Text -- Hebrews 5:12 (NET)

5:12 For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Heb 5:12

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.