Exploring the Meaning of Mattathias in Greek

Ματταθίας is the personal name “Mattathias.” In Scripture it appears in Luke’s genealogy, where it functions as one link among successive “son of” relationships in the listed line.

Occurrences

Luke 3:25 — “the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,”

Here “Mattathias” is embedded in a chain of descent expressed through repeated filial phrasing. The name is not introduced with narrative detail or description; it serves the genealogical purpose of marking a particular generation between “the son of” relationships on either side. In this verse Mattathias stands between “the son of” and “the son of Amos,” so the name contributes a specific point of connection in Luke’s ordered list of ancestors. The immediate context is deliberately formulaic: it stacks names without commentary, and “Mattathias” participates in that pattern as a fixed identifier within the lineage.

Luke 3:26 — “the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,”

This second occurrence places “Mattathias” within another segment of the same genealogical sequence. The verse again uses the repetitive structure “the son of X,” with the name positioned between “Maath” and “Semein.” Within the flow of the list, “Mattathias” functions as a hinge: it receives the line from “Maath” and passes it on toward “Semein,” maintaining the continuity and order of descent that the genealogy is constructing. The wording treats each name as equally weight-bearing for the list’s purpose; “Mattathias” therefore contributes by preserving the unbroken succession from one named ancestor to the next.

Sense and Usage

As a proper name, “Mattathias” operates in Luke 3 in a strictly referential way: it identifies an individual in a lineage rather than describing an action, quality, or role. The genealogy’s repeated syntax creates a rhythm in which personal names are the primary content, and the significance of each name is carried by its placement in relation to neighboring names. In both occurrences, “Mattathias” is framed by two surrounding generations, which is precisely how the genealogy communicates identity—through relational positioning (“the son of … the son of …”) rather than through biographical narration.

The two attestations show the name used consistently: each time it appears, it is governed by the same familial formula and contributes the same kind of information. The line does not pause to distinguish one bearer of the name from another by epithet, occupation, geography, or any additional marker. Instead, Luke’s method distinguishes individuals primarily by adjacency: “Mattathias” is the person who stands in this slot, linked upward and downward by the same phrase. That slot-based identification is strengthened by the way the genealogy groups names into short strings (as in “Amos… Nahum… Esli… Naggai” and “Semein… Joseph… Judah”), where the reader is meant to take the entire chain as a single statement of descent.

The placement of “Mattathias” in two consecutive verses also highlights the genealogy’s density. Each verse presents multiple names, and the repetition of the “son of” pattern means that the name’s contribution is not thematic but structural: it is one of the necessary pieces that allow the genealogy to name each generational step. Within that structure, “Mattathias” does not function as a title or category but as an individual designation whose value lies in precision—anchoring the sequence so that descent can be traced through named persons rather than left as a general claim.

Because the text offers no descriptive phrases attached to “Mattathias,” the name’s force is carried by the genealogy’s logic: ancestry is articulated as a set of explicit links, and each link must be named. In both Luke 3:25 and Luke 3:26, “Mattathias” is one such named link, contributing to the genealogy’s cumulative portrayal of an ordered and continuous line.

Genealogical Imagery

In these verses the imagery is that of a chain: each “son of” connection resembles a joined sequence of names, where identity is presented through relationship. “Mattathias” appears as one joining point in that chain, receiving the line from one predecessor and extending it to the next, so that the genealogy reads as a continuous descent expressed through successive personal names.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).