Matthew 19:11

Matthew 19:11 to.n lo,gon @tou/ton# {C}

On the one hand, since the general tendency of scribes is to make the text more explicit, e.g. by adding the demonstrative pronoun, the shorter reading, supported by B ¦¹ and several early versions, has a certain presumption in its favor. On the other hand, however, the ambiguity of the reference of tou/ton in the context — does it refer to the deduction made by the disciples (ver. Matthew 19:11), or to the preceding exposition of Jesus (verses Matthew 19:4-9)? — may have prompted some scribes to delete the word. In order to reflect the balance of possibilities, the Committee decided to retain the word enclosed within square brackets. The reading of Q is obviously secondary.