The Missing Verse: Matthew 17:21

Is Matthew 17:21 in Your Bible?

The King James Bible says:

“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”— Matthew 17:21

Those are the words of Matthew 17:21.

Yet when you compare the King James Bible (KJB) with many modern versions, you may discover that Matthew 17:21 is missing from the main text. Some modern versions omit the verse, while others place it in a footnote or bracket it with an explanation concerning manuscripts.

That should cause us to stop and ask:

Why are these words in the King James Bible, but missing from many modern versions?

And there is a much more important question behind that one:

Can we trust God to preserve His Word?

Did God Preserve His Word?

That depends on who you put your faith in, God or man.

God said:

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”— Isaiah 40:8

We believe God meant exactly what He said.

The King James Bible is not merely one good translation among many acceptable choices. The King James Bible is the preserved Word of God in English—without error, mistake, or anything else that should cause us to doubt it.

That confidence begins with God.

God is without error.

God does not make mistakes.

And God does not lie.

Therefore, when God promises to preserve His Word, we can trust Him to do exactly that.

Why Are Verses Being Questioned?

The differences between the KJB and many modern versions are not simply differences in spelling, vocabulary, or style.

The difference is that there are two textual streams behind many of these differences: the Antioch Stream (Textus Receptus) and the Alexandrian Stream.

The textual tradition underlying the King James Bible is associated with the Textus Receptus. The modern critical-text tradition is associated with the Alexandrian Text.

God preserved His Word through the Textus Receptus and ultimately preserved His Word in English through the King James Bible.

The issue, therefore, is not simply:

“Which manuscript is older?”

The deeper question is:

“Which textual stream represents the Word God preserved?”

But Aren't the Older Manuscripts More Reliable?

When modern versions explain why a verse is absent, readers are often told that certain older or earlier manuscripts do not contain it.

But notice something important.

We do not possess the original manuscripts of the Old or New Testament.

No one can place a surviving manuscript beside Matthew's original manuscript and say:

“This one is correct because it agrees with the original.”

The original documents are not available for that comparison.

So when someone tells us that one manuscript is “more reliable,” we should ask:

Reliable according to what?

How do they know?

That judgment ultimately depends upon man's evaluation of the surviving evidence.

When our faith depends on man’s opinions, this is where the fundamental problem begins.

A Different Starting Point

We are not opposed to research.

We are not opposed to examining evidence.

We are opposed to beginning with doubt in God and His promise to preserve His Word, and then making man's judgment the final authority for determining what God's Word says.

Man's attempt to “fix” the Bible through critical thinking raises doubt concerning God's preserved Word.

There is a tremendous difference between:

researching God's Word to understand it

and

judging God's Word to decide whether it should be trusted.

The second approach places man where only God belongs.

The Words Are Already in the Bible

There is another interesting comparison.

Matthew 17:21 says:

“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

A closely related account appears in Luke 9:42–43, where Jesus delivers the child and the people are amazed at the power of God.

The important thing to notice is this:

The teaching has not disappeared from the Bible altogether.

The account and the teaching concerning Christ's power remain in Luke, including in modern versions.

So why remove Matthew 17:21?

And there is something else worth considering.

Matthew 17:21 is found in more than 99% of existing Greek manuscripts.

That is an overwhelming majority of the surviving Greek manuscript evidence for the verse's inclusion.

Yet many modern versions remove the verse from their main text because certain manuscripts do not contain it.

So ask yourself:

Why take Matthew 17:21 out when these words are already represented elsewhere in the Bible—and when the verse appears in more than 99% of existing Greek manuscripts?

Why take it out and risk causing doubt and confusion?

Unless, of course, causing doubt and confusion was the goal of someone who did not believe God in the first place.

What About Matthew 17:21?

Now return to the verse itself.

The King James Bible says:

“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Jesus had just dealt with a situation involving a devil that His disciples had been unable to cast out.

Matthew 17:21 gives us Christ's explanation:

“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

There is nothing confusing about the statement.

It is not a doubtful saying.

It is not an unnecessary addition.

It is the Word of God as preserved in the King James Bible.

Yet many modern versions do not leave the verse in the main text.

Why?

Because men have judged that it should not be there.

That is the issue we want you to see.

The Real Danger Is Not Just a Missing Verse

Suppose a Christian begins to hear, over and over:

• “The oldest manuscripts don't have that verse.” 

• “Nobody knows what the original said.” 

• “The KJB translators made mistakes.” 

• “We need scholars to reconstruct the original.” 

• “You can't really know which words belong in the Bible.” 

What happens to that Christian's confidence?

He may still believe in Jesus.

He may still attend church.

He may still call himself a Christian.

But he can begin to doubt God's Word.

And doubt is the opposite of faith.

Faith is central to the Christian faith, and that is precisely why the battle over the Bible matters so much.

If Satan cannot keep someone from accepting Christ, he can still seek to weaken that Christian's faith by creating doubt and confusion about God's Word.

We here at the Vigilant Bible Institute want the opposite.

We want Christians to become stronger in their faith.

You Can Trust God's Word

The Bible says:

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”— Matthew 24:35

God did not promise to preserve only the general idea of Scripture.

He promised to preserve His words.

That is why the King James Bible can be trusted completely.

You do not have to live in uncertainty about whether God preserved His Word.

You do not have to wonder whether the Bible you hold is filled with errors and mistakes.

And you do not have to place your confidence in the constantly changing conclusions of men.

God is faithful.

He preserved His Word.

And He preserved it in the King James Bible.

Look at Matthew 17:21 Again

Now look at your Bible.

Read Matthew 17:20–22.

Find Matthew 17:21.

If you have the King James Bible, you will find it.

If you have a modern version, you may find that the verse is absent from the main text, placed in a footnote, or otherwise qualified.

Don't let that discovery leave you confused.

Let it cause you to look closer at God's Word.

And let what you discover strengthen your confidence that God has not abandoned His promise to preserve His Word.

Our purpose is not merely to expose differences between Bibles.

Our purpose is to increase your faith in God and your confidence in His Word.

We want you to know that you can trust God.

You can trust His promises.

And you can trust His preserved Word.

Because Every Word Matters.

Learn more at vbionline.org.