Footnote

c If Joseph of the royal lineage of King David had wanted to wait to bestow the “legal right” to the Davidic throne upon a direct natural son of his, such as James, Joseph (II), Simon or Judas, this legal claim would not have taken effect. (Ezekiel 21:27) Why not? Because Joseph was a descendant of King Solomon through Jeconiah (or Coniah, or Jehoiachin), concerning whom we read, in Jeremiah 22:24-30: “‘As I am alive,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘even if Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, happened to be the seal ring on my right hand, from there I would pull you off!’ . . .This is what Jehovah has said, ‘Write down this man as childless [as regards heirship to David’s throne], as an able-bodied man who will not have any success in his days; for from his offspring not a single one will have any success, sitting upon the throne of David and ruling anymore in Judah.’” (Matthew 1:11-16; 13:55) Consequently, Joseph’s conferring the legal title upon his adopted son Jesus would not be in vain, inasmuch as Jesus the son of Mary the virgin became no natural descendant of Jeconiah (Coniah), but descended from King David through the line of his son Nathan the son of Bath-sheba. Hence, Jesus’ genealogy as recorded in Luke 3:23-38 does not list the name of Jeconiah (Coniah, or Jehoiachin).