Addi

Addi (meaning ornament or my witness) appears in Luke's genealogy of Jesus Christ as the son of Cosam and the father of Melchi, placing him in the ancestral line between David and Joseph. He is listed in Luke 3:28 among the generations between Zerubbabel and Neri in the post-exilic portion of the genealogy. As with many figures in the genealogical lists of Luke 3, Addi is known only by name and lineage without further biographical information in the biblical text.

His inclusion in Luke's genealogy, which traces the descent of Jesus through Mary's line according to many interpreters, reflects Luke's concern to ground the messianic identity of Jesus in the full sweep of Israel's history from Adam forward. Addi occupies a place in the generation following the return from Babylonian exile.