Luke 23:34

Father, Forgive Them

KJV Reading Defended

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Why the KJV Reading Is Retained

The saying is omitted by significant early witnesses but is widely supported and early in patristic tradition.

Disputed unit

Presence of the prayer, with separate states for the partial form lacking πατήρ and for layered or critically marked states.

Complex evidencePatristic supportMajority Greek support

Evidence assessment

“Father, forgive them” stands in the first hand and second corrector of Sinaiticus, Codex Ephraemi, the second corrector of Bezae, Cyprius, Guelferbytanus, Regius, 0250, Families 1 and 13, 33, 131, 157, 700, 892, 1071 and the Byzantine tradition, with Latin, the Curetonian, Peshitta and Harklean, Bohairic manuscripts, Armenian and the Diatessaron tradition. Irenaeus quotes it directly around AD 180. P75, Vaticanus, the first hand of Bezae, Washingtonianus, Koridethi, 070, 579 and 1241 omit it.

Primary support for the KJV reading

Byzantine tradition with second-century patristic quotation

King James Bible reading

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

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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.

Full witness information

Earliest KJV-supporting evidence

The earliest reviewed support at a glance.

c. AD 170s — Hegesippus, related forgiveness prayer. Exact Greek saying: c. AD 340–360 — Codex Sinaiticus.

Earliest surviving Greek support: c. AD 340–360 — Codex Sinaiticus.

Primary support for the KJV reading

Byzantine tradition with second-century patristic quotation

The sections below preserve each supporting, competing, and related record under its proper evidence type.

Majority Text standing

The prayer, “Father, forgive them”

The KJV prayer is the numerical Majority Text reading and the dominant Greek form.

Estimated Greek support: Approximately 1,400 to 1,600 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

14 named Greek witnesses plus Families 1 and 13 and the Maj group in Willker's apparatus

Greek competing evidence in the cited corpus

9 named Greek witnesses plus seven cited collectively

Lectionary evidence

Lectionary 844 contains the saying

Principal competing witnesses named in the snapshot

P75
Codex Vaticanus (03)
Codex Bezae first hand (05*)
Codex Washingtonianus (032)

Evidence represented on this page

Greek manuscripts

Represented

Ancient versions

Represented

Church fathers

Represented

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: 14 named Greek witnesses plus Families 1 and 13 and the Maj group in Willker's apparatus
Greek competing evidence in cited scope: 9 named Greek witnesses plus seven cited collectively
Evidence classification: Byzantine tradition with second-century patristic quotation

Presence of the prayer

KJV/TR unit: ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἔλεγεν· πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασιν τί ποιοῦσιν

Greek manuscripts

Supports the KJV/TR form

01* 01C2 04 05C2 017 019 024 0250 33 131 157 700 892 1071

Grouped evidence: Family 1 · Family 13 · Maj

Latin, Syriac, Coptic and other versions

Supports the KJV/TR form

Curetonian Peshitta Harklean Bohairic-manuscripts Armenian Diatessaron-descendant

Grouped evidence: Latin evidence on the inclusion line

Greek manuscripts

Related or qualified evidence

present without πατήρ

Layered and marked states

Related or qualified evidence

01C1 05C2 b (VL4)

Grouped evidence: one later uncial tradition marks the phrase with an asterisk

Greek manuscripts

Competing reading

P75 01C1 03 05* 032 038 070 579 1241

Grouped evidence: seven further manuscripts cited collectively (31*, 38, 435, 597*, 1808*, 2622L, 2633)

Old Latin, Syriac and Coptic

Competing reading

a (VL3) d (VL5) Sinaitic Sahidic Bohairic

Church Fathers and literary witnesses

Precisely located citations and additional names reported by the controlling apparatus are kept separate. An apparatus-level attribution is not presented as an independently verified exact quotation.

Marcion

AD 101–200

Reported in Epiphanius, Panarion 42.11.6, and Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem 4.42.4

Competing witnessCitation type: Indirect report

Indirect report in Reported in Epiphanius, Panarion 42.11.6, and Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem 4.42.4.

Locator: Panarion 42.11.6 scholion 71; Adversus Marcionem 4.42.4

Father, Forgive Them

Luke 23:34 in the King James Bible

Where the evidence on this page comes from.

The earliest reviewed support at a glance.

Byzantine tradition with second-century patristic quotation

Complete roster within the stated source scope.

Presence of the prayer

Greek manuscripts

Latin, Syriac, Coptic and other versions

Greek manuscripts

Layered and marked states

Greek manuscripts

Old Latin, Syriac and Coptic

Church Fathers and literary witnesses

Marcion

Tatian / Diatessaron tradition

Hegesippus

Irenaeus

Hippolytus

Origen

Didascalia Apostolorum

Eusebius

Pseudo-Basil

Eusebian Canon X.320

Athanasius

Hilary of Poitiers

Ambrose

Apostolic Constitutions

Gregory of Nyssa

John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom

Chrysostom

Augustine

Jerome

Cyril of Alexandria

Important distinctions in the evidence.

Why the KJV reading is retained

Evidence types, without turning rows into votes.

Editions and works cited.