“For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”
Parallel Translations
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“For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”
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For ye laye the commaundement of God aparte and observe the tradicions of men as the wesshinge of cruses and of cuppes and many other suche lyke thinges ye do.
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For ye lay the commandement of God apart, and obserue the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and of cups, and many other such like things ye doe.
Cross-references (2)
Passages linked to Mark 7:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Mark 7:3-4 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders. They don’t eat when they come from the marketplace unless they bathe themselves, and there are many other things, which they have received to hold to: washings of cups, pitchers, bronze vessels, and couches.)
- Isaiah 1:12 When you come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts?
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (6 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain The devices of superstitious men do not only not…
The devices of superstitious men do not only not fulfill the Law of God (as they blasphemously persuade themselves) but also do utterly take it away.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye…
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
Ver. 8. Ye hold the tradition of men] κρατειτε, With tooth and nail ye hold it, Mordicus retinetis, as if on that hinge hung all your happiness.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain For laying aside the commandment of God,.... Meaning not…
For laying aside the commandment of God,.... Meaning not any particular commandment, but all the commandments of God, the whole written law; to which they preferred the oral law, or the traditions of the elders, and the decisions of their doctors. So the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, "the commandments of God".
Ye hold the tradition of men: very significantly are the elders, whom the, Jews revered, and whose traditions and constitutions they extolled above the Scriptures, called "men", in distinction from "God", whose commands they neglected; which exposes and aggravates their sin, that they should leave the one, which had the stamp of divine authority on them, and hold the other, which were only the devices of men's brains;
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as the washing of pots and cups. The Arabic version adds, "and vessels", from Mar 7:4, and the Ethiopic version, between "chalices" and "cups", places "monies"; as if they also contracted uncleanness in some cases, and needed washing: and indeed, there is a tradition to this purpose (p),
, "a penny which is rejected" (that is, as the commentators say (q), which a kingdom or province has made void, or which wants weight), if any one prepares it to hang about the neck of a child, it is "unclean"; and so a "sela" (which was the value of four pence) and it is prepared to weigh with it, is "unclean".''
And many other such like things you do; so many, that it is almost endless to reckon up. The treatise "Celim", or "of vessels", in the Misna, is full of rules, concerning the cleanness and uncleanness, of almost all things in use with men; and so of what do, and what do not stand in need of washing. And these things they did, not according to the commandment of God, nor did they pretend to it; but according to the words of the Scribes, and traditions of the elders, which reached to all sorts of vessels: their rule is this (r);
"vessels made of wood, and of skin, and of bone, and of glass, if they are plain, they are clean; but if they are hollow, (or made to hold things,) they are liable to pollution.''
Which Maimonides (s) explains thus;
"vessels of wood, and of skin, and of bone, if hollow, receive defilement from the words of the law; but if they are plain, as tables, a seat, a skin on which they eat, they do not receive defilement, but, , "from the words of the Scribes".''
And this washing of vessels, not only concerned such as were for private use, but the vessels of the sanctuary: so it is said (t);
"after a feast, at the close of a good day, or festival, "they dip all the vessels in the sanctuary"; because the "common people" have "touched" them at the feast, in the time of keeping it: wherefore they say, touch not the table (the showbread table), when they show it to them that come up to the feast, that it may not be defiled by touching it; and if after the feast, it is found (polluted), it must be dipped and all the vessels are obliged to immersion, excepting the golden altar, and the altar of brass.''
So that our Lord might well say, "and many such like things ye do".
(p) Misn. Celim, c. 12. sect. 7. (q) Jarchi & Battenora in ib. (r) Misn. Celim, c. 2. sect. 1. (s) Hilch. Celim, c. 1. sect. 10. (t) Maimon. Hilch. Mishcab Umoshab, c. 11. sect. 11.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 8. Washing of pots and cups, &c.] This…
Verse 8. Washing of pots and cups, &c.] This whole clause is wanting in BL, five others, and the Coptic: one MS. omits this and the whole of the ninth verse. The eighth verse is not found in the parallel place of Mt 15:7-9.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (8) As the washing of pots and cups.—Many of…
(8) As the washing of pots and cups.—Many of the better MSS. omit the whole of the latter part of this verse. On internal grounds, however, it is hardly likely that such words should have been added as a note, and it is likely enough that the passage should have been altered by a transcriber, to make it agree with the report in St. Matthew.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Jesus continues to rebuke the scribes and Pharisees.
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abandon
refuse to obey
hold fast to
"hold strongly to" or "only keep"
How well you reject the commandment ... keep your tradition
Jesus uses this ironic statement to rebuke his listeners for forsaking God's commandment. AT: "You think you have done well in how you have rejected the commandment of God so you may keep your own traditions, but what you have done is not good at all" (See: Irony)
How well you reject
"How skillfully you reject"
who speaks evil of
"who curses"
will surely die
"must be put to death"
He who speaks evil of his father or mother will surely die
This may be stated in active form. AT: "The authorities must execute a person who speaks evil about his father or mother" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
command
God
tradition
reject
Moses
honor
evil
die
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.