Matthew 9:8

Matthew 9:8 evfobh,qhsan {A}

Superficial readers and copyists, failing to see the deep meaning of “were afraid” (i.e., people felt a profound sense of awe and alarm in the presence of One who had the right to forgive sins), substituted for evfobh,qhsan what seemed to be a more appropriate word, evqau,masan (“marvelled,” or “were astonished”). The external evidence supporting the more difficult reading is not only early but it includes representatives of both the Alexandrian and the Western text-types.