Fourth–fifth century — Latin and Greek transmission. The completed quotation “by every word of God” is present in ancient versions and major Greek witnesses.
Earliest surviving Greek support: Fifth century — Codices A and D.
Luke 4:4
By Every Word of God
KJV Reading Defended
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Why the KJV Reading Is Retained
The complete KJV quotation, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God,” has broad Byzantine Greek support and extensive ancient versional attestation. It preserves the full wording of Deuteronomy 8:3 and agrees with the secure parallel in Matthew 4:4.
Disputed unit
The clause ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι θεοῦ after “not by bread alone”, against the short form and an expanded Deuteronomy/Matthew form.
Short omitted phraseMajority Greek supportLatin supportSyriac supportSynoptic parallelComplex evidence
Evidence assessment
“But by every word of God” is carried by Codex Alexandrinus, Bezae, Sangallensis, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, 33, 579, 700, 892, Family 1, Family 13 apart from 788 and the Byzantine tradition, with Latin, the Peshitta and Harklean, a Bohairic strand and Gothic. Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Regius, Washingtonianus, 788, 264 and 1241 carry the short form.
Primary support for the KJV reading
Byzantine tradition with Latin and Syriac support
King James Bible reading
Luke 4:4 in the King James Bible
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
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
- 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 Latin and Syriac support
The sections below preserve each supporting, competing, and related record under its proper evidence type.
Majority Text standing
The fuller quotation ending “by every word of God”
The KJV/TR clause is the numerical Majority Text reading in the Greek tradition.
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
9 named Greek witnesses plus Families 1 and 13 and the Maj group in Willker's apparatus
Greek competing evidence in the cited corpus
7 named Greek witnesses in Willker's apparatus
Principal competing witnesses named in the snapshot
- Codex Sinaiticus (01)
- Codex Vaticanus (03)
- Codex Regius (019)
- Codex Washingtonianus (032)
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
- 7 named Greek witnesses in Willker's apparatus
- Evidence classification
- Byzantine tradition with Latin and Syriac support
The clause after “not by bread alone”
KJV/TR unit: ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι θεοῦ
Greek manuscripts
Supports the KJV/TR form02 05 037 038 044 33 579 700 892
Grouped evidence: Family 1 · Family 13 except 788 · Maj
Latin, Syriac, Coptic and other versions
Supports the KJV/TR formPeshitta Harklean Bohairic-strand Gothic
Grouped evidence: Latin evidence on this line
Greek manuscripts
Related or qualified evidenceexpanded toward Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4
118 157 205 209 1071 1424
Grouped evidence: about 118 further manuscripts cited collectively · some Bohairic manuscripts
Greek manuscripts
Competing reading01 03 019 032 264 788 1241
Syriac and Coptic
Competing readingSinaitic Sahidic Bohairic-part
Lacunose
Non-directional evidence04 040
Roster distinctions
- GA 157 carries the expanded form.
Evidence notes
Important distinctions in the evidence.
- Matthew 4:4 and Deuteronomy 8:3 securely preserve the complete quotation.
- Early Christian quotations are treated as evidence for Luke only when their source can be identified.
- The shorter reading remains represented by important early Greek, Syriac, and Coptic witnesses.
- GA 157 carries the expanded form.
Evidence assessment
Why the KJV reading is retained
“But by every word of God” is carried by Codex Alexandrinus, Bezae, Sangallensis, Koridethi, Athous Lavrensis, 33, 579, 700, 892, Family 1, Family 13 apart from 788 and the Byzantine tradition, with Latin, the Peshitta and Harklean, a Bohairic strand and Gothic. Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Regius, Washingtonianus, 788, 264 and 1241 carry the short form.
Primary support for the KJV reading
Byzantine tradition with 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.
Willker, Wieland. A Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels. Vol. 3, Luke. 12th ed. Bremen, 2015.
Wieland Willker, A Textual Commentary on the Greek Gospels, Vol. 3: Luke. Luke 4:4, PDF p. 86.
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.