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Matthew 6:14Sermon on the Mount
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
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Interpretation

Jesus teaches a forgive others that is embodied in limits and longings. Matthew 6:14: trace "forgive" and "men". Let forgive others in what we refuse to say—turn hope into steady work.

Context

The setting is Matthew—gospel narrative, naming forgive others. Placed in ch. 6, the nearby lines set its tone. The nearby sentences supply the texture.

Authorship & Historical Background

Early sources associate Matthew with Matthew the disciple, once a tax collector. Matthew is frequently described this way: Initially anonymous; tradition later assigns Matthew; engages Mark alongside a sayings tradition.. Scholars commonly date Matthew AD 80–90. Matthew seems aimed at Jewish‑Christian community.. Genre and setting: gospel narrative, in the Sermon on the Mount. Readers often compare Matthew’s arrangement and sources with Mark and Q.

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 probably reflects the initial text reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46