In Matthew 12, Jesus heals a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Once healed, the man could see and speak. The crowds responded with astonishment: “Is not this the Son of David?” (Matt 12:22-23). The Pharisees, however, answered:
“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” (Matt 12:24)
Beelzebul is a Jewish polemical slur against Baal. Original Canaanite title: Baʿal Zebûl (“Prince Baal” or “Lord of the Exalted Dwelling”). Philistine god (2 Kgs 1): Baʿal-Zebûb (“Lord of Flies”). Second Temple Jews deliberately altered it to Beelzebul, using Hebrew/Aramaic זֶבֶל (“dung”), creating the contemptuous “Lord of Dung.” Most NT manuscripts preserve this polemical form.
Jesus responded with reasoning and examples (Matt 12:25-29) and then connected his Spirit-empowered work directly to the arrival of God’s Kingdom:
“But if it is by the Spirit of God (πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ) that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matt 12:28)
The Context
Jesus performed public, miracle-working signs—primarily healings and exorcisms—through the Spirit of God (Matt. 12:28; Mark 1:27). Some of his Jewish critics, who held authoritative status in the community, actively opposed him. They publicly slandered and defamed his ministry, skillfully recasting the work of Israel’s God in Christ as demonic. These were not ordinary voices in the crowd; they were part of the Judean authority structure spread throughout the Galilee region. Jesus himself later acknowledged their position:
“The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all…” (Matt 23:1-2)
In Matthew 12, their accusation against Jesus had a clear objective: to deter as many people as possible from following him as the Messiah, thereby shutting the door to the Kingdom of God for many. Jesus articulated this reality:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” (Matt 23:13)
It is in this critical moment in redemptive history that some Pharisees publicly opposed God’s visible work in Christ, attributing it to the demonic realm. By doing so, they wrongly exercised their spiritual authority and misled unsuspecting people, barring them from entering the Kingdom of God. Interestingly, the Gospels often portray the Pharisees in a positive light, despite their heavy criticism. For example, Nicodemus defends Jesus (John 7:50–51), or certain Pharisees warn Jesus about Herod (Luke 13:31). Gamaliel, a Pharisee, speaks wisely in defense of the Jesus movement and its apostles, expressing his doubt but acting wisely and avoiding blasphemy against God (Acts 5:34–39).
The Degrees of the Great Sin
Any persistent, willful, and knowing attribution of the Holy Spirit’s plainly evident work to Satan is an extraordinarily grave sin—one that places the soul in mortal spiritual danger. Jesus makes this clear when He declares, in the most universal language possible, “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:29; Matt 12:31–32). The deliberate use of “whoever” shows that no one, regardless of status or privilege, stands outside the reach of this warning.
Nevertheless, the clearest, most dangerous, and paradigmatic instance of this sin is precisely what some Pharisees committed on that day in Galilee. Holding recognized teaching authority—“seated in the chair of Moses” (Matt 23:2)—they stood before the crowds and publicly declared that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Matt 12:24). Their accusation was not offered in private doubt or honest confusion; it was a calculated, witnessed act intended to discredit the Messiah and to prevent the watching crowds from following Jesus (Matt 12:28; 23:13).
In that single moment the Pharisees combined two deadly elements: a hardened, knowing rejection of the manifest power of God with the deliberate use of their spiritual influence to lead others astray. It is this aggravating combination—personal obstinacy joined to public obstruction—that makes their blasphemy the horrifying illustration Jesus chose when He uttered His most solemn and terrifying warning. Their act, therefore, does not limit the sin to religious officials; rather, it stands forever as the classic, most perilous example of what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit looks like when taken to its fullest and most destructive expression.
Jesus then delivered a startling pronouncement:
“Every kind of sin and blasphemy (βλασφημία) will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy (βλασφημία) against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come… For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt 12:31-37)
Why Only Against the Holy Spirit?
Why did Jesus single out the Holy Spirit? For instance, why did Jesus not condemn blasphemy against the Father as unforgivable? The answer lies in understanding the Jewish framework of his time.
Contemporary Christian interpretations frequently superimpose fully formulated later doctrines, such as the Trinity, onto the first-century Jewish context, thereby obscuring the original framework and complicating the understanding of why blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is uniquely unforgivable. In Jesus’ era, the Holy Spirit was not yet understood as a distinct person of the Trinity (a doctrine that would only later be articulated in the life of the church). Rather, the Holy Spirit was God’s personal, active presence and power within creation—God’s own action made manifest in the world. Therefore, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit/Spirit of Holiness (רוח הקודש) was not to blaspheme the third person of the Trinity but the LORD God Himself (what in systematic theology would be called the Godhead).
Jesus declared a profound distinction in forgiveness. Blasphemy against the Son of Man would be forgiven. This title draws from the Danielic Messianic figure in Daniel 7:13–14. Yet blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would never be forgiven. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Holiness, God Himself. Such unforgiveness extends to both this age and the age to come (Matt 12:31–32; Mark 3:28–30; Luke 12:10).
In other words, misunderstanding the Messiah’s identity remains forgivable. Misjudging His person might also find mercy. However, seeing God’s power manifest unmistakably changes everything. To attribute that work to Satan is unforgivable. This act calls divine good evil. It commits the unforgivable sin.
This sin reaches its most terrifying form through public declaration. It occurs when authorities act with deliberate intent. Their goal is to shut the kingdom against others. The Pharisees exemplified this grave error.
Hillul HaShem: Desecration of the Name
To better understand Jesus’ teaching, we must examine its roots in Jewish tradition. The Torah treats blasphemy with the utmost severity, viewing it as a direct assault on God’s sanctity and sovereign authority. Leviticus 24:16 prescribes death by stoning for anyone who “blasphemes the Name” (וְנֹקֵב שֵׁם־יְהוָה מוֹת יוּמָת)—a capital offense that demonstrates how central this violation was to Israel’s covenant relationship with God. It is crucial for us to understand this: the Law of Moses offers no penal forgiveness for blasphemy against Israel’s God. The guilty party receives a death sentence.
Jesus, in the statement under consideration, refers directly to this law. It is no surprise that the sanctity of God’s Name is Jesus’ highest priority, since the very first petition he taught his disciples in the Lord’s Prayer is “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2)—asking that God’s Name be sanctified on earth as it is already sanctified in heaven.
Throughout the Old Testament and both Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, two paired concepts emerge: Hillul HaShem (חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם, desecration of the Name) and Kiddush HaShem (קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם, sanctification of the Name).
