Matthew 8:18

Challenging Professed Followers

8:18 Now when Jesus saw a large crowd ¹  around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake. ² 

Matthew 9:25

9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up.

Matthew 15:33

15:33 The disciples said to him, “Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?”

Matthew 20:31

20:31 The ³  crowd scolded ⁴  them to get them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Lord, have mercy on us, ⁵  Son of David!”

Matthew 21:8

21:8 A ⁶  very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

---

¹ tc ‡ Codex B and some Sahidic mss read simply ὄχλον (oclon, “crowd”), the reading that NA²⁷ follows; the first hand of א, as well as ˹ and a few others, has ὄχλους (oclous, “crowds”); other witnesses read πολὺν ὄχλον (polun oclon, “a large crowd”). But the reading most likely to be original seems to be πολλούς ὄχλους (pollou" oclou"). It is found in א² C L Θ 0233 ˹³ 33 Ï lat; it is judged to be superior on internal grounds (the possibility of accidental omission of πολλούς/πολύν in isolated witnesses) and, to a lesser extent, external grounds (geographically widespread, various texttypes). For reasons of English style, however, this phrase has been translated as “a large crowd.”

² tn The phrase “of the lake” is not in the Greek text but is clearly implied; it has been supplied here for clarity.

³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁴ tn Or “rebuked.” The crowd’s view was that surely Jesus would not be bothered with someone as unimportant as a blind beggar.

⁵ tc ‡ The majority of mss (C W ˹ 33 Ï and several versional witnesses) read κύριε (kurie, “Lord”) after ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς (elehson Jhma", “have mercy on us”). But since this is the order of words in v. 30 (though that wording is also disputed), and since the κύριε-first reading enjoys widespread and early support (א B D L Z Θ 085 0281 ˹³ 892 pc lat), the latter was considered original. However, the decision was by no means easy. NA²⁷ has κύριε after ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς here; a majority of that committee felt that since the placement of κύριε in last place was the nonliturgical order it “would have been likely to be altered in transcription to the more familiar sequence” (TCGNT 44).

⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.