Mark 7:9

9 He also said to them, "You completely invalidate God's command in order to maintain ^[a] your tradition!

Mark 7:9 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 7:9

And he said unto them
He continued his discourse, saying,

full well,
or "fairly",

ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own
tradition:
these words may be considered, as spoken ironically, thus; as pious and excellently good men, you in a very fair and handsome manner, reject and make void the commandments and laws of God; and it is very fit it should be so, in order to preserve your own traditions, that nothing may be wanting to keep up the honour of them, and a due regard to them. The Arabic version reads the words by way of interrogation, "is it fit that you should omit the commandments of God, and keep your own statutes?" and so the Ethiopic, "do ye rightly make void the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own commandment?" Which makes them come nearer to the passage in Matthew; (See Gill on Matthew 15:3).

Mark 7:9 In-Context

7 They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.

8 Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men."

9 He also said to them, "You completely invalidate God's command in order to maintain your tradition!

10 For Moses said: Honor your father and your mother; and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.

11 But you say, 'If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit you might have received from me is Corban ' " (that is, a gift [committed to the temple]),

Footnotes

• [a]. Other mss read to establish