The foundation of Hillul HaShem is articulated in Leviticus:
“You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel.” (Lev 22:32)
This passage reveals a crucial emphasis: desecration of the Name is fundamentally a public and communal matter (among the sons of Israel), not simply a private offense. Moreover, the severity escalates based on who commits the offense. When a private person speaks ill of God, it is a serious matter. When those with public authority defame God’s name, the violation becomes exponentially more serious. The Pharisees, endowed with communal authority as official interpreters of Scripture in synagogues (those seated in the seat of Moses), meant that their public denunciations of Jesus’ Spirit-empowered work were a profound desecration of God’s name. (Matt 23:2–3)
Later rabbinic thought, as stated in Talmud Bavli Yoma 86a, holds that intentional public hillul ha-Shem is the worst type of sin and the hardest to atone for. It often requires suffering, public vindication, or even death in addition to repentance to fully restore God’s honor. This passage states that for desecration of the Name, repentance, Yom Kippur, and afflictions merely suspend divine punishment, with death alone effecting full expiation, derived from Isaiah 22:14 to emphasize its unparalleled severity. The Jerusalem Talmud, Nedarim 3:14 (38b), reinforces this gravity, deeming it the most heinous offense, punishable even unintentionally, and demanding immediate rectification to prevent communal dishonor. Avot de-Rabbi Natan (ARN) 1:39, attributed to Rabbi Akiva, asserts no ordinary forgiveness exists for it, highlighting the need for extreme measures like public acts of sanctification (kiddush ha-Shem) to counter the desecration. Maimonides codifies this in Hilchot Teshuvah 1:4, based on Yoma 86a, requiring a sequence of repentance, Yom Kippur, tribulations, and mortality for atonement, as public profanation impugns God’s sanctity before witnesses and necessitates divine vindication.
Much earlier than rabbinic materials, the letter to the Hebrews reads:
“How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Heb 10:29).
Although Matthew 12 is different, this passage also discusses a similar concept: the increase in the severity of punishment based on the level of sin committed.
Kiddush HaShem: Sanctification of the Name
Kiddush HaShem—the sanctification of God’s name—stands as the redemptive counterpart to desecration. This concept refers to actions that honor and elevate God’s reputation in the eyes of the world, often through faithful obedience, public testimony, or even martyrdom. True devotion to God involves not merely personal piety but communal witness that reflects his holiness.
Biblical narratives vividly illustrate the concept of Kiddush HaShem through defiant faithfulness amid persecution. Daniel survives the lions’ den, prompting empire-wide reverence for God (Dan. 6:22). His three friends emerge unharmed from the furnace, transforming idolatry into testimony (Dan. 3:18, 28). As Hebrews 11 recounts, Old Testament martyrs faced torture and refused release, enduring stoning, sawing, and the sword—public spectacles of fidelity that both shamed oppressors and sanctified God’s name. Through such costly witness, God’s reputation was elevated and his power vindicated before the nations.
Conclusion
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the deliberate, persistent, knowing attribution of the plainly visible work of God to Satan. It reaches its most perilous and unforgivable form when those in recognized spiritual authority publicly wield their influence to discredit the Spirit’s power and bar others from the kingdom that has drawn near.
That is precisely what happened in Matthew 12. Men who sat in Moses’ seat (Matt 23:2–3), entrusted with Israel’s teaching office, stood before wondering crowds and declared, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons” (Matt 12:24). Their accusation was neither private hesitation nor honest confusion; it was calculated, public desecration of God’s Name (Hillul HaShem), branding the finger of God as the finger of Satan, and slamming the kingdom door in the faces of those pressing to enter (Matt 23:13).
Yet the story refuses to end in darkness. The deeper the desecration, the more dazzling the vindication. At the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus accomplished the final, cosmic Kiddush HaShem—the ultimate sanctification of the Father’s Name. Every slander was nailed there and cancelled (Col 2:14–15); every lie was shattered by the resurrection shout that echoed to the ends of the earth: “This is My beloved Son.”
Therefore, if terror grips you that you have committed the unforgivable sin, lift your eyes. Your pain and desire to be right with God prove the Spirit is still working with you. While that holy striving remains, the door stands flung wide.
No repentant sinner—no matter how far, how long, or how bitterly he once opposed—will ever hear Jesus say, “Depart.” The One who turned history’s worst Hillul HaShem into heaven’s greatest glory has given His unbreakable word: “Whoever comes to Me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
Come, then. The kingdom has come upon you, and the King Himself waits with open arms.
Wow. Great teaching. I never heard it explained that clearly before.
Thank you, Sharon I am still finetuning it.
Life changing teaching. It gave me a totally new and different understanding. Thank you!!!
May the Lord you!
Holy Spirit is the one that is governing the world. Speaking against it means the world is not complete. Also, there was darkness before light came, and the Holy Spirit is the shadower of darkness in your life. So it is not to be spoken against, or else the world is incomplete. Thank you.
Blessings, Eric.
This is a good word. Quick question: have you read Rillera’s book, Lamb of the Free? I’d be interested in your view of it. It is creating a bit of a storm in Christian circles and since it relies heavily on interpreting the Levitical Sacrificial system, who netter to review it than you.
Ivan, I have not read it myself. Here is the AI analysis:
Andrew Rillera’s Lamb of the Free rereads Israel’s sacrificial system through a participatory, non‑substitutionary lens, challenging penal substitution. Its strength is its close work on Leviticus, showing sacrifices emphasize life, purification, and fellowship with God, not punitive death. This helps unlearn caricatures and appreciate covenantal motifs in the New Testament.
However, the book overreaches by claiming substitutionary logic is simply absent, rather than one legitimate strand among several. By downplaying historic exegesis on Christ’s vicarious death, it risks replacing the reductionism of penal substitution alone with a new reductionism of participation alone.
It also reminds us of Isaiah 5:20 not to call good evil, or call evil good. What God has blessed should not be cursed.
Yes.
Dr. Eli. God Almighty bless you abundantly in Christ Jesus name amen. I’m following you from Nigeria. I deeply appreciate and enjoyed your inspired teachings which has immensely affects my students at Destiny Theological Seminary Inc. we keep praying for you and hope one day we shall support. Dr Ekpo Ubong
Dear Dr. Ekpo Ubong, what an honor! Thank you. Please, send my love and greetings to your students! May the Lord protect Christians in Nigeria!
