{"id":46013,"date":"2021-04-24T21:16:02","date_gmt":"2021-04-24T18:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=46013"},"modified":"2025-05-16T22:27:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T19:27:05","slug":"what-is-a-jot-in-matthew-518","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2021\/04\/24\/what-is-a-jot-in-matthew-518\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a \u201cJot\u201d in Matthew 5:18?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Let\u2019s <\/span>begin <\/span>by <\/span>reading <\/span>the <\/span>passage:<\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew <\/span>5:<\/span>18 (<\/span>KJV):<\/span><\/strong>
“<\/span>For <\/span>verily <\/span>I <\/span>say <\/span>unto <\/span>you, <\/span>Till <\/span>heaven <\/span>and <\/span>earth <\/span>pass, <\/span>one <\/span>jot <\/span>or <\/span>one <\/span>tittle <\/span>shall <\/span>in <\/span>no <\/span>wise <\/span>pass <\/span>from <\/span>the <\/span>law, <\/span>till <\/span>all <\/span>be <\/span>fulfilled.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In <\/span>this <\/span>verse, <\/span>Jesus <\/span>makes <\/span>a <\/span>striking <\/span>statement <\/span>about <\/span>the <\/span>permanence <\/span>of <\/span>God\u2019s <\/span>Word. <\/span>But <\/span>what <\/span>does <\/span>He <\/span>mean <\/span>by \u201c<\/span>jot\u201d <\/span>and \u201c<\/span>tittle\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Meaning <\/span>of \u201c<\/span>Jot\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>word <\/span>\u201c<\/span>jot\u201d<\/span><\/strong> refers <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>smallest <\/span>letter<\/span><\/strong> in <\/span>the <\/span>Hebrew <\/span>alphabet: <\/span>yod (<\/span>\u05d9)<\/span><\/strong>. <\/span>It\u2019s <\/span>equivalent <\/span>to <\/span>an <\/span>apostrophe <\/span>or <\/span>the <\/span>smallest <\/span>stroke <\/span>used <\/span>in <\/span>writing. <\/span>The <\/span>\u201c<\/span>tittle\u201d<\/span><\/strong> refers <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>tiniest <\/span>stroke <\/span>or <\/span>accent <\/span>mark<\/span><\/strong> that <\/span>differentiates <\/span>letters. <\/span>In <\/span>modern <\/span>terms, <\/span>think <\/span>of <\/span>how <\/span>a <\/span>lowercase \u201c<\/span>i\u201d <\/span>has <\/span>a <\/span>dot\u2014<\/span>removing <\/span>that <\/span>dot <\/span>doesn\u2019t <\/span>change <\/span>much <\/span>in <\/span>appearance, <\/span>but <\/span>it <\/span>matters <\/span>in <\/span>precision. <\/span>In <\/span>essence, <\/span>Jesus <\/span>is <\/span>saying <\/span>that <\/span>not <\/span>even <\/span>the <\/span>smallest <\/span>detail <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>Law <\/span>will <\/span>pass <\/span>away<\/span><\/strong> until <\/span>it <\/span>is <\/span>completely <\/span>fulfilled.<\/span><\/p>\n

To <\/span>put <\/span>it <\/span>simply, <\/span>nothing <\/span>in <\/span>God’s <\/span>Word <\/span>is <\/span>accidental, <\/span>insignificant, <\/span>or <\/span>outdated<\/span><\/strong>. <\/span>Every <\/span>command, <\/span>every <\/span>letter\u2014<\/span>even <\/span>the <\/span>smallest <\/span>detail\u2014<\/span>is <\/span>divinely <\/span>inspired <\/span>and <\/span>enduring.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus <\/span>Did <\/span>Not <\/span>Abolish <\/span>the <\/span>Law\u2014<\/span>He <\/span>Fulfilled <\/span>It<\/span><\/h3>\n

This <\/span>statement <\/span>by <\/span>Jesus <\/span>is <\/span>rooted <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>preceding <\/span>verse:<\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew <\/span>5:<\/span>17 (<\/span>ESV):<\/span><\/strong>
“<\/span>Do <\/span>not <\/span>think <\/span>that <\/span>I <\/span>have <\/span>come <\/span>to <\/span>abolish <\/span>the <\/span>Law <\/span>or <\/span>the <\/span>Prophets; <\/span>I <\/span>have <\/span>not <\/span>come <\/span>to <\/span>abolish <\/span>them <\/span>but <\/span>to <\/span>fulfill <\/span>them.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus <\/span>didn\u2019t <\/span>come <\/span>to <\/span>cancel <\/span>the <\/span>Old <\/span>Testament <\/span>laws <\/span>but <\/span>to <\/span>bring <\/span>them <\/span>to <\/span>their <\/span>fullest <\/span>meaning<\/span><\/strong>. <\/span>For <\/span>example:<\/span><\/p>\n