Verse Of The Day – Matthew 5:18

Matthew 5:18 – KJV

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Other Bible Translations

Matthew 5:18 – ESV

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Matthew 5:18 – NKJV

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.

Matthew 5:18 – NLT

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.

Matthew 5:18 – NRSV

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

Matthew 5:18 – WEB

For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.

Matthew 5:18 Commentary

When you read this verse, the first question that might come to mind is: What exactly is the law Jesus is referring to? Is it the laws of the land, the laws of Moses, the Ten Commandments? What is He talking about?

The thing about Bible verses is that when they’re taken out of context, they can be a bit hard to understand. But when you read all of Matthew 5, especially the verses before and after verse 18, you begin to get a clearer picture of what Jesus means by “the law.”

Just before this verse, Jesus talks about us being the light of the world, and how we must shine that light so that others may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Then, in verse 17, He says He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. That’s a big clue.

This tells us that Jesus is speaking about God’s moral law, the commandments and principles that were given to guide how we should live. These include the Ten Commandments and all the teachings that point us toward loving God and loving one another. In fact, Jesus later summarised the entire law into two key commandments:

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
2. Love your neighbour as yourself.

In doing these, we fulfil the heart of the law.

Jesus goes even further in verse 19, saying that whoever breaks even the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same—will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps them and teaches others to do likewise will be called great in the kingdom.

We live in a world where validation from others often matters more than what God thinks. It’s easy to compromise on our values or overlook God’s commandments just to fit in. But Jesus reminds us that God’s law is eternal—not even the smallest part of it will disappear until all is fulfilled.

Earlier in Matthew 5:10–12, Jesus encourages us to stand firm in doing what’s right, even when it brings persecution or mockery. Because while everything else people’s opinions, trends, and even this world will pass away, the Word of God remains.