Thank you so much, Dr. Lizorkin-Eyzenberg, for this teaching. – I stick to the “old jewish believe” that the Holy Spirit IS G’Ds Spirit and therefore G’D Himself. In John 14 Jesus says that the Father will send the Spirit, not as an extra person but part of HIS Holy Spirit. We could not endure the full power of the Fathers Spirit. – This is a very delicate subject which concerns many biblical statements. But only few people dare to touch it because it touches church dogma. – Thank you once again, Dr. Eli.
Thank you so much, Olive!
Great article Dr Eli, very thought provoking! I can see why God might worry about Jesus’s mission on earth being compromised by the false explanation of his power, yet would God normally care about blasphemy by people who would sound so ignorant as to be discountable? How are we to tell what is a good explanation for an apparent miracle?
Mark, hi. That’s a good point. Apparently God’s Name is Holier that we have imagined it in our wildest imaginations!
Well it wasn’t the point the king of dune, hit home from some people I’m at war with. They have claimed they had the spirit of beelzebul. I’ve been in arguments with their treatment of people, this brought everything I’ve been trying to convey to them.
Good to hear!
Dr Eli, again, a great article. I have a question also: Is blasphemy against God’s covenant the same. I was thinking now for quite a while about this question. 🤔 Blessings and Shalom.
No, I don’t think so. But perhaps you can give more details and I will give more thought.
Great text dr. Eli, as always.
Can then in this context be understood the comment of Gamaliel to be cautious when they were dealing with the apostles? “If this is of God?” – was his caution not to blaspheme against the Name.
Exactly right! Friends, if any of you would like to help me to take this teaching to many more people please offer your help here – https://shorturl.at/NpBF7
It was just a thought only Dr Eli. Thank you for clarification. When I read the article a third time, I realized the Awe and Reverent wonder of God, His Holiness. When creation came into being it was His Holy Spirit that hovers over the deep. What a Mighty God we serve! Great article!
Amen! Thank you!
Shalom Dr. Lizorkin-Eyzenberg,
This article was very inspiring. It caused me to reflect times in my life when I did/could have denied Adonai working in my life, and to be cautious in the future. The article caused me to consider, when I hear someone say, “Satan (evil) is attacking them and causing some discomfort in their daily life.” Could the discomfort be from Adonai, the Lord is trying to get their attention or further His molding of them. By choosing to select evil as the cause (evil working independently) and not the possibility it’s coming from the Lord, could a person be denying the work of the Spirit. My position is, to accept all thing are from the Lord, and if the Lord choses to using evil for molding, so be it.
Clinton, thank you so much for weighing in. May the Lord continue to give us His light. It must not be taken for granted.
Thank you Eli! His glory lifts our hearts to see Him here in each present moment!
Amen, my brother, Amen!
Thank you for this explanation of a pivotal point. Praise God that the Old and New Testaments show His unfailing love and saving grace through Jesus’s life and defeat of death. It is always a joy to read your teaching, Dr Eli!
Thank you so much, Marji!
You said :”What I don’t like about it is that it took my more space that I wanted”
What about reworking a bit these two paragraphs, rather redundant ?
Throughout the Old Testament and both Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, two paired concepts emerge: Hillul HaShem (חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם, desecration of the Name) and Kiddush HaShem (קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם, sanctification of the Name). In rabbinic thought, deliberate public Hillul HaShem is regarded as the gravest category of sin and the one most resistant to ordinary atonement, often requiring suffering, public vindication, or even death in addition to repentance to fully restore God’s honor.
In Jewish rabbinic thought, deliberate public Hillul HaShem is the category of sin most resistant to ordinary mechanisms of atonement and often requires suffering, public vindication, or even death to fully restore God’s honor—helping us feel the staggering weight of what the Pharisees did.
Comment : interesting, uplifting, useful. As always 🙂
Fixed! Thank you so much!
Shalom Dr Eli, and all.
A well exposition explanation of the text with deep and encouraging gospel applications.
Yeshuah, the Blessed, Son of God (John 3:16) lovingly warned humanity of the gravest sin.
The proper response of all who saw and heard the wonderful works of Messiach Yeshuah ought to have been and should be:
2 Samuel 7:21-22 [AV]
For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. [22] Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
Shalom
Dear Dr. Karl Thompson, thank you very much for your comment. God bless you!
Those who bless Israel will be blessed!
Those who curse Israel will be cursed!
God is One!
God wants us all to strive for peace and not controversy. God is Who He is to each and every one of us.
Thank you for your comment, David.
Fantastic article! Well done!
Thank you so much for this encouraging feedback!
This essay you wrote is truly your finest work. With this written, I hope to read more of your work. I have truly been blessed by your message. Thank you!
Thank you, Kathleen, this means a lot.
Dear Dr Eli this work is rich in understanding; 1)do you know why people were calling Jesus the Son of David? Mt. 12:23 Perhaps Jesus was fulfilling some prophecy? These is good to know; indeed these people were blind or were they open to believe, and to believe what! Then, it is more that just calling good evil; you see the antichrist will perform good works, too. But we already know the Mesiah, bridge between men and God.
2)I would suggest removing this sentence: ”Contemporary….is uniquely unforgivable.” This is not necessary and rather confusing: it is not the fluency of the theme, it is another topic (and we do not want to sound like these pharisees hahah).
3) I just recalled Jezebel’s sending the owner of the field to death.
4) Finally, rabbis continue the Pharisees line even after the destruction of the Second Temple, sadly.
Best regards, ✨
1) “Son of David” is the same as saying “Messiah.” 2) I will check. Thank you. 3) Good memory. 4) That has to be nuanced, but generally yes.
Enlightening!
Thank you!
Thank you Dr Eli, brilliant.
Thanks, Monica!
This teaching is very reach and it deeping my understanding in my daily living in many things that happened sometimes in our life,may the good Lord give us understanding that surpass our emotions and our feelings about things that happened in our life.
Let us grow in His grace!
Wow! Such love! Thank you, this is the best explanation I have heard, I need to read it again to take it all in, thank you.
Thank you for this amazing feedback!
Matthew 12,27 in the same charpter is a reference to jewish exorcism?
Yes, Matthew 12:27 refers to Jewish exorcism, which was a practice done by some of their own people, such as the disciples of the Pharisees. Jesus uses this reference to expose the inconsistency in the Pharisees’ accusation that he was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul. By pointing out that their own people also performed exorcisms, Jesus forces them to either concede that he was working by God’s power or admit that their own exorcists were also in league with the devil.
The passage, Matt 23:1-2, according to Hebrew scholar, Dr. Nehemia Gordon has two possible translations, only one of which is commonly known. The equally valid translation is: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. Therefore, whatever HE [Moses] tells you, do and comply with it all…”
This translation makes much more sense. It clearly sets the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees apart from the teachings of Moses and adjures the people to disregard those teachings where they diverge from the Torah.
