Fourteen is the Number

There are fascinating references to Yeshua in  Genesis 25.  Verse 19 begins, “These are the generations of Isaac.”  The word for generations is toledot.  Matthew 1:1 begins in the same manner by stating, “The book of the genealogy (toledot) of Yeshua the Messiah.”  The Hebrew gospel of Matthew uses the word toledot, rather than the word genealogy.  

Matthew 1:1 does more than provide a simple genealogy for the Messiah.  Some names in Yeshua’s family line are missing.  It was a normal practice for an ancient genealogical record to omit names in order to prove a point.  This is what Matthew does.

Matthew built Yeshua’s genealogy around the number 14.  “Thus there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the Babylonian Exile, and fourteen generations from the Babylonian Exile to the Messiah” (Matthew 1:17).

There is a pattern of fourteens here.  The question is, Why?  The answer may surprise you.  Fourteen is the numeric value of David’s name.  David is spelled Dalet Vav Dalet.  Dalet has a value of four, and Vav has a value of six.  Added together, all three letters total fourteen.  

Three sets of fourteen in Yeshua’s genealogy communicated a powerful message.  Matthew intended to prove that Yeshua was the son of King David.  Yeshua was the legitimate Son of David, not just on a plain level – but a secret level.  He was the longed-for Messiah, and the future king who would one day sit on David’s throne.  

Yeshua’s hidden connection with David, through the number fourteen, is waiting to be discovered by everyone who researches the value of Hebrew letters.

Published April 21, 2017

Valerie MoodyComment