A Variant Is Not a Lost Bible

A textual variant is simply a place where manuscript copies differ.
It may involve spelling, word order, an omitted line, a repeated word or a clarification added by a copyist. Some variants affect how a sentence is translated, and a small number involve longer passages.
The existence of variants is not evidence that the text disappeared. Variants can be identified precisely because multiple witnesses survived and can be compared.
We should neither panic about every difference nor dismiss them all as meaningless. Honest study requires both confidence and humility.
Before today, had you heard the term “textual variant”?