The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew preserved in 14th–16th century Jewish anti-Christian polemic texts (Shem-Tov, etc.) consistently has משה (“Moshe”) explicitly in the text after the verb, which strongly favors the second reading.
The Syriac Peshitta (which often reflects very early Jewish-Christian readings) is ambiguous but can also be read this way.
It has:
ܟܠ ܡܕܡ ܕܡܐܡܪ ܠܟܘܢ ܡܘܫܐ ܛܪܘ ܘܥܒܘܕܘ
(“All that he says to you — Moses — keep and do”). The verb ܡܐܡܪ is 3rd-person singular, and “Moses” immediately follows, exactly parallel to the Hebrew.
The Old Syriac (Curetonian and Sinaitic) also supports a singular reading. The Greek textual tradition, however, went the other direction: most Greek manuscripts read ὅσα ἐὰν εἴπωσιν ὑμῖν (“whatever they say to you” — plural), which became the basis for the KJV and most modern translations. Friends, if any of you would like to help me to take this teaching to many more people please offer your help here – https://shorturl.at/NpBF7
Hebrews 10:29 reads: “How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
I included it into the article. Thanks.
Forgiveness is Hi grace and mercy, which He took upon Himself. Willing!
To continue to take the name of Adonai in vain is the most grave sin.
Death of the spirit within you is the result of the blasphemy of the Ru’ach of Elohim. For we are spirit before we received our mortal bodies.
A question of thought.
Are we spirit living in a body.
Or is our body housing our spirit.
For I am first spirit given a mortal body.
THanks for your comment.
Wonderful to read,exciting, convincing,not contradicting,will read again fully. Praise be unto the LORD. Shalom।
Thanks be to our God!
Excellent commentary
Thanks, Vance.
Brilliant exposition. Thank you 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you, Lois!
This is beautiful!
Blessings!
I have not understood before exactly what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, on e I read your words, I feel I now do understand, thank you for making it clear.
You are most welcome!
This is so incredibly enlightening!
I’ve never heard it in this fashion and depth. Thank you Dr. Eli!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
I was wanting to know your thoughts about the Holy Spirit and the Baptist church (specifically the SBC). They do not believe in the church today, which allows the Holy Spirit to flow in a service such as the gifts of the Spirit. They are used to empower the church (Holy Spirit), but the church so often says that was during the time of the Apostles and when Jesus walked on earth. I figure they are very wrong and wanted to know your thoughts on the Ruach Kodesh. I have separated myself from this teaching of the Baptist faith and for years have been a Messianic believer in Yeshua. I want to find a good body of believers where the Ruach Kodesh is allowed to move. Thanks for this teaching as well. Please email me your thoughts. Thanks!
Blessings and Shalom,
Terry Scott
Terry, perhaps one day I will write something about it. Blessings!
That would be great, as there is a lot of false teaching, and the only real way to discern the truth is through the Ruach Kodesh and the Word of G*d, encompassing all of it, both past, present, and future. Thanks again for writing back.
I am not so confident in my abilities as you are 🙂
Terry. There is lots of terrible teaching everywhere. I’m a bit lost myself at the minute. I live in England and it’s a pretty spirituality poorly country these days.
Dr. Eli, you are the best tuning fork I’ve ever met by reading your articles. Honestly, your articles bring my attention to how you weave together Old Jewish and New Testament verses together that makes the most sense with no doubts. I look forward to every article you publish and pray that others seem the same. Hallelujah 🙂
Thank you!
I look forward to every article you publish and pray that others SEE the same. Hallelujah 🙂
HUGE THANK YOU!
This is excellent Dr Eli, thank you.
Would you say that the Jews, provided with the ‘Oracles of God’ have more responsibility re blasphemy, compared to grafted in gentiles?
Blessings
There is no doubt about that.
Have you a teaching on Israel and the Church.
( Romans 11,12,13..) as many are opposing my position of standing with Israel in her war with Hamas etc. Pauls words in Romans 9,10,11 says it all for me.
Many believe the Churches position that God is finished with Israel, and the church has replaced Israel.
That makes my blood boil!
Not exactly on this topic, but read articles in the section on PAUL a lot of it has to do with that. Blessings! Don’t boil too much. Pray and teach. 🙂
As always, such profound truths and (unrecognized) grace are delivered to the readers of your text.
Blessings!
Dori
Dori, thank you. God bless!
Matthew 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Explaining what blasphemy is. It is any insulting remark or curse, even attributing to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit. It is unforgivable if it is done maliciously and knowingly, as here and in Hebrews.6: 4-9.
1 Timothy 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because “I did it ignorantly in unbelief”. This is why Paul was forgiven.
Thank you, Sal.
Clearly you do not know God I Am. See Exodus 3:14-15. He is the God of LOVE. It is only through His love that Jesus was able to heal and drive out dark entities.
Though you all should be familiar with B. S. And all the dark entities you spoke about. They operate from Fear. All they know is anger, death and destruction, that I am seeing Israel do most recently Palestine and Lebanon. Then the sacrifices to S and B. You have been doing that for 2000 years. Who are you praying to? Do you even know? Clearly it is not God I Am.
Jesus Christ knows His Father for that reason you were all clueless when He said , “the kingdom of God is coming.”
Sincerely,
Kalpana
Folks who are reading Kalpana comment. Pray for Kalpana. She has Israel Derangement Syndrome. It is a very tough condition. Greta also has it 🙂
WOW!!! Thank you, Dr. Eli!
Thanks, Gary! Let’s keep thinking together!
This is a very well thought out teaching on the unforgivable sin. Many blessings, shalom 🕊️
Thanks, Susan!
Your essay on this topic is excellent, but it might be improved with an analysis of WHY the arrogance of public pronouncements against the Ruach HaKodesh is unforgiveable.
The main—sole?—reason why blasphemy against the Ruach HaKodesh is unforgiveable, I believe, is because the blasphemer is too proud or arrogant to repent. And, no repentance, no forgiveness.
If, on the other hand, the blasphemer were to “see the light” and repent, I believe HaShem has already forgiven him or her. Yeshvah HaMashiach’s completed work on the tslav covers ALL sin, including this supremely serious level of blasphemy—ALL sins committed by each person throughout history and into the future.
This is how mighty our Savior and Lord is!
The foregoing is not Universalism because Universalism disregards the vital importance of repentance in this process.
Thank you, Roger for your comment.
