c. AD 340–360 — Codex Sinaiticus. The verse is present in one of the earliest complete Greek New Testament manuscripts.
Earliest surviving Greek support: c. AD 340–360 — Codex Sinaiticus.
Luke 23:17
Release at the Feast
KJV Reading Defended
For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.
Why the KJV Reading Is Retained
Modern editions often omit the verse, while the KJV/TR includes the explanation of the feast custom.
Disputed unit
Presence of the verse, with separate states for a different word order, an expanded “one prisoner” form, the lexical variant συνήθειαν, and relocation after verse 19.
Short omitted phraseMajority Greek supportLatin supportSyriac supportCoptic supportLectionary supportScant evidence against KJV
Evidence assessment
The customary-prisoner verse is carried by Sinaiticus, Washingtonianus, Zacynthius, Sangallensis, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, 131, 157, 1071, Families 1 and 13 and the Byzantine tradition, with Latin, Syriac and part of Bohairic. Codex Bezae, Old Latin d, the Old Syriac and Ethiopic place it after verse 19. P75, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Cyprius, Guelferbytanus, Regius, Borgianus, 070, 0211, the first hand of 892 and 1241 omit it.
Primary support for the KJV reading
Byzantine tradition with broad Latin and Syriac support
King James Bible reading
Luke 23:17 in the King James Bible
For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.
Evidence sources
Where the evidence on this page comes from.
Sources used for the witnesses, readings, dates, and notes on this page. Complete citations appear in the References section at the end of the page.
Governing apparatus and count scope
Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.
- B. M. Metzger, The Early Versions of the New Testament
- H. A. G. Houghton, The Latin New Testament
- IGNTP, The New Testament in Greek: The Gospel According to St Luke, Parts 1–2 (OUP 1984, 1987)
- INTF Kurzgefasste Liste / NTVMR manuscript metadata
- Vetus Latina Gospel manuscript register (ITSEE, University of Birmingham)
- Wieland Willker, A Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels, Vol. 3: Luke
Earliest KJV-supporting evidence
The earliest reviewed support at a glance.
Primary support for the KJV reading
Byzantine tradition with broad Latin and Syriac support
The sections below preserve each supporting, competing, and related record under its proper evidence type.
Majority Text standing
Presence of the verse
Luke 23:17 is the overwhelming numerical Majority Text reading in Greek.
Estimated Greek support: More than 1,500 Greek manuscripts
This is a conservative working estimate based on the published Majority or Byzantine designation and the approximate number of continuous-text manuscripts that preserve the book. Lacunae and collation scope make the exact denominator vary by verse.
Source scope and denominator
Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.
Greek support in the cited corpus
9 named Greek witnesses plus Families 1 and 13 and the Maj group in Willker's apparatus
Greek competing evidence in the cited corpus
11 named Greek witnesses plus about 23 cited collectively
Lectionary evidence
Greek lectionaries contain the verse
Principal competing witnesses named in the snapshot
- P75
- Codex Alexandrinus (02)
- Codex Vaticanus (03)
- Uncial 0211
Evidence represented on this page
Greek manuscripts
Represented
Ancient versions
Represented
Church fathers
No entry listed
Printed editions
No entry listed
Complete source-scoped roster
Complete roster within the stated source scope.
This roster preserves every named or grouped state recovered in the governing sources, including exact readings, competing readings, corrections, related forms, lacunae, versions, and aggregate traditions. When Maj or Byz appears on the KJV side, it marks the numerically dominant Greek transmission at that unit. The green Majority Text card above supplies the best available passage-specific estimate. The grouped siglum is then retained so it is not mistaken for one individual manuscript.
Apparatus and roster scope
Willker's selected Luke apparatus, which prints named witnesses together with the group siglum Maj. Counts below name the witnesses this apparatus prints.
