egypt), and Canaan.
Japheth — from whom come many of the peoples of the north and west.
Shem to Abraham · Genesis 11
Shem → Arphaxad → Salah → Eber → Peleg → Reu → Serug → Nahor → Terah → Abram / Abraham.Abraham's household · Genesis 12–25
Abraham + Sarah → Isaac (the son of promise)Abraham + Hagar → Ishmael (father of many Arab peoples)
Abraham + Keturah (after Sarah's death) → six more sons, dwelling to the east.
Isaac's twins · Genesis 25
Isaac + Rebekah → Jacob (later renamed Israel) and Esau (later called Edom).Jacob's twelve sons · Genesis 29–35 · the tribes of Israel
By Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun. And a daughter, Dinah.By Rachel: Joseph, Benjamin.
By Bilhah (Rachel's handmaid): Dan, Naphtali.
By Zilpah (Leah's handmaid): Gad, Asher.
These twelve are the tribes of Israel. Judah is the tribe of David and of Christ. Levi is the tribe of the priests. Joseph's inheritance is divided between his two sons — Ephraim and Manasseh — so the tribes on the map are usually listed as thirteen and yet still called twelve, with Levi set aside for the priesthood.