Luke 2:14, peace on earth, good will toward whom?
Luke 2:14 appears as “good will toward men” in reading B and “peace among those with whom he is pleased” in reading A. The difference is one final sigma in the angels' song.
The APB text at this verse
The manuscripts, editions, and versions
The committee record at this verse
The APB's translation committee works blind: it is never told it is translating the Bible, never given a book name or a verse number, and it never sees the witnesses above. Since revision 3.5, the places where the manuscripts disagree are decided before translation by three readers, Grok 4.3, GPT-6 Astra, and Claude Fable 5.1, who see the readings and the witnesses by age and class but never a reference or a manuscript name. Whatever was done at this verse was done on the language and the evidence alone, and the record is public.
“The base text reads εὐδοκίας.¶. The copies also carry the omission [greek majuscule; greek manuscript; later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. Retain the default wording. Both its earlier attestation and the plausible smoothing omission favor εὐδοκίας.¶.”
“The base text reads εὐδοκίας. The copies also carry εὐδοκία [later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text. Default wording chosen; external evidence is decisive and internal evidence supports it.”
The APB 3.5 decision comes first: the committee kept the base text. Its record says, “The base text reads εὐδοκίας. The copies also carry εὐδοκία [later majority tradition]; the committee kept the base text.” It further records, “Default wording chosen; external evidence is decisive and internal evidence supports it.” The three readers worked blind to reference, book, and witness names. In the committee's printed text, Luke 2:14 reads: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among people of goodwill.” The pericope audit verdict is 'clean'.
The argument for each reading
If “of his good pleasure”
Reading A has **εὐδοκίας**, rendered here as “…among people of (his) good pleasure.” Nestle-Aland 28 reads this genitive form, and the apparatus line places NA28 with WH and Treg: “εὐδοκίας WH Treg NA28 ] εὐδοκία RP.” The packet also says that the critical editions read the genitive, with the oldest uncials' first hands. On this account, the phrase qualifies the people among whom peace is announced, rather than presenting goodwill as a separate coordinate item. The APB 3.5 decision likewise retained the base wording and described the competing form as an omission. This case rests on the supplied critical-edition alignment, the stated earlier attestation, and the grammatical effect of the final sigma.
If “good will toward men”
Reading B has **εὐδοκία**, rendered here as “…good will toward men.” Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine Textform reads this nominative form, and the apparatus assigns it to RP: “εὐδοκίας WH Treg NA28 ] εὐδοκία RP.” The packet describes RP as a Byzantine majority edition and says that the Byzantine text sings the familiar “good will toward men” wording. Grammatically, this form presents goodwill alongside glory and peace in the song's sequence. The case for B therefore draws on the Byzantine majority edition's reading and on the direct, broad wording produced by the nominative. The packet identifies the disagreement as a single final sigma, while preserving the real difference in how the clause is heard.
The packet supplies two forms and their stated witness alignments, but it does not provide a full account of every copy behind either form. The variant changes whether goodwill is expressed broadly or whether peace is described among people of goodwill. It does not by itself settle doctrine; most doctrines rest on many passages. The textual question here remains focused on one final sigma and the clause it shapes.
Common questions
Does Luke 2:14 say “good will toward men”?
Reading B, εὐδοκία, is rendered “…good will toward men.” RP supports that reading in the supplied apparatus.
Why do modern translations say “peace among those with whom he is pleased”?
That wording reflects reading A, εὐδοκίας, rendered “…among people of (his) good pleasure.” NA28, WH, and Treg are listed with that form in the apparatus.
What did the APB committee print in Luke 2:14?
Its printed text says, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among people of goodwill.” The 3.5 record says the committee kept the base text.
Related entries
Witness readings for critical editions are quoted from the SBLGNT apparatus (CC BY 4.0); Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible). Readings of ancient manuscripts and versions are cited as published scholarly fact with their sources linked above. The page does not declare which reading is original.
The registry gives no verdict
The registry does not say which reading is original. Each page lists the witnesses, shows what the committee did with the same text, and leaves the judgment to the reader.