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Jot and Tittle

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

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JOT AND TITTLE. In Matthew 5:18 Jesus says, ‘Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled’ (|| Luke 16:17 ). The Greek words iôta and keraia (WH [Note: H Westcott and Hort’s text.] kerea ) were translated by Tindale ‘iott’ and ‘tytle,’ and these forms were retained in all the versions. The 1611 ed. of AV [Note: Authorized Version.] has ‘iote’ (one syllable) and ‘title,’ but modern printers have turned iote into ‘jot,’ and ‘title’ into ‘tittle.’ The iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, as is the yod in the later Hebrew. The keraia (literally ‘little horn’) is any small mark distinguishing one letter from another, like the stroke of a t .