HEBREW GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 7 (Part 3) — Section 028 [MT 7:13–14]

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 English Translation
13	בזמן ההוא אמר יש״ו לתלמידו באו בשער הצר ששער האבדון רחב ומצולה ורבים הולכים בה׃	At that time Yeshu said to his disciple: "Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate of destruction is wide and an engulfing abyss, and many are those walking into her.
14	כמה השער צר וכבד הדרך המשייר לחיים ומעטים המוצאים אותה׃	How narrow is the gate, and weighty is the path that preserves the remnant unto life, and few are those who find her."

Consonantal & Paleographic Notes

• The Solitary Disciple (לתלמידו / Le-Talmido):
  The parchment preserves the singular form le-talmido ("to his disciple") rather than the plural. Entering the constricted portal cannot be accomplished through the momentum of a multitude, an army, or public acclaim. It is an individual instruction delivered to the solitary soul who is willing to separate from the collective tide.
• The Oceanic Abyss of Destruction (ומצולה / U-Metzullah):
  Later copyists attempted to standardize this rare word into u-mesillah ("and a paved highway"), but the manuscript reads u-metzullah ("and an abyss / ocean deep", root tz-w-l). In the Torah and the Prophets, this exact term describes the catastrophic engulfment of imperial power. In the Song of the Sea, it recounts the fate of Pharaoh’s cavalry: "They sank into the depths like a stone" (Exodus 15:5). The prophet Zechariah likewise beholds the divine messenger standing "in the bottom / abyss" (Zechariah 1:8). The gate of destruction is not merely an expansive boulevard; it is an open oceanic vortex that drowns all who rely upon worldly numbers and armed might.
• The Remnant-Preserving Path (המשייר / Ha-Meshayer):
  The scribe purposefully writes ha-meshayer with a double Yod, rooted in sha'ar (remnant / reserve). Later scribes attempted to smooth this to ha-mayshir ("that goes straight"), but the authentic Hebrew preserves an indispensable prophetic truth: the path to life is the remnant-preserving way. Throughout the prophets, whenever civilizations and kingdoms collapse under judgment, divine life persists exclusively through the she'ar—the surviving remnant kept alive through trial (Isaiah 10:20–22, Zephaniah 3:12–13). This narrow track is designed specifically to bring that seed safely through the storm.
• The Weight of Divine Covenant (וכבד / Ve-Khaved):
  The path is characterized as khaved ("weighty / heavy"). This shares its exact root with kavod (the divine weight and glory of the Creator). The path of life carries moral and spiritual gravity. It demands shedding all superficial vanity and bearing the unyielding weight of covenant fidelity, which the casual multitude cannot endure.
• The Preserved Soul and Wisdom (בה ... אותה):
  The feminine pronouns bah ("into her") and otah ("finding her") point directly to the true prize: the living soul (nefesh) and covenant wisdom (ḥokhmah). While the broad abyss swallows the unthinking masses into its void, the weighty, remnant-keeping path is where the inner sanctuary of the soul is discovered and kept whole.

Core Diagnostic: The gate of destruction is an open ocean vortex that engulfs all who pursue the pride and power of this world. Only the weighty, remnant-preserving path keeps the living soul from sinking into the deep. Few discover her, for she requires walking in solitary covenant before the Creator.