“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)

For many of us raised in traditional evangelical settings, this verse was used as a declaration of spiritual warfare — “binding Satan” and “loosing” blessings. Yet the more one studies the Jewish world of the first century, the clearer it becomes that Yeshua was not speaking of spiritual warfare at all. He was speaking the language of halakhic authority, the legal authority of a Jewish court to forbid (bind) or permit (loose) matters within the community.

The context makes this unmistakable. Yeshua’s words come immediately after instructions for dealing with a brother who sins. First, go privately. If that fails, take one or two witnesses. If that fails, bring the matter before the assembly. This is not spiritual warfare — it is Jewish legal procedure.

Yeshua quotes directly from Deuteronomy 19:15, “at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter shall be established.” This is the exact language used in Jewish courts. The Mishnah (Sanhedrin 1:1; 3:1) states that a Beit Din (court) requires three judges, and that a ruling is valid only when two agree. This is precisely what Yeshua means when He says, “If two of you agree on earth…” He is not speaking of prayer partners — He is speaking of legal judges reaching a majority decision.

In Hebrew legal terminology, the words “bind” and “loose” are technical halakhic terms:

(asar) אסר — to forbid, prohibit

התיר (hitir) — to permit, allow

These terms appear throughout rabbinic literature. The Mishnah uses them constantly: “Beit Shammai forbid… Beit Hillel permit…” (e.g., Mishnah Berakhot 1:3; Mishnah Shabbat 1:4; Mishnah Eduyot 4:1). When Yeshua says, “Whatever you bind… whatever you loose,” He is using the exact same legal vocabulary used by the sages.

Josephus, a first‑century Pharisee, uses the same language when describing the authority of the Pharisees to “determine what is permitted and forbidden” (Antiquities 13.10.6). This shows that the phrase was not only rabbinic but widely understood in the Jewish world of Yeshua’s day.

Even the Dead Sea Scrolls reflect this judicial framework. The Community Rule (1QS 6.24–25) describes the authority of the council to “judge, convict, and exclude” members who refuse correction. This is the same pattern Yeshua outlines: private rebuke, witnesses, then community judgment.

Thus, when Yeshua gives His disciples authority to “bind and loose,” He is not giving them mystical power over demons. He is appointing them as leaders of a halakhic community, empowered to make legal decisions regarding discipline, membership, and communal life — decisions that Heaven itself will ratify when made according to God’s Torah.

This is why Yeshua says that if the offending brother refuses to listen even to the assembly, he is to be treated “as a heathen and a tax collector.” This is standard Jewish disciplinary language. The Mishnah (Moed Katan 16a) describes the practice of niddui — temporary ban — for those who refuse correction. The Qumran community used similar language for expulsion. Yeshua is not inventing a new system; He is affirming the one already given in the Torah and practiced in His day.

Understanding the Jewish meaning of “binding and loosing” also explains why the apostles never once “bind Satan” in the Newer Covenant. Not once. They cast out demons, yes — but they never use the language of “binding and loosing” for spiritual warfare. That phrase belonged to the court, not the battlefield.

As a side note: Growing up, I never could understand how Satan kept getting loose when we were binding him in Jesus name. LOL

Yeshua was giving His disciples the same authority Moses gave the elders of Israel — the authority to judge matters within the community according to God’s Word. When done properly, with witnesses, righteousness, and humility, Heaven recognizes the earthly ruling. This is why Yeshua says, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.” In Jewish thought, Heaven affirms the righteous decisions of a properly constituted court (see Talmud Berakhot 6a, where the Shekhinah is said to dwell with a court of three).

The clearest example of “binding and loosing” in the Newer Covenant is found in Paul’s handling of the immoral man in Corinth (1 Corinthians 5). This passage is often misunderstood, but when read through Jewish legal eyes, it becomes a textbook demonstration of the very process Yeshua outlined in Matthew 18.

A man in the Corinthian community was engaged in a forbidden sexual relationship. Paul writes that he has already “judged” the matter as though present (1 Corinthians 5:3). In Jewish judicial procedure, a qualified elder or judge could render a halakhic judgment even if physically absent, provided the facts were established by witnesses (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:1).

Paul then instructs the community to act together “when you are assembled” (v. 4). This is the language of a Beit Din, a communal court. The matter is not handled privately or emotionally, but through the same structured process Yeshua described: witnesses, communal confirmation, and a binding ruling.

Paul’s instruction to “remove the wicked man from among you” (v. 13) echoes Deuteronomy 17:7 and 19:19 — the Torah’s language for communal discipline. This is the Jewish practice of niddui, temporary exclusion for the purpose of repentance. The goal is never destruction but restoration.

And that is exactly what happens.

In 2 Corinthians 2:6–8, Paul reveals the outcome:

• The man repented

• The community forgave him

• Paul urges them to receive him back, “lest he be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow”

This is the heart of Jewish discipline, and it should be the heart of every Christian. The Talmud teaches that the purpose of rebuke is always to “bring back the one who has gone astray” (Arakhin 16b). The Qumran community used the same pattern: correction → exclusion → repentance → restoration.

Paul is applying the exact halakhic process Yeshua affirmed:

1. A sin occurs

2. The matter is judged

3. A binding ruling is made by the community

4. The offender is excluded

5. Repentance occurs

6. The community looses (permits) restoration

This is “binding and loosing” in its purest form — not mystical warfare, but accountability rooted in Torah and practiced by the apostles.

“Binding and loosing” is a call to righteous leadership, communal accountability, and faithful application of God’s Torah. Yeshua was instructing His disciples in the well established ancient pattern. When we read His words through Jewish eyes, the meaning becomes clear, consistent, and powerful.

This discipline is meant for people within the congregation and not sinners or people outside the congregation.

For more information on this topic, please see the attached articles (below).

I hope this has added clarity to the Jewishness of Jesus, His disciples, and the New Testament Writings.

Leisa

#difficult

#wordsyeshua