For verily I say unto you
Or "I Amen say unto you", which is one of the names of Christ;
see ( Revelation
3:14 ) or the word "Amen" is only used by Christ as an
asseveration of what he was about to say; and which, for greater
confirmation, is usually doubled in the Evangelist John, "Amen,
Amen", or "verily, verily". The word is used by the Jews
F23 for an oath; they swore by it; and
it is a rule with them, that whoever answers "Amen" after an
oath, it is all one as if he had pronounced the oath itself. The
thing so strongly affirmed in this solemn manner is,
till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in
no wise
pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
The (iwta) "or jot", in the
Greek language, answers to "jod" in the Hebrew, the least of all
the letters in the alphabet; hence a little city is called by
this name, and this reason is given for it, F24
(twytwab hnjq dwyv) ,
"because that jod is the least among letters". We read also of
Rabbi Jod F25, perhaps so called because
(Njq hyh) , he was little,
as the author of Juchasin observes F26. This shows in what
language the law was written; not in the Samaritan language, for
the jod in that is a large letter, but in the Hebrew, in which it
is very small; and particularly is written in a very diminutive
character, in ( Deuteronomy
32:18 ) "by one tittle" some think is meant one of those
ducts, dashes, or corners of letters, which distinguish one
letter from another, that are much alike; others have thought
that one of the pricks or vowel points is intended; others, one
of those little strokes in the tops of letters, which the Jews
call F1 "crowns" and "spikes", is here
meant, in which they imagined great mysteries were contained; and
there were some persons among them, who made it their business to
search into the meaning of every letter, and of everyone of these
little horns, or pricks, that were upon the top of them. So says
R. Meir F2,
``in the time of the prophets there were such who very diligently searched every letter in the law, and explained every letter by itself; and do not wonder at this that they should expound every letter by itself, for they commented (twaw twa lk lv Uwqw Uwq lk le) , upon everyone of the tops of each letter.''Such an expounder was Akiba ben Joseph F3. To which custom Christ is here supposed to have respect: however, certain it is that he speaks very much in the language, and agreeably to the mind of the Jewish doctors; and some things in their writings will serve to illustrate this passage,
``If, (say they F4,) all the nations of the world were gathered together, "to root one word out of the law", they could not do it; which you may learn from Solomon, who sought to root "one letter out of the law", the letter "jod", in ( Deuteronomy 17:16 Deuteronomy 17:17 ) but the holy blessed God said, Solomon shall cease, and an hundred such as he (in the Talmud F5 it is a thousand such as he) (Mlwel hlyjb hnya Kmm) (dwyw) , "but, jod shall not cease from thee (the law) for ever".''And elsewhere the same expression is used F6, and it is added,
``(ljbm ynya Kmm huwqw) , "but a tittle from thee shall not perish."''
The design of Christ, in conformity to the language of the Jews, is to declare, that no part of the law, not one of the least commandments in it, as he explains himself in the next verse, should be unaccomplished; but all should be fulfilled before "heaven and earth pass" away, as they will, with a great noise and fervent heat, as to their present form and condition; or sooner shall they pass away, than the least part of the law shall: which expresses the perpetuity of the law, and the impossibility of its passing away, and the superior excellency of it to the heavens and the earth. It is a saying of one of the Jewish doctors F7, that
``the whole world is not equal even to one word out of the law,''in which it is said, there is not one letter deficient or superfluous.
F23 T. Hieros. Kiddushin, fol. 60. 4. Misn. Bava Kama, c. 9. sect. 7, 8. T. Bab. Shebuot, fol. 36. 1. Debarim Rabba, fol. 242. 2. Maimon Hilch. Shebuot, c. 2. sect. 1.
F24 T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 21. 2. & Gloss. in ib.
F25 T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 22. 2.
F26 Fol. 93. 2.
F1 T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 29. 2.
F2 In Semitis fidei, fol. 104. 4. & 105. 1. apud Capell. in loc.
F3 T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 29. 2.
F4 Vajikra Rabba, fol. 160. 3. Shirhashirim Rabba, fol 20. 2.
F5 T. Hieros. Sanhedrim, fol. 20. 3.
F6 Shemot Rabba, fol. 96. 1.
F7 T. Hieros. Peah, fol. 15. 4.