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Matthew 6:26Sermon on the Mount
See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?
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Interpretation

Matthew 6:26 shows a provision that is lived within limits and longings—see "see" and "birds". Align provision in boundaries we honor—season power with mercy.

Context

Matthew speaks here as gospel narrative writing, highlighting provision. Within ch. 6, a small unit frames the emphasis. Watch the terms “see” and “birds”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Early sources associate Matthew with Matthew the disciple (a former tax collector). Introductions to Matthew often note: Anonymous in earliest copies; attributed to Matthew in later tradition; reflects Mark and a sayings source.. Date: AD 80–90. Matthew seems aimed at Jewish‑Christian community.. Genre and setting: gospel narrative, in the Sermon on the Mount. 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 best reflects the earliest recoverable text reading.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46