Mark 7:13

7:13 The result of such traditions was to cancel the word of God. • only one example among many others: It was not an isolated instance; see, e.g., Isa 1:10-20; 58:1-14.

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

Mar 7:13. Ἧ παρεδώκατε, which ye have delivered) Ye have made into a tradition what was a mere custom among the ancients.

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

Mar 7:13 . ᾗ παρεδώκατε , which ye have delivered. The receivers are also transmitters of the tradition, adding their quota to the weight of authority. παρόμοια τοιαῦτα πολλὰ : many such similar things, a rhetorically redundant phrase ( such, similar ) expressive of contempt. Cf. Col 2:21 .Heb 9:10 .

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

Verse 13. Your tradition] D, later Syriac in the margin, Saxon, and all the Itala but one, add τη μωρα, by your FOOLISH tradition. [Anglo-Saxon], your foolish law: - Anglo-Saxon.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(13) Making the word of God of none effect.—Again the Greek word is somewhat more technical, making null and void, cancelling, as in Gal_3:17.

Through your tradition.—Here the structure of the sentence points to the “tradition” as being the instrument with which the Law was made null and void. In Mat_15:6 the meaning is slightly different (see Note there).

Many such like things.—Assuming the words “washing of cups and pots,” in Mar_7:8, to be genuine, there is an emphatic scorn expressed in this iteration of the same formula.

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

13. through your tradition] The Jews distinguished between the “Written Law” and the traditional or “Unwritten Law.” The Unwritten Law was said to have been orally delivered by God to Moses, and by him orally transmitted to the Elders. On it was founded the Talmud or “doctrine,” which consists of (1) the Mishna or “repetition” of the Law, (2) the Gemara or “supplement” to it. So extravagant did the veneration for the Traditional Law become, that there was amongst many other sayings this assertion, “The Law is like salt, the Mishna like pepper, the Gemara like balmy spice.” Buxtorf, Synag. Jud. ch. 3.

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.

Making the word of God of none effect, through your tradition,.... Beza says, in his most ancient copy it is read, "your foolish tradition"; and such it was indeed, that a vow made rashly, and in a passion, or if ever so deliberately entered into, should be more binding upon a man than the law of God; that rather than break this, he should transgress a divine command; and that though he might see his folly, and repent of his sin in making such a wicked vow, he could not go back from it, without the permission of a wise man: should his poor distressed parents come to him for assistance, he was obliged to answer them, that he had bound himself by a vow, that they should receive no advantage from his substance; and should they remonstrate to him the command of God, to honour them and take care of them, and observe that that command is enforced by promises and threatenings; he had this to reply, and was instructed to do it, that it was the sense of the wise men and doctors, and agreeably to the traditions of the elders, to which he ought rather to attend, than to the words of the law, that he should keep and fulfil his vow, whatever command was neglected or broken by it.

Which ye have delivered: they received it from their ancestors, and delivered it to their disciples; and it is in this way, that all their traditions were delivered: they say (x), that

"Moses received the law (the oral law) at Sinai, "and delivered" it to Joshua; and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets; and the prophets to the men of the great synagogue; the last of which was Simeon the just; and Antigonus, a man of Socho, received it from him; and Jose ben Joezer, a man of Tzeredah, and Jose ben Jochanan, a man of Jerusalem, received it from Antigonus; and Joshua ben Perachiah (said to be the master of Jesus Christ), and Nitthai the Arbelite, received it from them; and Judah ben Tabai, and Simeon ben Shetach, received it from them; and Shemaiah and Abtalion received it from them; and from them Hillell and Shammai.''

Who were now the heads of the two grand schools of the Jews; these received, and delivered out these traditions to the Scribes and Pharisees, and they to their disciples:

and many such like things do ye; meaning, that there were many other traditions besides this now mentioned; whereby, instead of preserving the written law, which, they pretended, these were an hedge unto (y), they, in a great many instances, made it void.

(x) Pirke Abot, c. 1. sect. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. (y) Pirke Abot, c. 1. sect. 1.

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

13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Ver. 13. {See Trapp on "Mat 15:6"}

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.

13. ἀκυροῦντες. Not merely treating as null and void (ἀθετεῖτε, Mar 7:9), but making void (R.V.). Both verbs occur Gal 3:15-17. Excepting 4 Macc., ἀκυρόω is very rare in Bibl. Grk. In papyri it is used of annulling contracts. Passages in the Talmud definitely put tradition and comment above Scripture. “The words of the Scribes are lovely above the words of the Law; for the words of the Law are weighty and light, but the words of the Scribes are all weighty.”

τῇ παραδόσει ᾗ παρεδώκατε. The connexion between noun and verb cannot be reproduced in English. The aor. seems to be out of place; παραδίδοτε would be better; or (if aor.) παρελάβετε. The relative is dative by attraction.

παρόμοια τοιαῦτα πολλά. Superfluous fulness; many such similar things. Cf. Mar 6:25. Παρόμοιος, freq. in class. Grk, occurs nowhere else in N.T. or LXX.

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.

13.] καὶ παρ., a repetition from ver. 8;—common in Mark.

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

13. ἀκυροῦντες—invalidating is an exact translation of the Greek word, which means to deprive a thing of its strength. παραδόσει ὑμῶν ᾗ παρεδώκατε—the tradition which you handed down. It is impossible to render into English the paronomasia here. The verb describes the handing along from one generation to another which constitutes tradition. παρόμοια—nearly like.1

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

Making of none effect. Rev., making void. See on Mt 14:6. Ye handed down. Note the past tense, identifying them for the moment with their forefathers. Compare Mt 13:35, Ye slew. Christ views the Jewish persecutors and bigots, ancient and modern, as a whole, actuated by one spirit, and ascribes to one section what was done by another.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.