HEBREW GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 9 (Part 2) — Section 039 [MT 9:14–17]

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
Header	פרק ל״ט	Section 39
14	אז קרבו אליו תלמידי יוחנן ויאמרו לו למה אנו והפרושים מתענים הרבה פעמים ותלמידך אינם מתענים׃	Then drew near to him the disciples of Yochanan, and said to him: "Why do we and the Perushim afflict ourselves many times, and your disciples do not afflict themselves?"
15	ויען להם יש״ו ויאמר לא יוכלו חבירי החתן לִבְכּוֹת ולהתענות בהיותו עמהם. יבואו ימים וילקח מהם החתן ויצומו׃	And Yeshu answered them and said: "The companions of the bridegroom are not able to weep and to afflict themselves while he is with them. Days will come and the bridegroom will be taken from them, and they will fast."
16	ולא יאבד איש חתיכת מלבוש חדש במלבוש ישן לחוזק החתיכה משוך מהמלבוש הבלויה ויקרע יותר׃	And no man destroys a piece of a new garment upon an old garment, for the strength of the piece pulled from the worn-out garment, and it tears more.
17	ולא ישימו יין חדש בכלים ישנים פן ישברו הכלים וישפוך היין והכלים יאבדו. רק חדש בכלי חדש ושניהם ישמרו׃	And they do not put new wine into old vessels lest the vessels break and the wine be poured out and the vessels be ruined. Only new into a new vessel, and both of them are preserved.

Paleographic & Textual Notes

• The Addition of Weeping (לִבְכּוֹת) vs. Mere Affliction (v. 15): In their question, Yochanan’s disciples only spoke of mechanical affliction (מתענים). But in his answer, Yeshu deliberately introduces weeping: לִבְכּוֹת ולהתענות ("to weep and to afflict themselves"). Hypocrites easily subject themselves to calculated suffering and scheduled fasting because it is a transactional exercise for public validation or personal reward; their only distress is when that reward is withheld. They never weep out of genuine contrition over how their mistreatment of others offends God. Yeshu exposes the superficiality of their inquiry: true affliction is rooted in deep grief of the heart, not an institutional routine. The companions of the bridegroom cannot manufacture grief while he is present, but when he is torn from them, their weeping and fasting (ויצומו) will be involuntary and real.
• Independent Seeking of Yochanan's Disciples (v. 14): The plate maintains תלמידי יוחנן as the sole approaching delegation. While they had stepped outside the establishment, they were still perplexed by why their ascetic habits matched those of the Perushim while Yeshu’s followers were unburdened by outward religious displays.
• Performative Suffering vs. Inner Refinement (vv. 14–15): The Perushim afflict themselves on a set calendar (הרבה פעמים) to reinforce their authority. This external exertion mirrors the vapor (hevel) described in Psalm 39:6–7 and the warning in Galatians 3:3–4 against suffering in vain by seeking spiritual perfection through the flesh. The disciples' trial is not a public show; it mirrors David’s silent restraint before accusers while the internal fire of the Spirit kindles within (Psalm 39:2–4).
• Consonantal Precision of יאבד (v. 16): While later scribes smoothed this to יחבר ("joins/attaches"), the authentic reading on the plate, יאבד ("destroys / ruins / wastes"), conveys that trying to patch a decayed, worn-out institution (הבלויה) with the vigorous cloth of the new work only succeeds in destroying the new. The moth-spent structure cannot hold the tension.
• Pliable Skins and New Containers (v. 17): Dried animal skins become rigid and burst under the kinetic pressure of active fermentation. Surah 39:23 highlights how genuine living skins tremble and soften before the divine word, in stark contrast to hardened religious traditions. Both the expanding message and the disciple are preserved only when the container is newly prepared and flexible (רק חדש בכלי חדש ושניהם ישמרו).