Four small readings run through the next part of Matthew 12. None removes a miracle or reverses a doctrine. Together they show why textual work must look at grammar, rhythm, and named actors as well as at whole verses.
“For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” — Matthew 12:8
“Even of the sabbath”
The Textus Receptus reads, “the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.” The critical text omits the Greek καί, “even” or “also.” Christ remains Lord of the sabbath in both. The received particle tightens the answer: the priests profane the sabbath and are blameless, one greater than the temple is here, and the Son of man is Lord even of the day his accusers claim to guard.
In verse 10 the copies vary in the shape of “a man which had his hand withered.” One form uses a finite verb and an object; another uses a participle, “a man having a withered hand.” Nothing is gained by turning this into a doctrinal alarm. It is a true wording question with almost no change in the reported fact.
Many—or many crowds
After the Pharisees plot against Jesus, he withdraws. The received text says “great multitudes” followed him—literally, “many crowds.” The shorter reading has only “many.” Since Matthew often writes “many crowds,” critics suspect an expansion toward his familiar phrase. Yet the two adjacent words have similar endings, and crowds could fall without damaging the sentence. The noun gives the scene scale: not merely many individuals, but gathered companies pressing after him.
At verse 25 the Textus Receptus names Jesus: “And Jesus knew their thoughts.” The critical text reads, “And knowing their thoughts, he said.” The subject is clear either way. An explicit name can be added for ease, but it can also disappear when a scribe judges it unnecessary. Matthew repeatedly names Jesus when a new reply begins, and the received form carries that firm turn.
Weigh each reading on its own
The four variants do not march in one direction. Sometimes the critical form is shorter; once it recasts the grammar; in each case the story survives. That does not make the words disposable. It does make exaggeration a poor servant of preservation.
The received text has a coherent cadence. The Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath. A man had his hand withered. Many crowds followed. Jesus knew the thoughts of those who accused him. Each detail names the actor or fills the scene. None looks like a doctrinal note smuggled into the margin.
The authority in the passage does not rest on a particle or a repeated name. It rests on the Lord who heals before his enemies and knows the charge before they speak. The smaller words make that account exact, and exactness is reason enough to keep them.
The sequence also shows why clustered studies must resist a single verdict by manuscript. At one word a favored codex may preserve the better form; at the next it may not. Editorial consistency means applying the same principles to each unit, not following one physical book through the paragraph.
The small finite-versus-participial difference at verse 10 is a useful limit case. Inspiration extends to grammar, yet not every grammatical variant produces a distinct English proposition. An article can report the difference without manufacturing a spiritual lesson from it.
At the larger level, the Sabbath controversy turns on mercy. Christ claims lordship, restores the hand, withdraws from murderers, and heals those who follow. The received particles and subjects keep that movement concrete. Exact text serves the deed rather than competing with it.
Further reading
- Matthew 12:1–30.
- Frederick H. A. Scrivener, The New Testament in the Original Greek according to the Text Followed in the Authorised Version.
- Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, notes on Matthew 12:15 and 12:25.
- John William Burgon and Edward Miller, The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels.