Nathan (Hebrew: נתן, Modern Natan Tiberian Nāṯān) was the third of four sons born to King David and Bathsheba in Jerusalem.[1] He was an older brother of Solomon.
In the New Testament, the genealogy of Jesus according to the Gospel of Luke traces Jesus' lineage back to King David through the line of Nathan,[2] although the Gospel of Matthew traces it through Solomon.[3] One conventional explanation, from as early as John of Damascus, is that Nathan is the ancestor of Mary (mother of Jesus), Solomon the ancestor of Mary's husband Joseph. Another explanation is that Joseph was himself adopted, and one of the genealogies is his biological genealogy, where the other is his adoptive genealogy, since several ancient texts identify Mary's father as Joachim.
Nathan is also mentioned to be the son of David in 2 Samuel 5:14, & 1 Chronicles 3:5 & 14:4.