Matthew 5:18
Encyclopedia
Matthew 5:18 is the eighteenth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
. Jesus
has just reported that he came not to destroy the law, but fulfil it. In this verse this claim is reinforced.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:18
The opening "for truly I say to you," which can also be translated as "amen
I say to you," is the first occurrence of one of the author of Matthew's favourite turns of phrase. Boring notes that it occurs thirty-two more times in the Gospel.Schweizer states that it was a typical statement among Koine Greek
speaking Jews, but could also have sometimes been used by Aramaic speakers like Jesus.
This verse is the origin of two common English expressions. In Greek the word translated as jot in the KJV is iota
, and "not one iota" is used to refer to something with not even the smallest change. The expression "dotting the Is and crossing the Ts", meaning paying attention to detail or putting the final touches on something, also has its origin in this verse.
Jesus probably would have been speaking about the Aramaic alphabet, see Aramaic of Jesus
, and scholars have long tried to guess what would originally have been referred to by this phrase. Iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet
, and was often left out by transcribers, however, since only capitals were used at the time the Greek New Testament
was written (Ι), it probably represents the Aramaic yodh
(י) which is the smallest letter of the Aramaic alphabet
, and like iota it was frequently forgotten.. Lachs notes that this expression only works with the Aramaic alphabet or square script, and not the Ancient Hebrew alphabet
. This is historically consisted as the Aramaic script had largely displaced the ancient on by this period.
The word translated as tittle
in the KJV in Greek is kereia, and there is much debate as to what it might have referred to. The word kereia literally translates as horn
s. One possibility is that it refers to the decorative crowns placed atop some Hebrew letters, this would not work for Jesus, however, as such markings only began to be used in the later part of the first century. Burkitt feels it would have been waw
, the second smallest letter. Gundry notes that it could also have referred to the small projections that separate certain letters. It could refer to accents in Greek but more likely hooks on Aramaic letters, (ב) versus (כ), or additional marks such as crowns (as Vulgate
apex) found in Jewish Bibles.
The main debate over the interpretation of this verse is just how absolute it is. Schweizer feels that "until heaven and earth pass away" means that the Mosaic Law will only last until the end times
, and will be superseded in the messianic age
. He argues that the opening "for truly I say to you" is "typical of statements concerning the eschaton." He also believes that this verse is a modification of the clearly eschatological one at Mark 13:31. France disagrees feeling that "until heaven and earth pass away" is simply an idiom for the inconceivable.
"Until all things are accomplished" is also the subject of controversy. It is uncertain what all is referring to and how it will be accomplished. France lists three interpretations: until the end of the world, until all the requirements of the Law are met, until the arrival of the messiah. The three interpretations all imply very different understandings of how absolute Mosaic law is for Christians in the current era (see also antinomianism
).
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
. Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
has just reported that he came not to destroy the law, but fulfil it. In this verse this claim is reinforced.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- For verily I say unto you, Till
- heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
- tittle shall in no wise pass from
- the law, till all be fulfilled.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven
- and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter
- or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away
- from the law, until all things are accomplished.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:18
The opening "for truly I say to you," which can also be translated as "amen
Amen
The word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
I say to you," is the first occurrence of one of the author of Matthew's favourite turns of phrase. Boring notes that it occurs thirty-two more times in the Gospel.Schweizer states that it was a typical statement among Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
speaking Jews, but could also have sometimes been used by Aramaic speakers like Jesus.
This verse is the origin of two common English expressions. In Greek the word translated as jot in the KJV is iota
Iota
Iota is the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 10. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Yodh . Letters that arose from this letter include the Roman I and J and the Cyrillic І , Yi , Je , and iotified letters .Iota represents...
, and "not one iota" is used to refer to something with not even the smallest change. The expression "dotting the Is and crossing the Ts", meaning paying attention to detail or putting the final touches on something, also has its origin in this verse.
Jesus probably would have been speaking about the Aramaic alphabet, see Aramaic of Jesus
Aramaic of Jesus
It is generally agreed that the historical Jesus primarily spoke Aramaic, perhaps along with some Hebrew and Greek . The towns of Nazareth and Capernaum, where Jesus lived, were primarily Aramaic-speaking communities, although Greek was widely spoken in the major cities of the Eastern Mediterranean...
, and scholars have long tried to guess what would originally have been referred to by this phrase. Iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
, and was often left out by transcribers, however, since only capitals were used at the time the Greek New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
was written (Ι), it probably represents the Aramaic yodh
Yodh
Yodh is the tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Yud , Syriac and Arabic...
(י) which is the smallest letter of the Aramaic alphabet
Aramaic alphabet
The Aramaic alphabet is adapted from the Phoenician alphabet and became distinctive from it by the 8th century BC. The letters all represent consonants, some of which are matres lectionis, which also indicate long vowels....
, and like iota it was frequently forgotten.. Lachs notes that this expression only works with the Aramaic alphabet or square script, and not the Ancient Hebrew alphabet
Paleo-Hebrew alphabet
The Paleo-Hebrew alphabet , is an abjad offshoot of the ancient Semitic alphabet, identical to the Phoenician alphabet. At the very least it dates to the 10th century BCE...
. This is historically consisted as the Aramaic script had largely displaced the ancient on by this period.
The word translated as tittle
Tittle
A tittle is a small distinguishing mark, such as a diacritic or the dot on a lowercase i or j. The tittle is an integral part of the glyph of i and j, but diacritic dots can appear over other letters in various languages...
in the KJV in Greek is kereia, and there is much debate as to what it might have referred to. The word kereia literally translates as horn
Horn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
s. One possibility is that it refers to the decorative crowns placed atop some Hebrew letters, this would not work for Jesus, however, as such markings only began to be used in the later part of the first century. Burkitt feels it would have been waw
Waw (letter)
Waw is the sixth letter of the Northwest Semitic family of scripts, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic ....
, the second smallest letter. Gundry notes that it could also have referred to the small projections that separate certain letters. It could refer to accents in Greek but more likely hooks on Aramaic letters, (ב) versus (כ), or additional marks such as crowns (as Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
apex) found in Jewish Bibles.
The main debate over the interpretation of this verse is just how absolute it is. Schweizer feels that "until heaven and earth pass away" means that the Mosaic Law will only last until the end times
End times
The end time, end times, or end of days is a time period described in the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions...
, and will be superseded in the messianic age
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
. He argues that the opening "for truly I say to you" is "typical of statements concerning the eschaton." He also believes that this verse is a modification of the clearly eschatological one at Mark 13:31. France disagrees feeling that "until heaven and earth pass away" is simply an idiom for the inconceivable.
"Until all things are accomplished" is also the subject of controversy. It is uncertain what all is referring to and how it will be accomplished. France lists three interpretations: until the end of the world, until all the requirements of the Law are met, until the arrival of the messiah. The three interpretations all imply very different understandings of how absolute Mosaic law is for Christians in the current era (see also antinomianism
Antinomianism
Antinomianism is defined as holding that, under the gospel dispensation of grace, moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation....
).