5:1. proshlqan autw. Lach. and West.^marg omit autw "to him" after proshlqan, according to B alone, and a quotation in Origen. It makes no difference in translation, because proshlqan itself means "approached" with an implied object. The autw may have been omitted for stylistic reasons by a scribe who felt that it was redundant.

5:4-5. makarioi oi penqounteV. Lach. Tisch. and Treg. transpose verses 4 and 5, according to D, most of the Old Latin MSS, the Vulgate, the Curetonian Syriac, one MS of the Bohairic Coptic version, and some early patristic quotations (Clement and Origen). This is attractive because "theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (verse 3) is then followed by the rhetorical parallel "...they shall inherit the earth" (verse 5), and an accidental transposition of verses 4 and 5 could easily have happened because of the repeated makarioi "blessed." But the intervening position of our verse 4, "blessed are they that mourn..." has much better attestation: S B C E and the other uncials, with the majority of cursives, three Old Latin MSS, the Sinaitic and Peshitta Syriac versions and the Coptic versions generally. Perhaps the blessings were transposed by scribes who were used to hearing verses 3 and 5 quoted together.

5:11. yeudomenoi. Lach. Treg.^marg and UBS.^marg omit yeudomenoi "falsely," according to D, most Old Latin MSS, the Sinaitic Syriac version, and some patristic quotations (Tregelles lists Origen among them). But the word is found in S B C W E and the other uncials, some Old Latin MSS, the Vulgate, the Curetonian and Peshitta Syriac versions, and the Coptic versions. It is strange that the word would be omitted if it is original, but it may have been overlooked by scribes who were used to Luke's version of the beatitude (see Luke 6:22).

5:22. adelfw autou. The TR and Treg.^text add eikh "without a cause" after adelfw autou "his brother," according to S² D L W, the majority of cursives, Old Latin, Syriac and Coptic versions. This is early and widespread support, and the eikh is in keeping with Matthew's tendency to qualify statements (e.g. "falsely" in verse 11, "saving for the cause of fornication" in verse 32), but we omit it with Lach. Tisch. Treg.^marg Alf.^marg West. Nest. UBS., according to equally ancient witnesses: P⁶⁴ (around A.D. 200) S B, and a few cursives, the Vulgate, and quotations in Origen and Jerome (who expressly rejects it as an interpolation). It may have been added, perhaps first in the margin, for pastoral reasons.

5:25. krithV. The TR and Treg.^text add se paradw "deliver thee" after krithV "judge," according to L W, the majority of cursives, most Old Latin, and the Syriac and Coptic versions. We omit it with Lach. Tisch. Treg.^marg West. Nest. UBS., according to P⁶⁴ S B, some cursives, and Codex Bobbiensis (k) of the Old Latin. (D here has se paradwsei.) The repetition of the phrase adds emphasis and supplies the elided verb, a common type of scribal addition.

5:27. erreqh. The TR adds toiV arcaioiV "to them of old time" after erreqh, with L, some cursives, some Old Latin MSS, the Vulgate, and the Old Syriac version. We omit it with Gries. Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. Word. West. Nest. UBS. Hodg., according to S B D E, most cursives, some Old Latin MSS, the Peshitta Syriac, and the Bohairic Coptic version (the Sahidic Coptic is defective at this point). It seems that the phrase was added here after the pattern of 5:21 and 5:33.

5:28. epiqumhsai authn. Tisch. West.^marg Nest.^marg omit authn "her" after epiqumhsai "to lust after," according to P⁶⁴ S and quotations in Tertullian and Clement. This testimony is ancient enough, but too narrow. A scribe probably omitted the pronoun as unnecessary.

5:30. eiV geennan apelqh. The TR reads blhqh eiV geennan "be cast into hell" with L W E, most cursives, two Latin MSS, the Peshitta Syriac and the Sahidic Coptic version. We read eiV geennan apelqh "go into hell" with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B, some cursives, nearly all Old Latin, the Vulgate, the Curetonian Syriac, and the Bohairic Coptic version. It seems likely that blhqh eiV geennan replaced the original reading when scribes accidentally repeated the phrase from the end of verse 29. We note that Codex D and a few other witnesses omit this whole verse, which is an example of the homoeoteleuton ("similarity of ending") type of scribal error. Having copied the end of verse 29 (which in D reads apelqh eiV geennan) a scribe put his eyes back on the exemplar where that phrase occurred at the end of verse 30, and continued copying from there.

5:32. paV o apoluwn. The TR reads oV an apolush "whosoever shall put away" instead of paV o apoluwn "every one that putteth away" here, with D E and other uncials, most cursives, some Old Latin MSS, the Old Syriac and the Bohairic Coptic versions. We read paV o apoluwn with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B L, some cursives, the Vulgate, some Old Latin MSS, and the Peshitta Syriac. Probably scribes mistakenly repeated oV an apolush from verse 31. But on the other hand, it may be that paV o apoluwn is a stylistic assimilation to paV o blepwn "every one that looketh" in verse 28.

