Mark 8:15

8:15 Matthew says that the yeast of the Pharisees refers to their false teaching (Matt 16:12). It could also refer to their unbelief and hardness of heart (Mark 8:10-13). The reference to Herod could point to his unwillingness to accept what he knew to be true (6:14, 16, 20).

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

Mar 8:15. Τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Ἡρώδου, of the Pharisees and Herod) Two opposite extremes of religious sects. In Mat 16:6, where see note, the words are, “the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Therefore, instead of what Matthew has, viz. the Sadducees, Mark has, Herod. The leaven common to them all, at least in demanding signs on various pretexts at different occasions, was hypocrisy (Herod is called “the fox,” Luk 13:31, where see note). As to Herod, Luke does not mention that indeed (viz. his demanding a sign), at ch. Luk 12:1, but he does at Luk 23:8, as it were in the way of supplement. For although Herod approached nearer to the Pharisees in the article of the resurrection, ch. Mar 6:16, yet the licentiousness admitted by the doctrine of the Sadducees, was in other respects more suited to his palace and court, which bent religion into a mere species of political expediency.

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

Mar 8:15 . ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης , etc.: two leavens, one of Pharisees, another of Herod, yet placed together because morally akin and coincident in practical outcome. Vide notes on Mat 16:1-6 .

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

We must especially take heed of them which corrupt the word of God, what degree soever they be of, either in the Church, or in civil policy.

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

(15) He charged them.—The verb is in the imperfect tense, and implies that the command was more than once repeated. Hence they, too, “were reasoning,” more than once, what was the meaning of the precept on which so much stress was laid.

The leaven of Herod.—The words imply the presence among the questioners of Mar_8:11 of others besides the Pharisees. On the connection between the “leaven of Herod” and that of “the Sadducees” in Mat_16:6, see Note on that verse.

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

15. the leaven of the Pharisees] Leaven in Scripture, with the single exception of the Parable (Mat_13:33; Luk_13:20-21), is always a symbol of evil (comp. 1Co_5:6-8; Gal_5:9), especially insidious evil, as it is for the most part also in the Rabbinical writers. See Lightfoot on Mat_16:6. The strict command to the children of Israel that they should carefully put away every particle of leaven out of their houses during the Passover-week, rests on this view of it as evil.

the leaven of Herod] “and,” as it is in St Matthew’s Gospel, “of the Sadducees.” The leaven of the Pharisees was hypocrisy (Luk_12:1), of the Sadducees, unbelief, of Herod, worldliness; all which working in secrecy and silence, and spreading with terrible certainty, cause that in the end “the whole man is leavened,” and his whole nature transformed.

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 charged them,.... When they were in the ship, and had just recollected themselves, that they had took no care to bring any provisions with them:

saying, take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees; and of the leaven of Herod: in Matthew, instead of "the leaven of Herod", it is read, "the leaven of the Sadducees": which are either the same, Herod and his courtiers being Sadducees, or favourers of them; or the Sadducees being sticklers for Herod, and his government, which the Pharisees had no good opinion of; or else distinct from one another; and so Christ cautions against the doctrines of the Pharisees, which regarded the traditions of the elders, and of the Sadducees, concerning the resurrection, and of the Herodians, who thought Herod to be the Messiah; and against the unreasonable request and demand of them all to have a sign from heaven, in proof of his own Messiahship; See Gill on Mat 16:6.

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

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.

15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

Ver. 15. Of the leaven of Herod] Of the Sadducees, saith Matthew; to the which sect some conceive that Herod had now joined himself, the better to still the noise of his conscience by making himself believe there was no judgment to come.

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.

Of the leaven of Herod. In St. Matthew chap. xvi. ver. 6, we read of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees: we may conclude that Christ named all of them. (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. St. Matthew (Mat_15:6) says, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees;" thus St. Mark identifies the leaven of the Sadducees with that of Herod. "Leaven" here means "doctrine." They were not to beware of this, so far as the Pharisees rightly taught and explained the Law of Moses; but only so far as they corrupted that Law by their own vain traditions, contrary to the Law of God, St. Luke (Luk_12:11) calls this leaven "hypocrisy;" because the Pharisees only regarded outward ceremonies, and neglected the inward sanctification of the Spirit. St. Jerome says, "This is the leaven of which the Apostle speaks where he says, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Marcion and Valentinus and all heretics have had this kind of leaven, which is on every account to be avoided. Leaven has this property, that, however small it may be in quantity, it spreads its influence rapidly through the mass. And so if only a little spark of heretical doctrine be admitted into the soul, speedily a great flame arises, and envelopes the whole man."

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

Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod, or of the Sadducees; two opposite extremes.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

leaven See note 4, (See Scofield "Mat 13:33")

Herod See margin ref., (See Scofield "Mat 14:1")

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15. διεστέλλετο. In Mar 5:43, Mar 7:36, Mar 9:9 we have the aor., as elsewhere in N.T. The imperf. may mean that the charge was given more than once; or, like εἶχον, it refers to the time in the boat,—they were short of bread and He was saying this; or it may be the conversational imperf. Mt. has εἶπεν, again changing imperf. to aor.

βλέπετε ἀπό. Not “look away from,” but “look and turn away from,” “consider and avoid.” Cf. φυλάσσεσθε ἀπό (Luk 12:15), προσέχετε ἀπό (Mat 7:15), φοβηθῆτε ἀπό (Mat 10:28), and see on αἰσχυνθῶμεν ἀπό (1Jn 2:28). This pregnant constr. is not Hebraistic. In a letter of A.D. 41, βλέπε ἀπό occurs in a warning against dealings with Jews (G. Milligan, N.T. Documents, p. 50).

τῆς ζύμης. Leaven works imperceptibly and may represent good (Mat 13:33) or bad (1Co 5:6; Gal 5:9) influence; Ignatius (Magnes. x.) has it of both. But it is generally used of bad influence, fermentation being regarded as corruption; fermentation disturbs, inflates, sours. Hence the careful banishment of it during the Passover. Mt. interprets the leaven of the Pharisees (and Sadducees) as their “doctrine,” Lk. (Luk 12:1) as “hypocrisy,” and this might apply to Herod also. Bede gives as part of Herod’s leaven simulatio religionis. The repetition of τῆς ζύμης shows that the leaven of the Pharisees is different from the leaven of Herod, and perhaps irreligion and moral weakness is meant by the latter. Possibly, in thus hurriedly crossing the Lake, they were avoiding being molested by Herod’s emissaries. Cf. Luk 13:31. The two leavens were alike in working against Christ. Mk gives no interpretation, and the different interpretations in Mt. and Lk. point to early conjectures.

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.

15.] ὁρᾶτε is merely take heed, and does not belong to ἀπό.

βλέπ. ἀπό is not ‘turn your eyes away from’ (Tittm. and Kuin. in Meyer), but as in reff.

The ζύμη Ἡρώδου here seems to answer to the ζ. Σαδδουκαίων in Matt. But we must not infer from this that Herod was a Sadducee. He certainly was a bad and irreligious man, which would be quite enough ground for such a caution. We have a specimen of the morals of his court in the history of John the Baptist’s martyrdom. In the last οὔπω, ver. 21, Meyer sees a new climax, and refers the not yet to the moment even after the reminiscence of vv. 18-20. It may doubtless be so, and the idea would well accord with the graphic precision of St. Mark.

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