Hebrews 5:12

For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, ¹  you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. ²  You have gone back to needing ³  milk, not ⁴  solid food.

2Sa 16:23; Ezr 7:10; Ps 34:11; Isa 28:9,10,13; Isa 55:1; Mt 17:17; Mr 9:19; Ac 7:38; Ro 3:2; 1Co 3:1-3; 1Co 14:19; Php 3:1; Col 3:16; Tit 2:3,4; Heb 5:13; Heb 6:1; 1Pe 2:2; 1Pe 4:11

¹ tn Grk “because of the time.”

² tn Grk “the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God.”

³ tn Grk “you have come to have a need for.”

⁴ tc ‡ Most texts, including some early and important ones (א² A B* D Ψ 0122 0278 1881 Ï sy Cl), have καί (kai, “and”) immediately preceding οὐ (ou, “not”), but other equally significant witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א* B² C 33 81 1739 lat Or Did) lack the conjunction. As it was a natural tendency for scribes to add a coordinating conjunction, the καί appears to be a motivated reading. On balance, it is probably best to regard the shorter reading as authentic. NA²⁷ has καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.