Not one jot or one tittle...
Idioms, sayings & word pictures from the Biblical times, cultures and locations, and their application to us today
The well known words ‘jot’ and ‘tittle’ which have entered regular English parlance were first introduced to us in our KJV bibles.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
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
- Matthew 5:17-18 KJV
The widely agreed conclusion from this verse is that God’s word does not change, and is well corroborated with other passages. (see Appendix). This post takes us deeper into its origins and also applications for our daily walk.
The Jot and the Tittle
Here is the Greek with translation & transliteration for part of the verse Matt 5:18
QUESTIONS TO PONDER ON . . .
Why were the words ‘iota’ and ‘keraia’ picked by the writers?
How did the ‘jot’ and ‘tittle’ come into parlance?
the ‘Jot’
The letter ‘yod’ is the smallest letter in Hebrew, and the gospel writer had this in mind when he used the corresponding smallest letter in Greek, the ‘iota’ in Matt 5:18
Since early English transliterated the ‘io’ sound to ‘j’ ( similar to how, ‘Iesous’ the greek form of ‘Yeshua’ became ‘Jesus’) - the word ‘jot’ was used by the English translators instead of ‘iota’.
the ‘Tittle’
Several hebrew letters could be distinguished only by a tiny protrusion in one of the letters. a very minor difference that could be easily missed if the text was not carefully written or read from.
In the example given above, the hebrew letters ‘Beth’ and ‘Kaf’ have this minor difference. Even in English, we use such a distinction between the letters ‘O’ and Q’. A careless scribe, therefore, might cause letters to be substituted and therefore its meaning!!
So, in summary, not the smallest thing can be added (a jot) or taken away or modified (a tittle) to God’s law!
SUMMARY & APPLICATION IN OUR LIVES
TL; DR : This summarizes the implications from a proper reading of Matthew 5:18 along the verses quoted in the Appendix section.
The Lord (YHWH) is eternal and He exists outside of time.
God’s Word (Torah/Law) was created before the foundations of the heavens and the earth were laid
The heavens and the earth were created by His Word (our pre-incarnate Messiah - John 1:1)
His promise to Abraham cannot change because He swore an oath, which itself cannot change.
As inheritors of the Abrahamic covenant, we can rest assured in our salvation, secured by the once and for all perfect sacrifice of His only beloved son, our Messiah.
We now need to understand and observe the Torah/Law, not for our salvation (already obtained for us by a once-and-for-all sacrifice of His only begotten son Jesus) but as an act of love & gratitude to the Lord.
Beware of teachers or teachings or denominations who add to God’s Word (the jot principle) or take away or minimize God’s Word (the tittle principle).
APPENDIX
How the word ‘law’ came to be used for the ‘torah’
The first five books of the bible, known as the ‘Torah’ or the ‘Pentateuch’ have been traditionally held as God’s explicitly provided words. The first 4 books ( Genesis, Exodus, Numbers and Leviticus )are considered as literally spelt out by God himself to Moses, while the fifth book, Deuteronomy was written by Moses with instructions from God.
The greek word ‘nomos’ used in the LXX translation does not capture the full meaning of ‘torah’ but is the word used in the 1st century CE to denote the Torah.
The latin word ‘lex’ was used by Jerome in his ‘Vulgate’ translation, and further English translations used ‘law’.
This word ‘law’ registers differently in our minds rather than the word ‘instructions’ which is the original meaning in hebrew, and needs to be constantly kept in mind as we read the scriptures.
Verses & contexts that testify to the Torah / Law never changing
Jesus based his teaching in Matthew 5:18 grounded on the understanding of these and other scriptures:
God’s law cannot change because God himself cannot change.
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? - Numbers 23:19 ESV
God, by his own words, attests that He cannot change
“For I the Lord do not change; …”
- Malachi 3:6a ESV
God has additionally taken an oath that He will not change
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, …
- Psalm 110:4a ESV
and here, where He is compared to the heavens, that are His creation, which also will pass away.
Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
but you are the same, and your years have no end.
— Psalm 102:25-27 ESV
His plans too (including those for us) will never change.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
— Psalm 33:11 ESV
This is the context in which Jesus makes his famous statement in Matt 5:17-18 as part of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ to the audience, and the audience were astonished by his teachings (Matt 7:28) but could have no objections because He taught with authority and very grounded on the scriptures (Tanakh).
This principle of the Lord and His words (the Torah or Law) never changing is again well attested by the apostles too.
So that by two unchangeable things [the promise and the oath], in which it is impossible for God to lie,
— Hebrews 6:18a ESV
Peter confirms that this Word is the gospel that was preached by the apostles.
24 for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
— 1 Peter 1:24-25
From the above, the promises made to Abraham (attested to and codified in the Torah and elsewhere) too cannot change.
May God bless us all and open our eyes, so that we may behold the wonderful things from His law ( paraphrased from Psalm 119:18)