Excellent article dr Eli, explained in dept thank you. Amazing to read, understand and see the magnitude of His Holiness. Your wisdom is appreciated, thanks for sharing.
Emily, thank you for support and encouragement! Much appreciated!
The phrase derangement syndrome started with Trumo MAGA supporters referring to anyone who disagreed with Trump. Now it is being used to describe anyone who disagrees with anything and I think people should desist from using it.
No, not people who disagree. That’s fully legit.
It was a wonderful article. I had heard my friend explain it, but you really brought it out clearer to me. Thank you for sharing.
I now understand the true meaning of the word.
Thanks, Sharon.
I have never read any of your articles before, so this was really a blessing to fall upon! Wonderful writing and explanation. This puts me at ease now, knowing what blasphemy actually is. It also puts me on guard, to always respect the full holiness of Yahweh at all times, being mindful of my thoughts and being careful with my tongue. Excellent, thank you! 🙏
Great to know, Gina! Stay tuned!
In “Therefore, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit/Spirit of Holiness (רוח הקודש) was to blaspheme the third person of the Trinity, but the LORD God Himself.”, shall the “was” be “was not”?
Yes, correct. Thanks for catching this mistake! Fixed.
Thankyou Dr. Eli for this very solemn warning. It seems to me, we have surrendered to the cross been born again and sanctified by the Holy Ghost it’s unthinkable to commit the evil of blaspheming against the Holy Ghost. To correct others who swear in our presence is also important and I need to improve in this area……
Thank you for your comment, Anne.
Heaven communicates straight into humans’ minds, “straight to Jodi Foster not the Greenbanks radio telescope” so to speak
Erik, hi. I had to look it up was not familair :-). Here is what I got: the phrase contrasts indirect, scientific searching for messages (like with the Green Bank radio telescope) with the idea of spiritual or divine communication that bypasses all external technology and goes right into human consciousness. My responce. Well some time it does, some it does not.
This teaching is priceless. It should be made available to every congregation and individual believer. It thoroughly covers the issue of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and it also delves into the subject of persecution for the Name of Jesus. That is a subject which is grossly misunderstood and neglected in the American church community. I will continue to receive the teaching newsletters from this excellent Jewish Bible teacher. Hopefully in the future I will be able to support his online ministry with regular monthly donations. God bless.
Thank you so much, Jeanne, for your support and encouragement. We very much need it. https://drelisblog.com/donation
What a marvelous article. I now understand this difficult passage in Matthew. I am more amazed by your writing with every one I read. Thank you for sharing with me even though I cannot contribute. I am praying about what I can do about that. I want to keep your ministry alive and ongoing. I save your articles so that I can pull them up when the topic comes up in my Bible study.
Thank you so very much.
Sincerely,
Patricia Conti
Thank you and God bless you!
Excellent exposition! …and revealing. The mention of martyrdom as the supreme testimony of witness of God’s holiness is intimidating – but correct; any of us might be called to give that testimony! As for the errant Pharisees I wonder. It was obviously Jesus’ intent for the Gospel to go to all of the world. When the Jerusalem church seemed stalled in Canaan, the Spirit rose up Paul to go to the gentiles (a completely unlikely choice.) Had the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin sought to embrace Jesus as their Messiah, what would have become of the Faith? There was NO spirit of evangelism in Judaism; being sons of Abraham was all that was required – exclusively. Interesting enigmas ? ? ?
He does, every day even when I am tired and “down in the dumps”, so to speak. Thank you for the blessing.
It is worthwhile to remember that when Rome crucified Jesus, in fleshly human terms, that was the end of Christianity. The power authority of that time considered that a settled matter. Yet through centuries of strife and tribulation, in about 300 years Christianity *conquered* the Roman empire. Jesus had to die to accomplish that incredible outcome. The flesh rejects such obscure matters, but the Holy Spirit guides the believer into a proper course of living the life of faith.
Thank you for your comments.
I was spiritually attacked as I read this article. I called upon the Name and the blasphemous thought left mind. I’m diagnosed with OCD, but I can tell what is obsessive thinking and what is a demonic attempt to find a crack in the armor of God. You wrote well about this. Perhaps my story will be part of you fine-tuning.
Perhaps. Blessing and strength!
You too God bless you also
Thank you Dr Eli, this is amazing explanation of this passage. And what an amazing hope we have in the Lord Jesus.
Amen and amen! Thank you, Madylene!
It sounds like the sin John refers to here:
1 John 5:16
If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.
You may be right, Martin. Sure sounds like it.
Thank you. As a child I said something I thought could damn my soul out of a dare to prove to myself that I wasn’t a coward. I did not mean it, and it was not against God, but against myself. I’m 65 now, and I have lived my life with the dread of thinking that I might have committed the “unforgivable sin”. Thank you for explaining what it truly is and reassuring me that Christ’s blood and sacrifice has indeed cleansed me of my sin, and that I will be with Him in paradise for eternity.
You are blessed child of God. You have nothing to be afraid of! So good to hear this!!!!!
Formidable ! Merci
Blessings!
No one on earth would like to bring eternal condemnation to oneself. As such, I do not think anyone would knowingly blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.
I have doubt as to whether those Pharisee really knew they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit or God. They made such utterance on the basis of not certain but concluded that Jesus did the miracles by the power of Baʿal-Zebûb. In other words, they are on the verge of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
I think in the case when someone recognized the Holy Spirit and go on to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit (probably in order to gain the satanic power). This person would be forever condemned.
Dr Lizorkin-Eyzenberg. What is your view, please?
In the Synoptic accounts, the Pharisees do not speak from mere doubt but from a settled determination to label the clearly liberating work of God as the activity of Satan, despite sufficient evidence to know better. In Jewish terms, this aligns with an extreme form of chilul Hashem, where God’s saving power is publicly recast as demonic, thus inverting good and evil at the level of testimony. The “unforgivability” does not stem from a limit in God’s mercy, but from the sinner’s entrenched refusal to repent: as long as one insists that light is darkness, one will never seek or receive forgiveness. Therefore anyone troubled by this question, still sensitive to the Spirit, has not committed this sin in the strict Gospel sense.
Incredible teaching! Thank you for this very necessary insight. I am truly grateful for this article that has brought clarity to this portion of scripture.
Thank you, Yvette!
I can’t express in words how much I appreciate Dr. Eli. I take advantage of every teaching I can, and will donate when i can. Thank you Dr. Eli for your devotion to the Lord, the Word and to teaching those of us so willing to learn.
Maralynn, I want to express my immense gratitude for your generous encouragement! (There is no pressure to give; I ask only those that are in position to do so now to do it.)
