Matthew 17:20

17:20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, ¹  if you have faith the size of ²  a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing ³  will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 21:21

21:21 Jesus ⁴  answered them, “I tell you the truth, ⁵  if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

Mark 9:23

9:23 Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ ⁶  All things are possible for the one who believes.”

Mark 11:22-23

11:22 Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. 11:23 I tell you the truth, ⁷  if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

Luke 17:6

17:6 So ⁸  the Lord replied, ⁹  “If ¹⁰  you had faith the size of ¹¹  a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry ¹²  tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ ¹³  and it would obey ¹⁴  you.

Acts 3:16

3:16 And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ ¹⁵  name, ¹⁶  his very name has made this man – whom you see and know – strong. The ¹⁷  faith that is through Jesus ¹⁸  has given him this complete health in the presence ¹⁹  of you all.

Romans 4:19

4:19 Without being weak in faith, he considered ²⁰  his own body as dead ²¹  (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

Philippians 4:13

4:13 I am able to do all things ²²  through the one ²³  who strengthens me.

¹ tn Grk “For truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

² tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”

³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁴ tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

⁶ tc Most mss (A C³ Ψ 33 Ï) have τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι (to ei dunasai pisteusai, “if you are able to believe”), instead of τὸ εἰ δύνῃ (to ei dunh, “if you are able”; supported by א B C* L N* Δ Ë¹ 579 892 pc). Others have εἰ δύνῃ (or δυνάσαι) πιστεῦσαι (“if you are able to believe”; so D K Θ Ë¹³ 28 565 al), while still others have τοῦτο εἰ δύνῃ (touto ei dunh, “if you can [do] this”; so [Ì⁴⁵] W). The reading that best explains the rise of the others is τὸ εἰ δύνῃ. The neuter article indicates that the Lord is now quoting the boy’s father who, in v. 22, says εἴ τι δύνῃ (ei ti dunh, “if you are able to do anything”). The article is thus used anaphorically (see ExSyn 238). However, scribes could easily have overlooked this idiom and would consequently read τὸ εἰ δύνῃ as the protasis of a conditional clause of the Lord’s statement. As such, it would almost demand the infinitive πιστεῦσαι, producing the reading τὸ εἰ δύνασαι πιστεῦσαι (“if you are able to believe, all things are possible…”). But the article here seems to be meaningless, prompting other scribes to modify the text still further. Some dropped the nonsensical article, while others turned it into the demonstrative τοῦτο and dropped the infinitive. It is clear that scribes had difficulty with the original wording here, and made adjustments in various directions. What might not be so clear is the exact genealogy of the descent of all the readings. However, τὸ εἰ δύνῃ is both a hard saying, best explains the rise of the other readings, and is supported by the best witnesses. It thus rightly deserves to be considered authentic.

⁷ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

⁹ tn Grk “said.”

¹⁰ tn This is a mixed condition, with ἄν (an) in the apodosis.

¹¹ tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”

¹² sn A black mulberry tree is a deciduous fruit tree that grows about 20 ft (6 m) tall and has black juicy berries. This tree has an extensive root system, so to pull it up would be a major operation.

¹³ tn The passives here (ἐκριζώθητι and φυτεύθητι, ekrizwqhti and futeuqhti) are probably a circumlocution for God performing the action (the so-called divine passive, see ExSyn 437-38). The issue is not the amount of faith (which in the example is only very tiny), but its presence, which can accomplish impossible things. To cause a tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea is impossible. The expression is a rhetorical idiom. It is like saying a camel can go through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25).

¹⁴ tn The verb is aorist, though it looks at a future event, another rhetorical touch to communicate certainty of the effect of faith.

¹⁵ tn Grk “in his name”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁶ sn Here is another example of appeal to the person by mentioning the name. See the note on the word name in 3:6.

¹⁷ tn Grk “see and know, and the faith.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated.

¹⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁹ tn Or “in full view.”

²⁰ tc Most mss (D F G Ψ 33 1881 Ï it) read “he did not consider” by including the negative particle (οὐ, ou), but others (א A B C 6 81 365 1506 1739 pc co) lack οὐ. The reading which includes the negative particle probably represents a scribal attempt to exalt the faith of Abraham by making it appear that his faith was so strong that he did not even consider the physical facts. But “here Paul does not wish to imply that faith means closing one’s eyes to reality, but that Abraham was so strong in faith as to be undaunted by every consideration” (TCGNT 451). Both on external and internal grounds, the reading without the negative particle is preferred.

²¹ tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A C D Ψ 33 Ï bo) have ἤδη (hdh, “already”) at this point in v. 19. But B F G 630 1739 1881 pc lat sa lack it. Since it appears to heighten the style of the narrative and since there is no easy accounting for an accidental omission, it is best to regard the shorter text as original. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

²² tn The Greek word translated “all things” is in emphatic position at the beginning of the Greek sentence.

²³ tc Although some excellent witnesses lack explicit reference to the one strengthening Paul (so א* A B D* I 33 1739 lat co Cl), the majority of witnesses (א² D² [F G] Ψ 075 1881 Ï sy) add Χριστῷ (Cristw) here (thus, “through Christ who strengthens me”). But this kind of reading is patently secondary, and is a predictable variant. Further, the shorter reading is much harder, for it leaves the agent unspecified.