- Greek support in cited scope
- 9 named Greek witnesses plus Families 1 and 13 and the Maj group in Willker's apparatus
- Greek competing evidence in cited scope
- 11 named Greek witnesses plus about 23 cited collectively
- Evidence classification
- Byzantine tradition with broad Latin and Syriac support
Presence of the verse
KJV/TR unit: ἀνάγκην δὲ εἶχεν ἀπολύειν αὐτοῖς κατὰ ἑορτὴν ἕνα
Greek manuscripts
Supports the KJV/TR form01 032 037 038 040 044 131 157 1071
Grouped evidence: Family 1 · Family 13 · Maj
Latin, Syriac and Coptic
Supports the KJV/TR formBohairic-part
Grouped evidence: Latin evidence in the normal position · Syriac evidence on this line
Greek manuscripts
Related or qualified evidencepresent with a different word order
579 892mg 1424 1675
Grouped evidence: about 14 further manuscripts cited collectively
Greek manuscripts
Related or qualified evidenceexpanded with “one prisoner”
Grouped evidence: about 129 manuscripts cited collectively
Greek manuscripts
Related or qualified evidenceσυνήθειαν for ἀνάγκην
022 Sinaitic Curetonian Peshitta Sahidic-manuscripts
Greek manuscripts
Related or qualified evidenceplaced after verse 19
05 d (VL5) Sinaitic Curetonian Ethiopic
Grouped evidence: two further manuscripts cited collectively
Greek manuscripts
Competing readingP75 02 03 017 019 024 029 070 0211 892* 1241
Grouped evidence: about 23 further manuscripts cited collectively
Old Latin, Coptic and harmony tradition
Competing readinga (VL3) Sahidic Bohairic-part Diatessaron-Arabic
Grouped evidence: a Vulgate manuscript
Lacunose
Non-directional evidence33
Roster distinctions
- Codex Bezae and Old Latin d place the verse after verse 19.
- Among the eleven named Old Latin witnesses, ten preserve the verse — nine in the normal position and d relocated — and a omits it.
Evidence notes
Important distinctions in the evidence.
- Codex Bezae and Old Latin d place the verse after verse 19.
- Among the eleven named Old Latin witnesses, ten preserve the verse — nine in the normal position and d relocated — and a omits it.
Evidence assessment
Why the KJV reading is retained
The customary-prisoner verse is carried by Sinaiticus, Washingtonianus, Zacynthius, Sangallensis, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, 131, 157, 1071, Families 1 and 13 and the Byzantine tradition, with Latin, Syriac and part of Bohairic. Codex Bezae, Old Latin d, the Old Syriac and Ethiopic place it after verse 19. P75, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus, Cyprius, Guelferbytanus, Regius, Borgianus, 070, 0211, the first hand of 892 and 1241 omit it.
Primary support for the KJV reading
Byzantine tradition with broad Latin and Syriac support
Evidence represented on this page
Evidence types, without turning rows into votes.
GreekRepresented
LatinRepresented
Other versionsRepresented
FathersNot listed
Printed editionsNot listed
References
Editions and works cited.
Institut für Neutestamentliche Textforschung. New Testament Virtual Manuscript Room. Münster: University of Münster.
Aland, Barbara, et al., eds. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th rev. ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.
Robinson, Maurice A., and William G. Pierpont. The New Testament in the Original Greek: Byzantine Textform 2018. Nürnberg: VTR Publications, 2018.
Tyndale House, Cambridge, ed. The Greek New Testament. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017.
Wieland Willker, A Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels, Vol. 3: Luke. Luke 23:17, PDF p. 578.
IGNTP, The New Testament in Greek: The Gospel According to St Luke, Parts 1–2 (OUP 1984, 1987). Comprehensive Luke collation.
INTF Kurzgefasste Liste / NTVMR manuscript metadata. Physical dates for the named Greek manuscripts.
Vetus Latina Gospel manuscripts register (ITSEE, University of Birmingham). Identity and physical date of the named Old Latin manuscripts.