Matthew 27

Matthew 27:4

:TEXT: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

S A B* C K W X Delta Pi f1 f13 33 565 700 892 1010 1241 Byz Lect syr(p,h) few cop

KJV ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: BNOTES: “I have sinned by betraying righteous blood.”

B2margin L Theta lat vg syr(s,pal) most cop

ASVnCOMMENTS: The word “righteous” was used in the law courts as a synonym for “innocent” (see Luke 23:47 RSV). While it can be argued that “innocent” was introduced from the Greek Old Testament, where “innocent blood” is found 15 times to only 4 times for “righteous blood,” the manuscript evidence would indicate that “righteous” was borrowed from some place such as Matthew 23:35.

Matthew 27:9-10

:TEXT: “And they took the thirty silver [coins] . . . and they gave them for the potter’s field”

A B* C K L X Delta Theta Pi 064 f1 f13 33 565 700 892 1010 1241 Byz most Lect lat vg few syr(pal) cop

KJV ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: CNOTES: “And I took the thirty silver [coins] . . . and I gave them for the potter’s field”

S B2(vid) W 2174 four Lect most syr

ASVn NASVn : “I took” and “they took” are spelled alike in Greek, so the difference is between “I gave” and “they gave” which are also spelled similar (“they gave” has one letter more than “I gave”–the Greek letter for “n”). It is likely that the reading “I gave” was introduced because of the word “me” at the end of the verse.

Matthew 27:16-17

:TEXT: “a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. . . . release to plyou, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?”

Theta f1 700* syr(s,pal)

RSVn NEB TEV RANK: CNOTES: “a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. . . . release to plyou, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?”

S A B D K L W Delta Pi 064 f13 33 565 700c 892 1010 1241 Byz Lect lat vg syr(p,h) few syr(pal) cop

KJV ASV RSV NASV NIV NEBnCOMMENTS: The name “Jesus” before “Barabbas” in verses 16 and 17 is in brackets in the UBS text. Although the name “Jesus Barabbas” is found in only a few manuscripts, it is more likely to be original, because copyists would have been likely to have omitted the name “Jesus” from before “Barabbas” out of reverence, and there is no reason for it to have been added.

Matthew 27:24

:TEXT: “I am innocent of this [man’s] blood”

B D Theta some lat syr(s) most cop(south) some cop(north)

ASVn RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: BNOTES: “I am innocent of this righteous [man’s] blood” or “I am innocent of this righteous blood”

S A K L W Delta Pi 064 f1 f13 33 565 700 892 1010 1241 Byz Lect some lat vg syr(p,h,pal) some cop(south) most cop(north)

KJV ASV RSVn NASVnCOMMENTS: The word “righteous” is missing from early manuscripts of several types of ancient text. It is found before “this” in most manuscripts that have it, but after “this” in some others. It appears to have been added by copyists to make clear Jesus’ innocence.

Matthew 27:28

:TEXT: “And they stripped him”

S*,b A D L W Delta Theta Pi 064 (add “of his clothes”) f1 f13 33 (add “of his clothes”) 565 700 892 1010 1241 Byz Lect some lat vg syr(p,h) some syr(pal) cop

KJV ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: BNOTES: “And they clothed him”

Sa B syr(s)

ASVnOTHER: “And they clothed him in a purple cloak and”

D some lat some syr(pal)

The difference between the words for “stripped” and “clothed” in Greek is one letter. The word “clothed” seems to have been a change made by copyists who assumed that he was still naked following the whipping he received (see John 19:1). The words “in a purple cloak” have been added from John 19:2.

Matthew 27:35

:TEXT: “they divided his clothes [among them by] throwing [gambling] lots.”

S A B D L W Gamma Pi 33 565 700 892c Maj two lat early vg syr(p,pal)

ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: -NOTES: “they divided his clothes [among them by] throwing [gambling] lots, so that the word [spoken] by the prophet might be fulfilled, ‘They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they threw [gambling] lots.’”

Delta Theta f1 f13 most lat later vg syr(h)

KJV NIVnOTHER: “they divided his clothes [among them by] throwing [gambling] lots on them.”

892* syr(s) cop

Although it is possible that the additional material may have accidently been omitted due to a mistake of the eye (skipping from “lots” to “lots”), the quote from Psalms 22:18 seems to have been added by later copyists from the parallel in John 19:24 with Matthew’s type of wording used to introduce the quote.

Matthew 27:49

:TEXT: “‘Let us see whether Elijah is coming to save him.’”

A D K W Delta Theta Pi 090 f1 f13 28 33 565 700 892 1241 Byz Lect lat vg syr(s,p,h) some syr(pal) cop

KJV ASV RSV NASV NIV NEB TEV RANK: BNOTES: “‘Let us see whether Elijah is coming to save him.’ And another took a spear and pierced his side, and out came water and blood.”

S B C L 1010 some syr(pal)

ASVn RSVn NASVnCOMMENTS: The additional words seem to have been introduced here by some copyists from the similar account in John 19:34, although strangely enough they appear here before Jesus’ death.