New York Mets player Mark Vientos was revealed last week to have a confusing Hebrew tattoo on his chest after his teammates ripped his shirt off him in celebration of his home run.
The baseballer was seen in photos and video with the Hebrew letters הפלפמ (ha’plpm) tattooed on his chest above the number 4:6, seemingly pointing to a Bible verse.
The revelation set off chatter online among Israelis and Hebrew speakers who were stumped by the confusing ink.
While no books in the Old Testament bear any similar names to these letters, a number of online commenters pointed out that the letters could be an attempt at the Hebrew title of the New Testament book “Philippians,” which would be written הפיליפים in Hebrew.
It was not clear why Vientos chose to have the tattoo in Hebrew, as the book was originally written in Greek, nor where his botched spelling came from. Moreover, Hebrew speakers were quick to note that any words in the language that end with the Hebrew letter מ (mem) should be rendered as ם (mem sofit).
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The New Testament passage the tattoo likely refers to reads: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
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