Matthew 1:17 is the seventeenth verse of the first chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse is the conclusion to the section where the genealogy of Joseph, the step-father of Jesus, is listed. Text The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads: In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. The World English Bible translates the passage as: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the exile to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon to the Christ, fourteen generations. For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 1:17. Reasons for the summary The numbers may be linked to , which states that seventy weeks of years, or 490 years, would pass between the restoration of Jerusalem and the coming of the messiah. Since generations were commonly placed at 35 years, this means exactly 14 generations. W. D. Davies and Dale Allison also note that this might be linked to the lunar calendar. The lunar month is 28 days, 14 days of waxing and 14 days of waning. Thus the first grouping could be the initial waxing to David, the next fourteen the waning to the Babylonian captivity and the last period the waxing towards Jesus. The number 14 is itself important. It is twice 7, which was considered a holy number. David's name, when turned into numbers, adds up to fourteen. 3 groups of 14 is the same of 6 groups of 7. W. D. Davies and Dale Allison mention a theory that the first six periods reflect the first six days of the week; with Jesus begins the seventh day, that of the eternal Sabbath. Matthew's enumeration may be an average estimate of the periodical generations in Israel's history, but probably to imply that Israel was due for the coming of its Messiah with the birth of Jesus, just as in the case with the new Elijah in Matthew 3:4. Some interpretations focus on the symbolism of the number fourteen without accounting for the aspect of three. The three series of fourteens divide the generations into three distinct periods, by beginning and