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Matthew 27:46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?' That is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'
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Interpretation

Jesus teaches a forsaken that is embodied in limits and longings. Matthew 27:46: trace "'" and "god". Give forsaken in what we refuse to say—turn hope into steady work.

Context

The setting is Matthew—gospel narrative, naming forsaken. Placed in ch. 27, the nearby lines set its tone. The nearby sentences supply the texture.

Authorship & Historical Background

Long‑standing tradition credits Matthew to Matthew the disciple (a former tax collector). Critical study of Matthew often concludes: Anonymous in earliest copies; attributed to Matthew in later tradition; reflects Mark and a sayings source.. Date: AD 80–90. Matthew appears framed for Jewish‑Christian community.. Kingdom teaching links ethics to identity. Catechetical structure appears in the discourse blocks.

More details
Traditional:Matthew the tax collector
Modern scholarship:Anonymous; attributed to Matthew; uses Mark + Q source.
Date:AD 80–90
Audience:Jewish‑Christian community.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in over 5,800 manuscripts, more than any other surviving ancient work. Early papyri from the 2nd-3rd centuries like P46, P66, P75 provide text within 100–150 years of composition. Major uncial codices (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, 4th century) contain complete or near-complete texts. The Byzantine text family represents the majority of later manuscripts. Textual variants exist but are mostly minor: word order, articles, spelling. No central Christian doctrine depends on any disputed text. Modern critical editions compare all manuscript families to determine the probably reflects the initial text reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46