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Do you know what “jot” and “tittle” mean anyway?
Most of us don’t.
Memorize This Week
For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Matthew 5:18 (ESV)
Not an Iota, Not a Dot
Can you read this?
The huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
You probably know it says this: The human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.
We can work around mistakes here and there.
But still. Every letter matters. (Ask anyone whose name has been misspelled on their passport or driver’s license.)
So in this week’s memory verse, Matthew 5:18, what did Jesus mean when He said that not an iota (KJV: jot) nor a dot (KJV: tittle) would pass away until the Law was accomplished?
Literally, iota and jot come from the same word. The Greek letter iota (Strong’s G2503) is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet (from the Hebrew jot, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet). When Latin scholars transcribed it, they could spell jot starting with either an i or a j (variants of each other), so we get either iota or jota (jot).
Iota means the smallest part of anything.
Dot (or tittle) comes from the Greek word keraia (Strong’s G2762). It means a little horn, apex, point.
Tittle is a grammatical term, indicating the little accent marks used above letters. Many Hebrew words were written with small points above them, distinguishing one letter apart from another. A “little horn” here or there could totally change the meaning of a word.
Perfection
Jesus was telling his audience that even the tiniest of letters, the tiniest of dots above the letters, wouldn’t disappear until His job was completed.
Imagine that.
Jesus was perfect. He accomplished His mission perfectly, down to the last jot and tittle.
Jesus is still perfect today. He notices all. He cares for all.
As we memorize this week, let’s thank Him for His perfect attentiveness to every detail about us and our lives. We could have no better Savior.
Please share your thoughts here.
I’m so thankful for His grace that covers all of my imperfections!
Me, too, Dianna! God’s grace is a gift we can never fully appreciate in all its glory.
In just two days of reading the letters, then reading the verse, i have memorized Matthew 5 :18. Wow! i am pleasantly SURPRISED! Thank you.
Awesome, John! It’s amazing how well it works to practice with the letters.