Matthew 8:18-19

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  8:19 Then ³  an expert in the law ⁴  came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵ 

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 καί (kai) has been translated as “then.”

⁴ tn Or “a scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

⁵ sn The statement I will follow you wherever you go is an offer to follow Jesus as a disciple, no matter what the cost.