Mark 7:8-23

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Mark 7:1-23

One great design of Christ's coming, was, to set aside the ceremonial law which God made, and to put an end to it; to make way for which he begins with the ceremonial law which men had made, and added to the law of God's making, and discharges his disciples from the obligation of that; which here he doth fully, upon occasion of the offence which the Pharisees took at them for the violation of it. These Pharisees and scribes with whom he had this argument, are said to come from Jerusalem down... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 7:5-8

7:5-8 So the Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, "Why do your disciples not conduct themselves as the tradition of the elders prescribes, but eat bread with hands that are unclean?" He said to them, "Isaiah did well when he prophesied about you hypocrites, as it stands written, 'This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me. This so-called reverence of men is an empty thing, for they teach as doctrine human rules and regulations.' While you hold fast... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 7:9-13

7:9-13 He said to them, "You make an excellent job of completely nullifying the command of God in order to observe your own tradition. For Moses said, 'Honour your father and your mother.' And, 'He who speaks evil of his father or mother shall certainly die.' But you say, that, if a man says to his father or mother, 'That by which you might have been helped by me is Korban,'--that is to say, God-dedicated--you no longer allow him to do anything for his father and mother, and you thereby... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 7:14-23

7:14-23 He called the crowd to him again and said, "Listen to me, all of you and understand. There is nothing which goes into a man from outside which can render him unclean; but it is the things which come out of a man which render the man unclean." When he came into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about this hard saying. He said to them, "So, then, are you too unable to grasp things? Do you not understand that everything that goes into a man from outside cannot... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 7:8

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible 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,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 7:10

For Moses said ,.... That is, God by Moses; for the following precept was spoken by God, and written by him on one of the tables of stone, and delivered into the hands of Moses, to be given to the children of Israel: honour thy father and thy mother , Exodus 20:12 , the sanction of which law is, and whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death , Exodus 21:17 . As the former of these commands is to be understood, not only of honouring parents in thought, word, and deed,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 7:11

But ye say ,.... Your elders, doctors, and wise men, in opposition to God and Moses: if a man shall say to his father or his mother, it is Corban, that is to say, a gift ; in the same manner is this word interpreted by Josephus, who speaking of some that call themselves Corban unto God, says F21 Autiqu. Jud. l. 4. c. 4. sect. 4. in the Greek tongue, δωρον δε τουτο σεμαινει , "this signifies a gift": now, according to the traditions of the elders, whoever made use of that word to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 7:12

And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father, or his mother. According to the Jewish canons F23 Maimon. Hilch. Nedarim, c. 3. sect. 1. , if a man vowed a thing which is contrary to a command, he was obliged to keep his vow, and break the command: thus, if a man vowed that his father or his mother should never receive any benefit from what he had, but that his substance was as "Corban", or as any thing devoted to divine service, he was obliged to keep his vow; nor was he allowed... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 7:13

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,... read more

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