making the list easier to memorize, are probably meant to tell us something. Almost certainly the careful emphasis on the number 14 (Matt. 1:17) would prompt Jewish readers to remember that the numerical value of David’s name in Hebrew was 14. (In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value. Hence dwd, when d=4 and w=6, stands for 4 + 6 + 4, which equals 14). In other words, this is a subtle way of emphasizing David’s importance—and therefore the truth that Jesus is the promised Son of David. One of