Matthew 5:18

Last updated
Matthew 5:18
  5:17
5:19  
Sermon on the Mount (1960) - panoramio.jpg
The Sermon on the Mount (1960), a statue of Jesus in Oaklawn Memorial Gardens - Washington Park Cemetery Association, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
Book Gospel of Matthew
Christian Bible part New Testament

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. In the previous verse, Jesus has stated that he came not to destroy the law, but fulfill it. In this verse, this claim is reinforced.

Contents

Content

In the New International 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 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.

The Novum Testamentum Graece text is:

ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἕως ἂν παρέλθῃ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ, ἰῶτα ἓν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου, ἕως ἂν πάντα γένηται.

Analysis

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. Eugene Boring notes that it occurs thirty-two more times in the Gospel. [1] 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. [2]

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 consistent as the Aramaic script had largely displaced the ancient one by this period. [3]

The word translated as tittle in the KJV in Greek is keraia, and there is much debate as to what it might have referred to. The word keraia literally translates as horns. [4] 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. [5] 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. [6] 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. [2] France disagrees feeling that "until heaven and earth pass away" is simply an idiom for the inconceivable. [7]

"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). [7]

Commentary from the Church Fathers

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But since all things which should befal from the very beginning of the world to the end of it, were in type and figure foreshown in the Law, that God may not be thought to be ignorant of any of those things that take place, He therefore here declares, that heaven and earth should not pass till all things thus foreshown in the Law should have their actual accomplishment. [8]

Saint Remigius: Amen is a Hebrew word, and may be rendered in Latin, 'vere,' 'fidenter,' or 'fiat;' that is, 'truly,' 'faithfully,' or 'so be it.' The Lord uses it either because of the hardness of heart of those who were slow to believe, or to attract more particularly the attention of those that did believe. [8]

Hilary of Poitiers: From the expression here used pass, we may suppose that the constituting elements of heaven and earth shall not be annihilated. [8]

Saint Remigius: But shall abide in their essence, but pass through renewal. [8]

Augustine: By the words, one iota or one point shall not pass from the Law, we must understand only a strong metaphor of completeness, drawn from the letters of writing, iota being the least of the letters, made with one stroke of the pen, and a point being a slight dot at the end of the same letter. The words there show that the Law shall be completed to the very least matter. [8]

Rabanus Maurus: He fitly mentions the Greek iota, and not the Hebrew jod, because the iota stands in Greek for the number ten, and so there is an allusion to the Decalogue of which the Gospel is the point and perfection. [8]

Pseudo-Chrysostom: If even an honourable man blushes to be found in a falsehood, and a wise man lets not fall empty any word he has once spoken, how could it be that the words of heaven should fall to the ground empty? Hence He concludes, Whoso shall break the least of these commandments, &c. And, I suppose, the Lord goes on to reply Himself to the question, Which are the least commandments? Namely, these which I am now about to speak. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sayings of Jesus on the cross</span> Seven expressions of Jesus during his crucifixion

The sayings of Jesus on the cross are seven expressions biblically attributed to Jesus during his crucifixion. Traditionally, the brief sayings have been called "words".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament</span> Designations for Jesus used in the New Testament

Two names and a variety of titles are used to refer to Jesus in the New Testament. In Christianity, the two names Jesus and Emmanuel that refer to Jesus in the New Testament have salvific attributes. After the crucifixion of Jesus the early Church did not simply repeat his messages, but focused on him, proclaimed him, and tried to understand and explain his message. One element of the process of understanding and proclaiming Jesus was the attribution of titles to him. Some of the titles that were gradually used in the early Church and then appeared in the New Testament were adopted from the Jewish context of the age, while others were selected to refer to, and underscore the message, mission and teachings of Jesus. In time, some of these titles gathered significant Christological significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tittle</span> Diacritical mark, the dot element of the letters i and j

The tittle or superscript dot is the dot on top of lowercase i and j. The tittle is an integral part of these glyphs, but diacritic dots can appear over other letters in various languages. In most languages, the tittle of i or j is omitted when a diacritic is placed in the tittle's usual position, but not when the diacritic appears elsewhere.

Yodh is the tenth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician yōd 𐤉, Hebrew yudי‎, Aramaic yod 𐡉, Syriac yōḏ ܝ, and Arabic yāʾي‎. Its sound value is in all languages for which it is used; in many languages, it also serves as a long vowel, representing.

There exists a consensus among scholars that the language of Jesus and his disciples was Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of Judea in the first century AD. The villages of Nazareth and Capernaum in Galilee, where Jesus spent most of his time, were Aramaic-speaking communities. Jesus probably spoke a Galilean variant of the language, distinguishable from that of Jerusalem. Based on the symbolic renaming or nicknaming of some of his apostles it is also likely that Jesus or at least one of his apostles knew enough Koine Greek to converse with those not native to Judea. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was well versed in Hebrew for religious purposes.

