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Interpretation

Matthew 12:21 shows a nations hope that is lived within family life—see "name" and "nations". Give nations hope by steady, quiet faithfulness—steady the will with prayer.

Context

The setting is Matthew—gospel narrative, highlighting nations hope. Within ch. 12, a small unit frames the emphasis. Watch the terms “name” and “nations”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Long‑standing tradition credits Matthew to the disciple Matthew (formerly a tax collector). Modern scholarship on Matthew sees Early witnesses preserve anonymity; later ascription to Matthew; reflects Mark and a sayings source.. Date: AD 80–90. Matthew seems aimed at Jewish‑Christian community.. Fulfillment citations stitch promise to practice. 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 5,800+ manuscripts, surpassing other ancient works in manuscript count. Early papyri from the 2nd-3rd centuries like P46, P66, P75 provide text within about 100-150 years of its writing. 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 most likely original reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46