Tens and twelves

Luke’s genealogy of Jesus is a “Gentilic” genealogy, with 77 names, a riff on the 70 nations of Genesis 10. But embedded in the genealogy are other numerologically important sequences.

Ruth ends with a ten-generation genealogy from Perez to David, inclusive of both. Luke’s genealogy preserves the ten-generation gap, but in his list the ten generations are arrived at by excluding David – Luke adds the name “Admin” that doesn’t appear in Ruth (Luke 3:33). When we count from Judah, however, the list contains 12 names. David is a ten, the descendant of a bastard finally qualified to enter the congregation of the Lord (Deuteromony 23), but David is also a twelve, a true Israelite.

There is another ten-generation gaps too, the standard ones from Adam to Noah and Noah to Abraham (both inclusive). The other standard ten-generation gap, from Noah to Abraham, is modified. Including both Noah and Abraham, the list has 12 names, making Abraham the first Israelite. What Abraham is to Noah, David is to Judah. Judah is doubly an Israelite, standing in the 24th position from Adam, and that means that Abraham is in the 21st slot from Adam, a triple Sabbath away from the first man.