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We read in Mtt 17:18-21 (KJV)

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

But, many versions including NRSVCE skip Verse 21 and move direct from 20 to 22:

20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”. 22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands

My question therefore is: Why was Mtt 17: 21 as appearing in KJV skipped in other versions of NT ? Inputs from any denomination are welcome.

curiousdannii
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Kadalikatt Joseph Sibichan
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  • Check the copious references to this verse in UBS5 and NA28. – Dottard Mar 29 '23 at 10:18
  • MT 17:21 is apocryphal because it doesn't appear in any extant biblical manuscript until 375 CE in codices Ephraemi Rescriptus (C, GA 04), Bezae Cantabrigiensis (D, GA 05), and Washingtonianus (W, 032 aka: Freer Gospels). See MK 9:29 and its related patristic and Bible comments related to this verse. – M. Wm. Ferguson Mar 29 '23 at 17:21

1 Answers1

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The short answer is "manuscripts".

For example, the RSV omits that verse and adds the footnote "Other ancient authorities insert v21...". In the days when books were being copied out by hand, changes would creep into the text and get copied from one manuscript to another. Sometimes they would be mistakes or omissions, and occasionally new wording might get added. Modern scholars have carefully compared different manuscripts to try to work out the history of these changes, and a substantial body of opinion evidently thinks that v21 is one of the additions. Then those manuscripts which do include it are ignored apart from that mention of "other ancient authorities", but a Greek New Testament with detailed footnotes will identify them more specifically.

Stephen Disraeli
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