What are a jot and a tittle?
Question:
In Matthew 5: 17-18, it says, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Please explain what is a 'jot' and also, what is a 'tittle'?
Answer:
A jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It is also called a yod. The word on the right is the Hebrew word for God. The second letter from the left, which looks like an apostrophe is a yod, or jot.
A tittle is a small stroke on the edge of the Hebrew letters. Tittles are essential for distinguishing Hebrew letters because several look the same, except for the tittles. In the examples to the left, notice the small strokes that make the two letters look different, this stroke is the tittle.
