HEBREW GOSPEL OF MATTHEW CHAPTER 38

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[cite: 1]. The traditional 28-chapter and verse divisions do not exist in ancient manuscripts; they were devised centuries later by Western scholars to build Latin concordances[cite: 1]. Standard chapter/verse citations are included solely as a concordance reference[cite: 1].

CHAPTER 9 — Section 038 [MT 9:9–13]

HEBREW TEXT & LITERAL TRANSLATION

Across diverse scriptural and textual records, the "Chapter 38" sequence acts as a critical structural juncture where institutional overconfidence is exposed, the illusion of false health is unmasked, and true interior medicine is set against outward worldly monuments. Within Shem-Tob's Hebrew text, Chapter 38 records Yeshu sitting at the table with the p'ritzim (violent/lawless ones) and r'sha'im, sparking the profound realization that the healthy need no medicine, but rather the sick.

#	Shem-Tob Hebrew Text	Literal Translation
9:9	פֶּרֶק ל״ח וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר עָבַר יֵשׁוּ מִשָּׁם וַיַּרְא אִישׁ יוֹשֵׁב עַל שֻׁלְחַן הַחִלּוּף מַתַּתְיָה שְׁמוֹ בְּלַעַז מַאטִ״יאוּ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ לֵךְ אַחֲרַי וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ אַחֲרָיו׃	Chapter 38 And it came to pass as Yeshu passed from thence, and he saw a man sitting at the table of the exchange—Mattathias [is] his name, in a foreign tongue Matthew—and he said to him: "Go after me." And he arose and went after him.
9:10	וַיּוֹלִיכוּהוּ לְבֵיתוֹ לֶאֱכֹל וַיְהִי בְּעֵת אָכְלוֹ וְהִנֵּה פְּרִיצִים רַבִּים וּרְשָׁעִים בַּשֻּׁלְחָן וְהִנֵּה סוֹעֲדִים עִם יֵשׁוּ וְתַלְמִידָיו׃	And they brought him to his house to eat, and it came to pass at the time of his eating, and behold, many violent ones (p'ritzim) and wicked ones [were] at the table, and behold, reclining/sustained (so'adim) with Yeshu and his disciples.
9:11	וַיִּרְאוּ הַפְּרוּשִׁים וַיֹּאמְרוּ לְתַלְמִידָיו לָמָּה רַבְּכֶם יוֹשֵׁב וְאוֹכֵל עִם הַפְּרִיצִים וְהָרְשָׁעִים׃	And the Pharisees saw and said to his disciples: "Why does your master (ravchem) sit and eat with the violent ones (p'ritzim) and the wicked ones?"
9:12	וַיִּשְׁמַע יֵשׁוּ וַיֹּאמֶר בַּבְּרִיאִים אֵינָם צְרִיכִים רְפוּאָה כִּי אִם הַחוֹלֶה׃	And Yeshu heard and said: "The healthy need not medicine/healing (rfuah), but rather the sick."
9:13	וּלְכוּ וְלִמְדוּ הַכָּתוּב כִּי חֶסֶד חָפַצְתִּי וְלֹא זָבַח וְלֹא בָאתִי לְהָשִׁיב הַצַּדִּיקִים כִּי אִם הָרְשָׁעִים׃	"And go and learn the writing: For lovingkindness I desired, and not sacrifice; and I came not to restore the righteous, but rather the wicked."

The Architecture of Chapter 38: Reading Across Ancient Scriptures

• Surah 38 (Surah Ṣād): Arrogance and Institutional Pride:
  In the Quranic corpus, Surah 38 opens by exposing the false pride ('izzah) and opposition of those who reject divine truth because their elite leaders protect a traditional monopoly. This parallels the pharisaical establishment in Chapter 38 who believe their temporal pedigree makes them permanently "healthy":
  • 38:1–2: Ṣād. By the Qur’an, full of reminder. But those who disbelieve are in false pride and opposition.
  • 38:7: The leaders reject the warning, claiming it is an invention unknown in traditional custom, mirroring the institutional gatekeepers guarding their temporal status.
• Psalm 38: The Robust Adversary vs. The Burdened Supplicant:
  Psalm 38 provides the structural emotional blueprint for Chapter 38. While the supplicant laments that his flesh has no soundness and bears a heavy burden (masa kaved), his adversaries are described as vigorous, robust, and full of false security:
  • Psalm 38:20: "But mine enemies are strong in health [living and mighty], and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied."
  This matches the self-assured, robust standing of the institutional leaders who reject interior medicine (rfuah) because they perceive themselves to be without fault.
• The Gospel of Barnabas (Chapter 202): The "Righteous Unrighteous":
  Chapter 202 of the Gospel of Barnabas gives this exact spiritual pathology its definitive label—the giusti ingiusti ("righteous unrighteous"). These are the figures who possess external titles and religious position, but whose inner condition mirrors pride and self-deception, treating the mere label of "sinner" as an intolerable insult while remaining blind to their actual captivity.
• The Apostolic Warning: Form Without Power & The False Light:
  This exact deception is directly confronted in the apostolic warnings: there are those "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (2 Timothy 3:5). They meticulously maintain the outer vestments, liturgical formulas, and clerical credentials of religion, yet entirely reject the inward, transformative life of the Spirit. Paul exposes the source behind this institutional mimicry, declaring that "no marvel; for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). Outward piety and self-proclaimed righteousness become the very veil under which the unhealed soul remains blind to its captivity.