Mat 2:18 | NETfull | STEP | “ A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were gone. ”

Matthew 2:18

18 “ A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud wailing, ^{▼▼ The LXX of Jer 38:15 (31:15 ET) has “lamentation, weeping, and loud wailing”; most later mss (C D L W 0233 f¹³ 33 Maj.) have a quotation in Matthew which conforms to that of the LXX (θρῆνος καὶ κλαυθμός καὶ ὀδυρμός; qrēnos kai klauthmos kai odurmos). But such assimilations were routine among the scribes; as such, they typically should be discounted because they are both predictable and motivated. The shorter reading, without “lamentation and,” is thus to be preferred, especially since it cannot easily be accounted for unless it is the original wording here. Further, it is found in the better mss along with a good cross-section of other witnesses (א B Z 0250 f¹pc lat co).}
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she did not want to be comforted, because they were ^{▼▼ Grk “are”; the Greek text uses a present tense verb.} gone. ” ^{▼▼ A quotation from Jer 31:15.}