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:

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 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

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.

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. The word translated as tittle in the KJV in Greek is kereia, literally horns, but is believed to have referred to small marks used to distinguish letters. Jesus probably would have been speaking about the Aramaic alphabet, see Aramaic of Jesus, and

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feels that "until heaven and earth pass away" means that the Mosaic Law will only last until the end times, and will be superseded in the messianic age.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).

References

• France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985.
• Hill, David. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981
• Gundry, Robert H. Matthew a Commentary on his Literary and Theological Art. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.
• Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975