Thank you Dr. Eli for a very interesting and thought provoking article. It also answers a question that has haunted me for many years, with regards to just such a situation, but obviously done in ignorance.
Gregory, may the Lord now give you rest and healing!
God has blessed me in a new way, Dr. Eli, so I am happy to donate to you when i can. I appreciate you so much. I love the way you speak and explain things. It is a joy to sit under you.
MJ
We are all seating and listening to our Teacher and Lord. Thank you so much!!!!
Very interesting really
It is a little difficult to understand the difference between Jesus, the incarnation of God, and the Holy Spirit, God himself, without the cooof Trinity. But your study is very good
God bless you
It is mystery indeed.
The Holy Spirit is my Best Friend forever, and I do not like if He is made fun of because He is awesome to me, and I cannot live without Him and His guidance!!!
I don’t think I ever heard people talk like that. Good.
John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
The comforter mentioned here is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. If we ignore the conviction, we commit blasphemy and because we do not repent and ask forgiveness for our sin, it will not be forgiven.
Charles, it’s OK to hold another view. But I take exception to it in my article. I think it means something a bit different. May the Lord bless you, my brother and guide as both with his magnificent light.
Yes, the Bible is clear that the one unforgivalle sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Jesus said we could blaspheme Him and still be forgiven, but not so the Holy Spirit for theHoly Spirit is God Himself.
In a Nutshell, yes. Although divinity of Messianic Son of Man (Dan 7 and Gospels) should be taken into account too.
Dr Eli, thank you so much for this excellent spiritual nourishment. Shalom!!
Blessings, my brother! Enjoy!
That was very informative and helpful! I love the Jewish origin of the slur Beelzebul! Very fitting! The whole message is thus so much more crucial to understanding. It is very serious to trifle with the authority of the Holy Spirit! A lesson many “leaders” in the churches should heed!
Thanks, Robyn! Let’s continue to learn together!
Here I am reminded of David’s Psalm 95, and it’s a similar admonition to not deliberately harden one’s heart when hearing God’s voice. The psalm reads, ‘they tested me’, and elaborates that this was despite that generation experiencing God’s credibility for 4 decades.
Always interests me how that concerning the betrayer, Jesus says ‘it would have been better for him not to be born’ (Matthew 26: 24), whereas concerning Peter who denied Jesus three times, Jesus said to Peter, in Luke 22: 31-32, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you like wheat. But I’ve prayed for you…” Concerning the people involved in his crucifixion, Jesus said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” I think this points to genuine ignorance vs outright rebellion.
Yes, indeed. Very good reflection. Thank you, Velani.
Thank again Dr. Eli and for tackling this difficult subject. You always have some enlightening new insights to share. I am so happy about you – you being Jewish and a believer in the Messiah (Jew or Gentile, Jesus is till our Messiah). I have a question that has puzzled me: How is it possible that the Pharisees, who sat in the seat of Moses (who supposedly kept and knew all the laws of Moses) but were so off base that even Jesus called them hypocrites?
P.S. Please do look into the subject of how to recognize false Prophets and false miracles.
The Pharisees were devout Torah-keepers who made God’s Law accessible to ordinary Jews and preserved Israel’s identity. Jesus Himself said they “sit in Moses’ seat” and told people to obey their teaching of Scripture (Matt 23:2-3). Many early believers, including Paul, came from Pharisee circles.
Yet some leaders had turned piety into pride. They exalted human traditions over God’s word (Mark 7), neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness while obsessing over minor rules (Matt 23:23), and performed righteousness to be seen by men. Their hypocrisy was not that they kept the Law “too well,” but that outward precision masked inward greed, hardness, and self-justice.
Jesus’ blazing words in Matthew 23 target this spiritual disease, not Pharisaism itself. Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and thousands of early Messianic Jews prove many Pharisees had open hearts. In every generation, including ours, the danger is the same: loving the appearance of holiness more than God Himself.
TY!!!! This is a cornerstone article! Much needed in the Body of Messiah!!! G-d bless your work!
Spread it around, Leah!
Great article… Pleasing to see you show the context of Mathew w.r.t later Christian teaching…
It confirms what I have thought in the past, if you are concerned about the sinning against Yahwehs spirit, then you actually haven’t sinned against his spirit…
Blessings, Anthony!
Dr. Eli, a very careful and well articulated article/teaching that hits the nail on the head. Your writing and teaching style remind me a lot of another great scholar by the name of Dr. Brad Young who studied under Dr. David Flusser at Hebrew university. Brad was really good at engaging his readers with Hebrew concepts, especially his short book on the Jewish background of the Lord’s prayer.
Shalom, Gary
Gary, very kind of you! Thank you so much for your encouragement and support!!!
Very good insight. It reminds me of Jesus and Peter where He said to him, “ very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and you went were you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate by which kind of death he would glorify God. Glorify God by his death, same as sanctify His name.
Interesting. Thank you, Oscar.
Thank you for an excellent analysis of the concept of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I have seen people perplexedly ask: “What is the unforgiveable sin?” Jesus’ words in this passage make it quite clear. Most people who ask this have not committed that sin. They can find forgiveness for their sins through Jesus.
THank you, my brother!
Thank you for sharing this. My life group was discussing this recently. What you wrote is along the same thing that we discussed, but in greater detail. This is very helpful.
Greetings to the group!
Thank you brother for this insight. Explained very clearly. God bless you 🙏
You are welcome, Anita. Let’s grow together!
IZREAL Will reign Forever in THE MIGHTY NAME OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD AMEN AMEN AND AMEN
Patrick, hi! That may be so with some importance neunces, but what does it have to do with this article? What am I missing? 🙂
Very solid teaching. Post-crucifiction and ascention to the right hand of the Father, I believe rejecting Jesus and not receiving salvation is also blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for your comment.
Amazing presentation 🙏🎖🙏
So glad to be of help.
Wow!!! What a powerful teaching and impactful message. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this. God bless you servant of God.
Thank you and blessings back to you!
May I ask, please, would you consider casual swearing a sin? Whilst realising it is unedifying, disrespectful, and often evidence of a lack of control, is it actually sinful? I have, quite recently, ‘found God’, but old (especially bad) habits die hard and I swear frequently. It seems implicit in your excellent article that context would determine the answer? But I confess to being concerned that any belief system which professes peace and love might prohibit ‘membership’ on the grounds of a dogmatic interpretation of verbal utterances. There is, I believe, an old biblical analogy about the pure stream being unable to produce salt water, or such. Granted. But as man clearly is capable of both extremes, the reference must mean that unless we actively suppress any and all ‘salt water production’ we are ‘not worthy’. It is this that I wonder about. Thanks! Mike
What we today call “casual swearing” is not discussed in the Bible (not to my knowledge), but neither is addiction to drugs and games. But I think it is clear that overall principles of self-control, edifying speech, etc., certainly do not support this practice. Seek God and His Kingdom; the rest will take care of itself. Welcome to the Kingdom of God!
