On the Use and Meaning of Hosea vi. 6 in Matthew's Gospel

The appearance of the quotation from Hos. vi. 6 (tlAeos 6£Aco KCCI OU 0uuiav) in Matt. ix. 13 and xii. 7 is striking for at least two reasons: (i) the citation is unique to Matthew among the parallel Synoptic narratives, and it may therefore be considered as a redactional insertion by the evangelist; (ii) the quotation is introduced by Matthew into each of the first two episodes in which Jesus is represented as in dispute with the Pharisees and passing judg-ment on their conduct. The possible significance of these two points - and only the second half of the first requires further discussion - may be worth ex-ploring, but that exploration cannot proceed fruitfully until we have investi-gated the text-form of the quotation and the precise meaning for Matthew of the term EAeos.