Matthew declares 3 × 14 generations (1:17), and 14 = the gematria of דָּוִד / David (4+6+4). The third set counts short — but all witnesses agree exactly, so this is Matthew’s deliberate compression, not a transmission loss: he cut Ahaziah · Joash · Amaziah and Jehoiakim — the cursed Athaliah/Ahab bloodline, the cut-count (3) echoing the curse’s “third generation” (Ex 20:5). Surface design = David’s number; the hand is the author’s, nothing to recover.