This was the most comprehensive and clear definition of Blasphemy od the Holy Spirit, I have ever read.
Thank you, Dr. Eyzenberg
Pastor Ron, I am grateful for your encouraging comment.
Dr. Lizorkin-Eyzenberg,
The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit of which Jesus spoke is the one sin God cannot forgive. We know what that sin is from Revelation 14.9-11. Worship of the Beast and taking his mark means one accepts Satan as God. It attributes the work of Satan to God, blaspheming the Spirit. One who does this, cannot be renewed again to repentance, what Paul wrote in Hebrews 6.4-6. The verses go against everything written elsewhere in Scripture. As long as one breathes, one can repent. But these cannot. Why? It is because the Beast’s mark changes one. One becomes identified, created in the image of the Beast and communication with God is shut down so the Spirit cannot draw one to Christ. This is the “sin to death” of which John wrote (1 John 5.16).
Thank you, Don. I don’t see the mark of the Beast as futuristic alone, so to me your point is very important. Thank you.
God bless you Dr.Eli..!
I thank you very much for answering my question before I question—,
Thank you for telling me that repentance pays off [Therefore, if terror grips you that you have committed the unforgivable sin, lift your eyes. Your pain and desire to be right with God prove the Spirit is still working with you. While that holy striving remains, the door stands flung wide.
No repentant sinner—no matter how far, how long, or how bitterly he once opposed—will ever hear Jesus say, “Depart.” The One who turned history’s worst Hillul HaShem into heaven’s greatest glory has given His unbreakable word: “Whoever comes to Me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).]
Amen!
Thank you, Dr. Eyzenberg. I really appreciate the research and depth of insight you give to the context and meaning of Scripture. It made me think of present day Church leaders in positions of influence who criticize the work of the Spirit happening in local churches other than their own. They seem to easily condemn the works of the Spirit – healing, transformation going on in people’s lives as a result of signs and wonders. I feel they should really be careful. Unless they have clear proof that what is happening violates Scripture, they should leave such criticism to the Lord to judge.
Greg (you can call me Eli), there is no doubt that we all should be careful and learn from Rabbi Gamaliel I (Gamaliel the Elder), a wonderful Pharisee believer whose wise words we read in Acts defending the apostles. He was, by the way, the grandson of Rabbi Hillel (!) and the teacher of Paul.
Toda Dr Eli. Best explanation I have heard about this difficult verse. I actually puts a new light on John 17:1 for me.
A key for me was to not try to understand it in the light of later Trinitarian formulation but just as God.
exactly that is indeed the key.
I believe Blessed John writes of this matter:
“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it” (1 Jn. 5:16 AV).
A great humility is needed in this, to yield a cautionary warning, as did our Most Revered Messiach.
Yes.
Excellent analysis, I’ve learned more than I could hope. I sense repetition along the text but I admit repetition is base to pedagogy and is required to such an important subject.
I’m pleased to read you.
Arnault, please point out repetition (I may have missed it).
Dear Dr Eli, It was a great pleasure to read your article and also the contributing comments. Thank You.
So happy to hear that! Stay tunes more good is coming!
Thank you for your very clear explanation of the Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. No one has ever explained it the way you did and it puts my spirit and soul to rest. Hallelujah
HALELUYA INDEED!!!
Thank you very much! Very good explanation. God bless you!
Hana
Hana, thank you for your comment and God bless you!
Rather, the Holy Spirit was God’s personal, active presence and power within creation—God’s own action made manifest in the world.
This reality is confirmed in this Time of the Revelation of Jesus Christ in other words, To him that overcomes will I grant to SIT WITH ME IN MY THRONE, even as I ALSO OVERCAME, and AM set down with my Father in his throne.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:21-22
Thank you for your comment Ray.
Your sentence in one of the comments, ‘The “unforgivability” does not stem from a limit in God’s mercy, but from the sinner’s entrenched refusal to repent: as long as one insists that light is darkness, one will never seek or receive forgiveness’ is very clarifying. Perhaps it could be moved into the text itself?
And a Q: Some commentators write that this particular sin could only be committed during Jesus’ earthly ministry, when he was standing right in front of them. Do you agree with that? If not, what would the blasphemy look like today?
Gary, thank you for your comment. About your question: no, I do not agree. But I do think that this sin has to do with the public manner and the authority/status/standing in the community of the one committing it.
I will just add a small explanation of what I think, because I haven’t proven it yet. I feel eternal life is for the earth. This existence we have is precious. If Adam had to now die because of what he did ,wouldn’t you think Jesus came to fix that. Jesus did fix the reason for death. So I believe the unpardonable sin is a sin that will take us out of the earth realm. I truly believe these people that come against the Holy Spirit, will die and have another chance in a Judgment day in the future…
I don’t quite get your point :-). But I think that heaven and earth will be merged into one entity. The Garden of Eden used to be the lobby of heaven. Soon (or not soon) the earth will be Heaven too. No tears, no sickness, no sin, is coming to your neighborhood some time in the future.
Thank you very much Dr. Eli for your excellent blend of deep academic depth with awesome spiritually practical applications.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ constantly increase to you. Amen.
Dear Michael, this blessing is humbly received. Thank you!
One main reason is, the Holy Spirit is the heavenly Mother of Jesus, his true Mother because Holy Spirit in Aramaic and Hebrew language God has reveald him first to humans in Old Testament in the scriptures is Ruach Ha-Kodesh feminie and the Holy Spirit is feminine as the heavenly Mother of Jesus, thats why he is calling his God the heavenly Father – the godly heavenly Family as Father God, Mother Goddess and Son – all one in the Godhead and everyone is God.
Spirit of God’s holiness is feminine in Hebrew, it is true, but God, face, water, etc. is plural does this necessarily mean that God, face, and water are many? (My point is that grammatical gender is not necessarily something that helps to determine meaning).
this clearly explains the reaction of the Pharisee’s reaction to Stephen
Norma, thanks! How so? can you elaborate?
They thought he was blaspheming God and therefore deserved to be stoned
Very eye opening and understandable, thank you for taking the time to go so in-depth and explain it so well.
