Mark 10:19

10:19 Jesus’ reply seems strange to Christians who are familiar with Paul’s teaching on this subject (e.g., Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16). In naming five of the Ten Commandments Jesus was not implying that the man could earn eternal life by keeping them; he was telling him what God’s standards are and allowing the man to evaluate his own performance. Truly loving God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength, and one’s neighbor as one’s self (Mark 12:30-31), requires trusting in God’s grace, accepting Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf (10:45; 14:24), and keeping his commands (John 15:10; 1 Jn 2:4; 3:22).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 10:19. Οἶδας, thou knowest) Why dost thou ask, What shall I do?—μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς, defraud not) by covetousness, Exo 20:17.[13] The same verb occurs, 1Co 6:8: see note.

[13] Otherwise this command would not differ from the previous, “Do not steal.”—ED. and TRANSL.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 10:19 . The commandments of the second table enumerated are expressed by subjunctives with μὴ , instead of future indicatives with οὐ . While Mt. has the supernumerary, “love thy neighbour,” Mk. has μὴ ἀποστερήαῃς , which probably has in view the humane law in Deu 24:14-15 , against oppressing or withholding wages from a hired servant; a more specific form of the precept: love thy neighbour as thyself, and a most apposite reminder of duty as addressed to a wealthy man, doubtless an extensive employer of labour. It should be rung in the ears of all would-be Christians, in similar social position, in our time: defraud not, underpay not.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Neither by force nor deceit, nor any other means whatsoever.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(19) Defraud not.—Peculiar to St. Mark. It seems as if intended to be a special application of the Tenth Commandment. One who had great possessions, gathered in the usual ways by which men gain wealth, needed to examine himself specially by that text. Were there no ill-gotten gains in his treasure? Had no wages of the reaper been kept back; no sharp bargains driven with widows or orphans or the poor?

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. Thou knowest the commandments] The young man is referred to the Commandments of the Second Table only, and they are cited generally from Exo_20:12-17. A striking instance of the free mode of quotation from the Old Testament even in such a case as the Ten Commandments.

Defraud not] The word thus rendered occurs in 1Co_6:7-8; 1Co_7:5; 1Ti_6:5; Jas_5:4. It means deprive none of what is theirs, and has been thought to sum up the four Commandments which precede.

Honour thy father and mother] Rendered by Wyclif “worschippe pi fadir and modir,” which illustrates the meaning of the word as used in the Marriage Service, “with my body I thee worship” = honour. St Mark places this commandment at the end.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he answered and, said unto him,.... With a great deal of pertness,

master, all these have I observed from my youth; See Gill on Mat 19:20. In a certain copy, Beza says, it is added, as there, "what lack I yet?" and so in one of Stephens's copies.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

Ver. 19. Defraud not] Do no man injury either by force or fraud. This seems to be an abstract of all the other afore mentioned commandments.

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.

That is, in that latitude to which the doctors of the Jewish church at that time expounded them.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

In St. Matthew (Mat_21:17, etc.) the record of our Lord"s conversation with the young ruler is more full; and it should be read side by side with the more condensed narrative of St. Mark. It will be observed that it is upon the commandments of the second table that our Lord here lays stress. For the love of God produces the love of our neighbor; and he who loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Observe here, That the duties which our Saviour instances in, are the duties of the second table, which hypocrites are most failing in. But nothing is better evidence of our unfeigned love to God than the sincere performance of our duty to our neighbours. Love to man is a fruit and testimony of our love to God; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 1Jn 4:20.

Learn hence, that such as are defective in the duties of the second table, charity and justice, do make but a counterfeit show of religion, though they pretend to the highest measures and degrees of love to God.

Here note, That there are two ways of injuring our neighbour, which ought to be avoided, namely,

1. By theft: and this either privately and clandestinely, without the knowledge of the owner; or openly and by force, against the consent of the owner; both these are forbidden in the eighth commandment.

2. By secret and cunning devises, where the law and a picture of right is made use of to cover the injury. This is forbidden in the tenth commandment, and here expressed by, Thou shalt not defraud. And surely all such endeavours to defraud, must show a very covetous mind, inclining a person, against the dictates of his own conscience, to defraud another of his right.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. τὰς ἐντολὰς οἶδας. It is not difficult to know God’s will, He has shown all men the way to eternal life. Mt. gives this interpretation of Christ’s words as having been actually spoken; “If thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments.” See on Mar 8:29, where Mt. expands Christ’s question and Peter’s reply.

Μὴ φονεύσης. So also Lk. and Jas 2:11. Mt. and Rom 13:9 have the form used in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, Οὐ φονεύσεις.

μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς. Ne fraudem feceris (Vulg.). Mt. and Lk. omit this prohibition, perhaps as not being one of the Ten Words, and Syr-Sin. omits it in Mk. It may represent the tenth commandment, or it may be added by Christ as a special warning to the rich man. Cf. Exo 21:10; Mal 3:5; and Sir 4:1, τὴν ζωὴν τοῦ πτωχοῦ μὴ ἀποστερήσῃς.

τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου. All three place the fifth commandment last and omit the first four. Mt. adds the golden rule from Lev 19:18, which Mk has at Mar 12:31. If it had been uttered on this occasion the rich man could hardly have answered as he did.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19.] Mark here takes exactly the commandments of the second table,—μὴ ἀποστ. standing for the tenth. Matt. adds their summary (ἀγαπ. τ. πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτ.), omitting (with Luke) μὴ ἀποστ., perhaps on account of μὴ κλ. having gone before.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. Τὰς ἐντολὰς οἶδας—You know the commandments. This is connected immediately with the preceding statement about God. These commands belong to the law of the one only absolutely good Being, and it is therefore in these commands that the young man is bidden to look for the answer to his question. Moreover, he is familiar with these commands, and why therefore seek any further for his answer. There is, however, an answer to this seemingly unanswerable question of Jesus. Though the commands are divine, and as divine would be a ne plus ultra, they were revealed through men, and this human element in them makes it possible for men belonging to a more spiritual time, or themselves more spiritual, to go further in revealing the ways of God to men. That is what Jesus himself did in the Sermon on the Mount, setting in contrast the imperfect commands of the ancients and his own perfect injunctions. This is one of the cases therefore, in which Jesus suggests more than appears on the surface, viz., that there is a chance that even so-called divine commands may not be ultimate. The suggestion itself is pertinent to a time of transition from one era of divine revelation to another, and the method of suggestion is not absent from the teaching of Jesus, who frequently gave men something to think of, some riddle to solve, instead of always throwing so much light himself as to save them all trouble. In this very case, Jesus proceeds to add something to what he has cited as the divine commands, showing that these do not contain the last words in the matter. The commands cited by him are those of the second table of the law, except the tenth, and with the command defraud not, added. This addition is not to be referred to a single passage like Deu 24:14, but is a reminiscence of many such passages, besides being a self-evident part of the law of righteousness.1

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.