HEBREW GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 5 (Part 2) — Section 014 [MT 5:13–18]

פרק י״ד.

Note on Textual Divisions & Concordance Markers

The section titles (פרק ראשון, פרק שני, etc.) follow the authentic internal layout of Shem-Tob's Hebrew text, which organizes the Gospel of Matthew into 116 structural pericopes. The traditional 28-chapter and verse divisions ([MT X:X–X]) did not exist in ancient manuscripts; they were devised centuries later by Western scholars (Stephen Langton in 1205 and Robert Estienne in 1551) to build Latin concordances. The standard chapter/verse citations are included in brackets solely as a concordance reference for readers navigating standard printed Bibles.

#	Shem-Tob Hebrew Text	Literal Translation
13	בעת ההיא אמר יש״ו לתלמידיו מלח אתם בעולם אם המלח יבטל טעמו במה יומלח ואינו שוה כלום אלא שיושלך בחוץ להיות מרמס רגלים.	At that time Yeshu said unto his disciples: "You are salt in the world; if the salt ceases/annuls its taste, with what shall it be salted? And it is worth nothing except to be cast outside to be a trampling place of feet.
14	מאור אתם בעולם. עיר בנויה על ההר לא תוכל להסתר.	You are a luminary in the world; a city built upon the mountain is not able to be hidden.
15	לא ידליקו נר להשים אותו במקום נסתר שלא תאיר רק משימים אותו על המנורה להאיר לכל בני הבית.	One shall not kindle a lamp to place it in a hidden place so that it does not give light, but rather one places it upon the Menorah to give light unto all the sons of the house.
16	כן יאיר מאורכם לפני כל אדם להראותם מעשיכם הטובים המשובחות ומכבדות לאביכם שבשמים.	So shall your luminary shine before every man, to show them your good deeds, which are praiseworthy and bringing honor unto your Father who is in the heavens.
17	בעת ההיא אמר יש״ו לתלמידיו אל תחשבו שבאתי להפר תורה אלא להשלים.	At that time Yeshu said unto his disciples: 'Do not reckon that I have come to shatter/annul Torah, but rather to complete/make whole.'
18	באמת אני אומר לכם כי עד שמים וארץ אות אחת ונקודה אחת לא תבטל מהתורה או מהנביאים שהכל יתקיים.	In truth I say unto you, that until heavens and earth [pass], one letter and one dot shall not cease/be annulled from the Torah or from the Prophets, until everything shall be upheld/established.

Consonantal & Paleographic Notes

• פרק י״ד (Fourteenth Section): Preserves the authentic 14th pericope of the 116 units, containing the preservation of salt, the public luminary, and the permanence of the covenant instructions [MT 5:13–18].
• Verses 13 & 17 (Narrative Incipit Formulas):
  • Both verse 13 and verse 17 open with בעת ההיא אמר יש״ו לתלמידיו ("At that time Yeshu said unto his disciples"). This framing is absent from the Greek synoptic tradition and marks direct Semitic oral transmission spoken immediately to his gathered followers.
• Verse 13 (יבטל טעמו, ואינו שוה כלום, & מרמס רגלים):
  • יבטל טעמו: Root בטל (batal — to cease, become void, cancel, annul) paired with טעם (ta'am — taste, discernment, sense). In Hebrew thought, salt does not simply lose flavor; it ceases its functional preservation power.
  • ואינו שוה כלום: Concrete Semitic legal/market idiom: "it is not equal to / worth anything at all."
  • מרמס רגלים: Noun מִרְמָס (mirmas — a trampling ground, a place trodden underfoot; cf. Isaiah 5:5, 7:25) construct with רגלים (raglayim — feet).
• Verses 14 & 16 (מאור vs. אור):
  • In both verses, the text uses מָאוֹר (Ma'or — a physical light-bearer, luminary, or lamp-stand; cf. Genesis 1:14–16), rather than generic light (אור). The disciples are designated as functional, shining instruments broadcasting visible clarity into the world.
• Verse 15 (המנורה vs. The Latin Modius / Bushel):
  • על המנורה: The text explicitly places the light upon הַמְּנוֹרָה (ha-Menorah — the lampstand). The Western dry-measure terms ("bushel" / Greek modios) do not appear; the contrast is purely between a hidden place (מקום נסתר) and the public elevation of the Menorah.
• Verse 16 (הַמְּשֻׁבָּחוֹת — The Semitic Root for "Praiseworthy"):
  • The Root ש-ב-ח (Meshubach): The deeds are described as הַמְּשֻׁבָּחוֹת (ha-meshubachot), a passive participle from the root ש-ב-ח (to laud, praise, commend, or find superior in quality).
  • Shared Semitic Morphology: This term shares an identical grammatical template and conceptual meaning with the Arabic passive participle Muhammad (from the parallel root ch-m-d — to praise, commend). Both forms employ a prefixed Mem and doubled middle consonant to signify an inherent status of being "praised" or "praiseworthy." In Yeshu's instruction, this quality belongs to visible, living actions whose uprightness naturally turns all honor directly back to the Father.
• Verse 17 (להפר תורה vs. להשלים):
  • להפר: Hif'il infinitive of פרר (parar — to break, split, shatter, violate a covenant; cf. Numbers 30:13, Deuteronomy 31:16).
  • להשלים: Hif'il infinitive of שלם (shalam — to make whole, restore to completion, bring to full fruition, pay in full). The mission is the living wholeness and active realization of the Torah, not its institutional dissolution.
• Verse 18 (אות אחת ונקודה אחת & או מהנביאים):
  • אות אחת ונקודה אחת: Consonantal reality: אוֹת (ot — a written letter/sign) and נְקֻדָּה (nequddah — a scribal tittle, stroke, or dot), grounding the saying in the physical penmanship of the scribal parchment.
  • או מהנביאים: The Hebrew text explicitly includes אוֹ מֵהַנְּבִיאִים ("or from the Prophets"), confirming that the enduring covenant encompasses both the instruction and the prophetic witness.
  • יתקיים: Hitpael of קום (qum — to stand upright, be sustained, physically established).