The Gospel of the Nazarenes is the traditional but hypothetical name given by some scholars to distinguish some of the references to, or citations of, non-canonical Jewish-Christian Gospels extant in patristic writings from other citations believed to derive from different Gospels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:13</span> Verse of the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 5:13 is the thirteenth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is part of the Sermon on the Mount, the first of a series of metaphors immediately following the Beatitudes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 2:23</span> Verse of the Bible

Matthew 2:23 is the twenty-third verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The young Jesus and the Holy Family have just returned from Egypt and in this verse are said to settle in Nazareth. This is the final verse of Matthew's infancy narrative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 6:11</span> Verse of the New Testament; part of the Lords Prayer

Matthew 6:11 is the eleventh verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and forms part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse is the third one of the Lord's Prayer, one of the best known parts of the entire New Testament. This brief verse contains the fourth petition to God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:5</span> Fifth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 5:5 is the fifth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is the third verse of the Sermon on the Mount, and also the third of what are known as the Beatitudes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Matthew 5 is the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It contains the first portion of the Sermon on the Mount, the other portions of which are contained in chapters 6 and 7. Portions are similar to the Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6, but much of the material is found only in Matthew. It is one of the most discussed and analyzed chapters of the New Testament. Warren Kissinger reports that among early Christians, no chapter was more often cited by early scholars. The same is true in modern scholarship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:12</span> Verse of the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 5:12 is the twelfth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is the tenth verse of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse is generally seen as part of an expansion of the eight Beatitude, others see it as the second half of the ninth Beatitude, a small group feel it is the tenth Beatitude and thus brings to a close a second Decalogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:19</span> Verse of the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 5:19 is the nineteenth 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 reported that he came not to destroy the law, but fulfil it. In this verse he perhaps continues to reinforce this claim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:21</span> Verse of the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 5:21 is the twenty-first verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. It opens the first of what have traditionally been known as the Antitheses in which Jesus compares the current interpretation of a part of Mosaic Law with how it should actually be understood. This verse begins the discussion of murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:22</span> Verse of the Bible

Matthew 5:22 is the twenty-second verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. It is the first of what have traditionally been known as the 6 Antitheses. In this one, Jesus compares the current interpretation of "You shall not murder" from the Ten Commandments with his own interpretation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:26</span> Verse of the Bible

Matthew 5:26 is the twenty-sixth 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 warned that if you do not reconcile with your enemies a judge is likely to throw you in jail. In this verse Jesus mentions that your debts must be paid completely before one can leave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:35–36</span> Verses in the New Testament

Matthew 5:35 and Matthew 5:36 are the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth verses of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. They are part of the Sermon on the Mount. These verses are part of either the third or fourth antithesis, the discussion of oaths. Jesus tells his listeners in Matthew 5:34 "to not swear oaths" and in here presents examples of swearing oaths. In context, this passage refers not to the modern understanding of cursing or using foul language, but rather, the act of swearing oaths and making promises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 6:1</span>

Matthew 6:1 is the first verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse begins the discussion of how even good deeds can be done for the wrong reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 18</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew contains the fourth of the five Discourses of Matthew, also called the Discourse on the Church or the ecclesiastical discourse. It compares "the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven" to a child, and also includes the parables of the lost sheep and the unforgiving servant, the second of which also refers to the Kingdom of Heaven. The general themes of the discourse are the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role and "spiritual condition" of his apostles in leading it.

"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" is a phrase that appears both in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible, in the Book of Psalms, as well as in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, as one of the sayings of Jesus on the cross, according to Matthew 27:46 and also Mark 15:34.

References

  1. Boring, Eugene "Gospel of Matthew." The New Interpreter's Bible, volume 8 Abingdon, 1995 pg. 187
  2. 1 2 Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975
  3. Lachs, Samuel Tobias. "Some Textual Observations on the Sermon on the Mount." The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1978 pg. 106
  4. The standard reference for NT Greek is A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, Bauer, Gingrich, Danker, et al. Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon for keraia is here:
  5. Lachs, Samuel Tobias. "Some Textual Observations on the Sermon on the Mount." The Jewish Quarterly Review, 1978 pg. 107
  6. Gundry, Robert H. Matthew a Commentary on his Literary and Theological Art. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.
  7. 1 2 France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Catena Aurea: commentary on the four Gospels; collected out of the works of the Fathers. Oxford: Parker, 1874. Thomas Aquinas".PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
Preceded by
Matthew 5:17
Gospel of Matthew
Chapter 5
Succeeded by
Matthew 5:19