You are most welcome, Adele! Let’s keep on learning together!
Bless you. I needed this.
We all do, my brother! God bless you!
There is also another unforgivable sin; knowing sin, ignoring it and continuing doing it. This sin stands unforgivable. For example, Believer know very well, sin is transgression of law, yet they break one commandment like Sabbath day, this is a sin but they assume this is not a sin as long as I have replaced the sabbath day with another day of my choice and they continue doing sin every week without repenting and turning away from doing sin. this sin remains unforgivable.
thanks for your comment.
Well, imho, the text is more or less a hapax legomenon, that means, it’s possibly a later addition, you can forget it.
By the way: what is the name of god?g
What evidence do we have for it to be a later addition?
First: we have not any original wording from Jesus, we have only a translation. Traduttore – traditore….
It doesn’t fit into the context, and it doesn’t fit into Jesus’ teachings.
I have no evidence, I never said so, that would be an insinuation.
The well known Comma Ioanneum is also a later addition, as most theologians say.
By rhe way: I heard the Lord’s prayer spoken in aramaic, in Maalula, now eventually extincted, by “democrats”.
Guenther, basically there is no evidence that it was not original. Using your logic here (best I understand it), we can discount all four gospels in their entirety. So you have to choose: either you claim that all of it is irrelevant (which is fine), or you acknowledge that this particular section is not original (a later addition). To me it is neither. There are, of course, later additions in the Gospels (such as, for example Woman caught in adultery), but this does not seem to be it.
Thank you. I agree 100 %.
Thank you, Ana. Let’s keep thinking together!
Just out of linguistic curiosity: doesn’t the root HLL mean ‘praise’? Isn’t it the same one we find in Hallelujah = Praise the LORD? How, then, can ‘hillul’ mean ‘desecration’?
The Hebrew root הלל (HLL) fundamentally means “to praise” or “to shine,” as seen in the word “Hallelujah” which literally means “Praise Yah” (Yah being a shortened divine name of God). The verb form הלל (hallel) appears in the imperative plural form as הַלְלוּ (hallelu), a command to praise or glorify, which is the root found in “Hallelujah”—an expression of joyous praise to God. However, the noun הֲלִיל (hillul or hillul), which looks similar, has a different but related meaning: it originally connotes “praise” or “celebration” but developed to carry the sense of “desecration” or “profanation.” This shift occurs because in Hebrew, intense or excessive behavior can sometimes extend from positive to negative, such as from raving praise to destructive frenzy or disorder. This semantic range is not uncommon in Biblical Hebrew, where the same root can have both positive and negative connotations based on context, form, or usage.
Hallelujah, what a Saviour!We thank ALMIGHTY GOD for Messiah YESHUA +Blessed HOLY SPIRIT, what grace, what mercies,Hallelujah!
Amen!
Thank you, i was wondering if i ever commited this sin, in my former life.. (let’s say worldly)
But as soon as i read it, the Lord basicly told me, don’t worry, your fine. 🙂
I know i don’t deserve any of GOD’s Grace, Mercy or love, i am a wretch, a sinner and an lousy disciple.. But i love HIM with all my heart.
That’s all i can do right.
Thank the Good Lord GOD Allmighty and you again for this teaching. It really blessed me.
🙏✝️
Blessings and joy!
New insight. Thanks & God bless..
Thank you for your insights. It is so enriching. I found myself saying thank you Jesus!
Wow!!!! That is the best encouragement I can think of us!!!!!
“Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The Lord will never be willing to forgive them; his wrath and zeal will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under heaven.” (Deuteronomy 29:17-20, NABRE).
Thank you, Joshua.
Hi Dr. Eli,
this teaching is so powerful. I will have to read it again and again to understand it so that I can share with my Bible Study friends.
Thank you and looking forward to more teachings.
Enjoy!
I so value your teaching and input into my walk thankyou Dr Eli
I am blessed! Thank you for sharing!
The one question I have then – if a Pharisee who committed the unforgivable later repented, was there hope for him? Or if a Pharisee who had publicly condemned Jesus was horrified at what he had done when he heard Jesus’ declaration about the sin against the Spirit and changed his stance immediately, was there hope for him? Could such as these have done something to restore themselves? And with the blasphemy remaining unforgiven, was it nevertheless paid for by the death of the Messiah?
Anyone who truly comes to repentance has received the saving grace of God and therefore CAN NOT be rejected by the Son.
Dear Dr. Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg,
I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the exceptional article you presented. It is a work of profound wisdom and scholarship that masterfully bridges the gap between historical context and spiritual insight.
Your ability to illuminate the Second Temple Jewish framework and the linguistic nuances of the text has provided invaluable benefits, reaching beyond lay readers to even seasoned scholars. By clarifying concepts such as “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” and “Kiddush HaShem” through such a rigorous academic lens, you have brought much-needed clarity to these complex themes.
Thank you for your dedicated scholarship and for sharing such enlightening knowledge with us
Dear Pastor Jann Bahdousheh, thank you so much for this encouraging words!
Well thank YOU! For the clarity and relief of knowing that Christ died for the sins (blasphemy of The Holy Spirit by the Pharisees), of Jews and gentiles. This also reminds me of the broken olive branch parable in Romans 11.
In a time of increasing antisemitism, it’s good to have added weapons of biblical consistency and truth to our Christian understanding and arsenal!
Indeed! Thank you!
Fascinating, thank you for that tremendously insightful understanding of God’s word. Understanding, theory and theology proper has made all the difference in my understanding.
Thank you
Blessings to you, my brother!
Thank you for this teaching Dr. Eli. So just to make sure, was blasphemy of the Holy Spirit unforgivable before His resurrection but now under the New Covenant, this has changed? I was thinking of Hebrews 9:22, “under the law almost everything is purified with blood,” (with “almost” drawing my attention). Are there some sins that are too heinous (like deliberate blasphemy) to be forgivable, even under the New Covenant?
Thanks!
That’s a good question I would think that the gravity of blasphemy (its nature as I discussed it in the article) still carries over in the NT. But honestly I should give it more thought.
This is very deep. I must confess that I am getting to understand the Holy Scriptures through your ministry. Dr. Eli is a blessing to modern day Christians, a great teacher and a prolific writer. God richly bless you for this wonderful work.
I am very encouraged. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I have always said that the Bible must be read with an understanding of the times in which it was written, and that is what you are giving us. I have learned so much from you, and am understanding so much better what I read in my Bible. Your giving us the understanding, the background for what is Written is, indeed, a blessing.
Thank you.
So glad to hear that! God bless you!