For years, we’ve been saying that the Gospels were originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Aramaic—and only after that into Greek. Today, we want to show you two powerful examples that drive this point home.
These examples don’t just prove a theory—they help us recover the original words of Yeshua and preserve the true meaning of His teachings. And they show why our work matters right now.
Example One: The Lost Sheep—In the Mountains or the Wilderness?
Let’s begin with a small detail from the parable of the lost sheep. In Matthew 18:12, the Greek reads:
“…does he not leave the ninety and nine, and go into the mountains (εἰς τὰ ὄρη) to seek that which is gone astray?”
But in Luke 15:4, the same parable says something quite different:
“…does he not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness (ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ) and go after that which is lost?”
So which is it—mountains or wilderness?
The answer lies in the Old Hebrew Matthew, preserved in the DuTillet and Munster manuscripts, which read:
במדבר — “in the wilderness”
This matches Luke 15:4 and likely reflects the original Hebrew text of Matthew. So where did the Greek Matthew get “mountains”?
The trail leads through Aramaic. In Old Syriac Matthew 18:12, the Aramaic word is בטורא (b’tura). In Jewish Western Aramaic—the dialect likely used in the first-century Aramaic version Gospel—טורא could mean open country, desert, or wilderness. But in later Syriac Aramaic usage, טורא means “mountain.”
The Greek translator, unfamiliar with the Jewish Western Aramaic sense, misunderstood טורא as mountains and rendered it εἰς τὰ ὄρη. Luke, however, preserved the sense accurately as ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ—“in the wilderness.”
And the original Hebrew is preserved in the Old Hebrew Version of Matthew as preserved in the DuTillet and Munster texts.
This small difference offers powerful evidence for the transmission sequence:
Hebrew → Aramaic → Greek.
Example Two: Matthew 11:13 — A Word That Changes Everything
Another verse that confuses many readers is Matthew 11:13:
“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.”
(KJV)
This verse has been misused in multiple ways—by antinomians who claim the Torah ended with John, by sects like the Campbellites who claim all prophecy was fulfilled before him, or by those who argue prophecy ceased entirely with his ministry. All of these views fall apart under scrutiny.
The real solution again lies in the Old Hebrew Version.
The Garza-Trimm Hebrew manuscript of Matthew (another witness to the Old Hebrew Version) reads differently than the DuTillet and Munster texts. Instead of עד (‘ad, “until”) John, it reads על (‘al, “concerning”) John.
These two words are visually similar in Hebrew and could easily have been confused by later scribes. But the reading “concerning John” fits the context far better. Just one verse earlier, Yeshua quotes Malachi 3:1 and applies it to John. Earlier still, in Matthew 3:3, he references Isaiah 40:3, also about John.
Thus, the Torah and Prophets did not end with John—they spoke of John.
This simple correction removes the confusion and restores the clear meaning of Yeshua’s words. Once again, Hebrew makes sense of a passage that seems obscure in Greek.
Why This Matters—and Why We Need Your Help Today
These are just two examples—but there are many more. And they all tell the same story: the words of Yeshua were first spoken and recorded in Hebrew, then translated into a now-lost Jewish Western Aramaic version, and finally into Greek.
Every step away from the original language introduced ambiguity and potential mistranslation. That’s why our work—restoring the original Hebrew Gospels and exposing their authentic meaning—is so vital.
We’re working hard every day to recover these texts, compare the manuscripts, and teach the truth—but we can’t do it without your help.
We urgently need to raise $250 today to meet bills hitting our account.
If you’ve found value in our research and teaching, and if you believe it’s important to recover the original words of the Messiah, please consider making a donation—large or small—to help us meet this need.
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Thank you for standing with us in this mission. Together, we are rebuilding the ancient foundations and restoring the voice of Yeshua in His own words.
