Mark 7:8

Mar 7:8. Ἀφέντες, laying aside) The antithetic word to hold. The terms akin are, to reject, Mar 7:9, and to make of none effect, Mar 7:13.—τὴν ἐντολὴν the commandment) The commandment is one, even as virtue is one and uncompounded; as opposed to the multiplicity of traditions.—τοῦ Θεοῦ—τῶν ἀνθρώπων, of God—of men) An evident antithesis.—βαπτισμοὺς ξεστῶν, the washings of pitchers) worthless petty observances.

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

Mar 7:8 . At this point Mk.’s account seems secondary as compared with Mt.’s. This verse contains Christ’s comment on the prophetic oracle, then, Mar 7:9 , He goes on to say the same thing over again.

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

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. Text via Bolls.life.

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.

(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.

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;

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.

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.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus continues to rebuke the scribes and Pharisees.

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.

8. [1421][1422][1423][1424] omit γάρ and βαπτισμοὺς … ποιεῖτε (from Mar 7:4).

[1421] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.

[1422] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

[1423] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mar 1:1 to Mar 10:15; Mar 10:30 to Mar 15:1; Mar 15:20 to Mar 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mar 16:8 and Mar 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.

[1424] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.

8. τὴν ἐντολήν. Commonly used of a single commandment (Mar 10:5; Mar 10:19, Mar 12:28), but here of the Divine Law as a whole; see on 1Ti 6:14. The verse looks like another version of Mar 7:9. There is no such repetition in Mt., and his wording is closer to Mar 7:9. Syr-Sin. omits the verse.

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.

8.] Not contained in Matt., but important, as setting forth their depreciating of God’s command in comparison with human tradition, before their absolute violation of that command in vv. 10, 11.

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

8. Ἀφέντες τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ—Leaving the commandment of God.

Omit γὰρ after ἀφέντες, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BL Δ* 124, Memph.

This statement, that the Scribes and Pharisees leave Divine commands for human, is a singular comment on their attempt to build a hedge about the Law. The oral tradition was intended by them to be an exposition of the Law, and especially of the application of its precepts to life. They devised it so that men should not by ignorance and misunderstanding come short of the righteousness prescribed in the Law. But, in the first place, their method of interpretation was fitted to bring out anything except the real meaning of the Scripture, being to the last degree fanciful and arbitrary; and then in the second place, they proceeded to make this interpretation authoritative, so that really a human word got to be substituted for the Divine in most cases. Their mistake does not stand by itself; it has been repeated in every age. Everywhere, the same fatality attends authoritative exposition, nay, is involved in its very nature. The human exposition gets substituted for the Divine word, and so the worship of man becomes vain.

Omit last part of this verse, beginning βαπτισμοὺς, washings, Tisch. (Treg.) WH. RV. א BL Δ 1, 209, 251, Memph.

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