Yodh (also written as Yod) is the tenth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Yodh has the same sound as “y” as in “yes”. Every line in Psalm 119:73-80 starts with this letter. Yodh looks like this:

The Yodh is the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
It’s the one that looks kind of like an apostrophe.

Yodh may be small, but it is the most used letter in Hebrew writings.
Every letter has a Yodh in it, making it the basis of the entire language.

Because the Yodh is used to form all the other letters, it represents God’s omnipresence. Rabbis took it even farther and said the Yodh was the single point from which all creation emerged. Yet because it is the smallest letter, it shows how God delights in using the weak and insignificant to demonstrate His power and glory.

Yodh is the first letter in the divine name of God — Yahweh
Yodh is the first letter in the Savior’s name — Yeshua (Jesus)
Yodh is the first letter in the name of the chosen people — Yisrael (Israel)

Take another look at the Yodh.
That pen stroke that curves down on the right is called a “jot”.
That tiny swoop up on the left side is called a “tittle”.
These are the smallest of markings and the reason why scribes bent over their parchments with their faces so close to their careful copy work. If one jot or tittle was missing, the whole scroll had to be buried and they had to start over.

That would be like throwing out a whole book
because one “i” didn’t have its dot
or one “t” wasn’t crossed.

Jesus talked about the Yodh.
In Matthew 5:18 Jesus said,
“Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.

In other words, every period and every comma in God’s Word has purpose and meaning. It’s all true and trustworthy, right down to the apostrophes. It contains no errors and it is guaranteed to come to pass just exactly as it is written. There is no changing it and no stopping its fulfillment. God is reliable, and so is His Word—every jot and tittle of it.

God’s meticulous and precise attention to detail is breathtaking. We see it in nature, in our physical bodies, and in His Word. The Yodh reminds us that He cares about the details of our lives, too. Even — especially — small, weak, insignificant people like you and me.

Next: My favorite word in the Bible that starts with “J”.