Luke 10:1 seventy-two
Many very old and reliable Greek manuscripts have “seventy-two” here and in v. 17, while many other old and reliable manuscripts have “seventy,” and all interpreters agree that it is difficult to decide about which number was in the original of Luke’s Gospel. Most modern translations have decided in favor of “seventy-two,” based on basic principles for determining manuscript readings. In any case, no doctrinal issue is at stake, and the number probably has symbolic significance representing the number of nations in the world (cf. Genesis 10). Sending them out two-by-two fulfills the OT requirement for two witnesses (Deut. 17:6; 19:15).