5:32. moiceuqhnai. The TR reads moicasqai "to make herself an adulteress" (middle infin. of moicaw) with L and other uncials, and the majority of cursives. We read moiceuqhnai "to be adulterated" (passive infin. of moiceuw) with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B D and some cursives. Strictly speaking, the woman does not commit adultery, she is adulterated or defiled by the man.

5:32. kai oV ean apolelumenhn gamhsh moicatai. West.^marg omits this clause ("and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away committeth adultery") at the end of the verse, according to D (in both its Greek and Latin text) and a few other Old Latin MSS, which is very inadequate testimony. In D the Latin text actually breaks off in the middle of the previous sentence. It reads, Ego autem dico vobis quicumque dimiserit uxorem suam excepta ratione adulterii, "but I say unto you that whoever sends away his wife, except for reason of adultery," and off to the right another hand has finished the sentence with facit eam moechari, "makes her commit adultery."

5:37. estw. Lach. Alf. West.^marg read estai (future, "your speech shall be") instead of estw (imperative, "let your speech be") according to B, two cursives, the Syriac versions, and quotations in Clement and Eusebius. But the evidence for estw greatly preponderates. The estai in B probably arose as a stylistic assimilation to the future tenses of the command ouk epiorkhseiV, apodwseiV de ("thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform") in verse 33.

5:39. rapizei. TR reads rapisei "shall smite," according to D L and most cursives. We read rapizei "smiteth" with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B W and some cursives.

5:39. siagona sou. Some editors (Tisch. West.^marg Nest.^marg UBS.^marg) omit sou "thy," according to S W, some cursives, and some Old Latin MSS and citations. In MSS that have the word, many have it before siagona instead of after.

5:44. ecqrouV umwn. After ecqrouV umwn "your enemies" the TR adds eulogeite touV katarwmenouV umaV, kalwV poiete touV misountaV umaV "bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you," according to D L W, most cursives, and some Old Latin MSS. A few MSS (including some Coptic) add only the first phrase, others (including some Old Latin MSS and the Vulgate) add only the second. We omit both with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B, some cursives, one Old Latin MS, the Old Syriac version, and most MSS of the Coptic versions. It seems clear that scribes have added these phrases from the parallel in Luke 6:27-28.

5:44. diwkontwn. Before diwkontwn umaV "persecute you" the TR inserts ephreazontwn umaV kai "abuse you and," according to D L W, most cursives, Old Latin MSS and the Vulgate. We omit it with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B, some cursives, one Old Latin MS, the Old Syriac, and Coptic versions. Again, the phrase has been added from Luke.

5:46. to auto. Some editors (Lach. Treg. Alf. West.^marg) read autwV "likewise" (adverb) instead of to auto "the same" here, according to D, cursive 33, Old Latin MSS h and k, the Old Syriac, and the Coptic versions. The to auto is better attested, but it may be an ancient assimilation to Luke 6:33, and if autwV stood here originally it would explain why some scribes wrote autwV instead of to auto in the following verse.

5:47. touV adelfouV. Hodg. reads filouV "friends" instead of adelfouV "brethren," according to L W, the majority of cursives, and Old Latin MSS f and h. This is obviously an interpretive gloss.

5:47. eqnikoi. The TR reads telwnai "tax collectors" with L W, most cursives, one Old Latin MS, and the Peshitta Syriac. We read eqnikoi "Gentiles" with Gries. Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. Word. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B D, some cursives, nearly all Old Latin MSS, the Vulgate, Old Syriac, and Coptic versions. Probably scribes accidentally repeated telwnai from the previous sentence.

5:47. to auto. TR reads outwV "likewise" according to L, most cursives, Old Latin MS h, the Curetonian Syriac, and the Bohairic Coptic version. We read to auto "the same" with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. Word. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B D, nearly all Old Latin MSS, the Vulgate, and the Peshitta Syriac.

5:48. wV o pathr. TR reads wsper "just as" instead of the simple wV "as," according to D W and most cursives. We read wV with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B L and patristic quotations (Tregelles lists several from Clement, Origen, and Eusebius). Scribes tended to substitute more emphatic forms.

5:48. o ouranioV. TR reads o en toiV ouranoiV "which is in heaven" with D, most cursives, many Old Latin MSS, and the Curetonian and Pehitta Syriac. We read o ouranioV "heavenly" with Lach. Tisch. Treg. Alf. West. Nest. UBS., according to S B L E, some cursives, some Old Latin, and the Vulgate. It is likely that o pathr umwn o en toiV ouranoiV originated as an accidental repetition of tou patroV umwn tou en ouranoiV in verse 45.