Synoptica III - Hebrew Matthew and the Formation of Canonical Matthew

Mt. 5:17-20 (The Law)

The unnecessary and inappropriate (in a continuous Sermon on the Mount) introductory phrase indicates that the comments of Jesus on the Law were already present in an earlier, differently-arranged version of the Gospel of Matthew. George Howard found sixteen of these out-of-place introductory phrases in the Shem-Tob Hebrew Matthew (see his pp. 200-201). They were edited out in canonical, Greek Matthew (my Mt. III). The comments of Jesus on the Law are not present in Mark, or in Luke (who probably would have omitted them for demographic reasons, since his Gospel was written for the Gentiles). The omission of Jesus's comments on the Law creates the impression of a greater break with Judaism than was intended. Before there was any Christianity as we know it, Rabbi Yeshua offered the world the first Reform Judaism, and the first Jewish Renewal. The religious leaders of his time didn't go for it. But these comments of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew are so important to religious history that it is worth taking a look at them in their original Hebrew.

First, to better familiarize ourselves with the unpointed words of Shem-Tob's text, we'll look at these verses in a couple of standard New Testament translations into Biblical Hebrew. These are, of course, only retro-translations of canonical, Greek Matthew (my Mt. III).

Delitzsch (10th ed.):

אַל־תַּחְשְׁבוּ כִּי בָאתִי לְהָפֵר אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה אוֹ אֶת־דִבְרֵי הַנְּבִיאִים לאׁ בָאתִי לְהָפֵר כִּי אִם־לְמַלּאׁת׃ כִּי אָמֵן אֹמֵר אֲנִי לָכֶם עַד כִּי־יַעַבְרוּ הַשָׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ לאׁ תַעֲבֹר יוֹד  אַחַת אוֹ־קוֹץ אֶחָד

מִן־הַתּוֹרָה עַד אֲשֶׁר יֵעָשֶׂה הַכֹּל׃ לָכֵן מִי אֲשֶׁר יָפֵר אַחַת מִן־הַמִצְוֹת

הַקְּטַנּוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וְכֵן יְלַמֵד אֶת־בּנֵי הָאָדָם קָטוֹן יִקָּרֵא בְּמַלְכוּת הַשָׁמָיִם

וַאֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה וִילַמֵד אוֹתָן הוּא גָדוֹל יִקָּרֵא בְּמַלְכוּת הַשָׁמָיִם׃

כִּי אֲנִי אֹמֵר לָכֶם אִם לאׁ־תִרְבֶּה צִדְקַתְכֶם מִצִּדְקַת הַסּוֹפְרִים

וְהַפְּרוּשִׁים לאׁ תָבֹאוּ אֶל־מַלְכוּת הַשָׁמָיִם׃

[The inconsistent line spacing is due to a data-entry problem.] 

Here are the same verses in the Salkinson-Ginsburg translation:

אַל־תְּדַמּוּ כִּי בָאתִי לְהָפֵר אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה אוֹ אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הַנְּבִיאִים לׂא בָאתִי לְהָפֵר כִּי אִם־לְמַלּאת׃	יז	17	Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil.
כִּי אָמֵן אׂמֵר אֲנִי לָכֶם עַד כִּי־יַעַבְרוּ הַשָׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ לׂא תַּעֲבֹר יוֹד אַחַת אוֹ־קוֹץ אֶחָד מִן־הַתּוֹרָה עַד אֲשֶׁר יְקֻיַּם הַכּׂל׃	יח	18	For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished.
לָכֵן הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יָפֵר אַחַת מִן־הַמִּצְוֹת הַקְּטַנּוֹת הָאֵלֶּה וִילַמֵּד אֶת־בְּנֵי הָאָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּמוֹהוּ קָטוֹן יִקָּרֵא לוֹ בְּמַלְכוּת הַשָׁמָיִם וַאֲשֶׁר יַעָשֶׂה וִילַמֵּד אוֹתָן לָזֶה גָּדוֹל יִקָּרֵא בְּמַלְכוּת הַשָׁמָיִם׃	יט	19	Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
כִּי אֲנִי אׂמֵר לָכֶם אִם לׂא־תִהְיֶה צִדְקַתְכֶם מְרֻבָּה מִצִּדְקַת הַסּוֹפְרִים וְהַפְּרוּשִׁים לׂא תָבֹאוּ בְּמַלְכוּת הַשָׁמָיִם׃	כ	20	For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.
(to be continued)