Three times fourteen generations (Matthew 1:17)

This is a very puzzling verse, very early in the New Testament:

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

All Bible students soon learn that this verse is not to be interpreted in the most obvious sense that a Western reader would choose. In Matthew's list, some names have been omitted. The 14-14-14 pattern is only achieved through means of those omissions. If we add in the missing individuals, the symmetry (and divisibility by seven) disappears.

Read more about how to understand this verse in the article on my website.