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Mark 7
New English Translation

Breaking Human Traditions

7 Now[a] the Pharisees[b] and some of the experts in the law[c] who came from Jerusalem gathered around him. 2 And they saw that some of Jesus’ disciples[d] ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing,[e] holding fast to the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the marketplace,[f] they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches.[g])[h] 5 The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat[i] with unwashed hands?” 6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart[j] is far from me.
7 They worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’[k]

8 Having no regard[l] for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition.”[m] 9 He also said to them, “You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up[n] your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[o] and, ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’[p] 11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you would have received from me is corban’[q] (that is, a gift for God), 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify[r] the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this.”

14 Then[s] he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand. 15 There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him.”[t]

17 Now[u] when Jesus[v] had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are you so foolish? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? 19 For it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and then goes out into the sewer.”[w] (This means all foods are clean.)[x] 20 He said, “What comes out of a person defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. 23 All these evils come from within and defile a person.”

A Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

24 After Jesus[y] left there, he went to the region of Tyre.[z] When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know, but[aa] he was not able to escape notice. 25 Instead, a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit[ab] immediately heard about him and came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, of Syrophoenician origin. She[ac] asked him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and to throw it to the dogs.”[ad] 28 She answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then[ae] he said to her, “Because you said this, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Healing a Deaf Mute

31 Then[af] Jesus[ag] went out again from the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Decapolis.[ah] 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had difficulty speaking, and they asked him to place his hands on him. 33 After Jesus[ai] took him aside privately, away from the crowd, he put his fingers in the man’s[aj] ears, and after spitting, he touched his tongue.[ak] 34 Then[al] he looked up to heaven and said with a sigh, “Ephphatha” (that is, “Be opened”).[am] 35 And immediately the man’s[an] ears were opened, his tongue loosened, and he spoke plainly. 36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But as much as he ordered them not to do this, they proclaimed it all the more.[ao] 37 People were completely astounded and said, “He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:1 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
  2. Mark 7:1 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
  3. Mark 7:1 tn Or “and some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
  4. Mark 7:2 tn Grk “his disciples.”
  5. Mark 7:3 tn Grk “except they wash the hands with a fist,” a ceremonial washing (though the actual method is uncertain).
  6. Mark 7:4 sn See the note on marketplaces in Mark 6:56.
  7. Mark 7:4 tc Several significant witnesses (P45vid א B L Δ 28*) lack “and dining couches” (καὶ κλινῶν, kai klinōn), while the majority of mss (A D W Θ ƒ1,13 33 M latt) have the reading. Although normally the shorter reading is to be preferred, especially when it is backed by excellent witnesses as in this case, there are some good reasons to consider καὶ κλινῶν as authentic: (1) Although the addition of κλινῶν could be seen as motivated by a general assimilation to the purity regulations in Lev 15 (as some have argued), there are three problems with such a supposition: (a) the word κλίνη (klinē) does not occur in the LXX of Lev 15; (b) nowhere in Lev 15 is the furniture washed or sprinkled; and (c) the context of Lev 15 is about sexual impurity, while the most recent evidence suggests that κλίνη in Mark 7:4, in keeping with the other terms used here, refers to a dining couch (cf. BDAG 549 s.v. κλίνη 2). Thus, it is difficult to see καὶ κλινῶν as a motivated reading. (2) κλίνη, though a relatively rare term in the NT, is in keeping with Markan usage (cf. Mark 4:21; 7:30). (3) The phrase could have been dropped accidentally, at least in some cases, via homoioteleuton. (4) The phrase may have been deliberately expunged by some scribes who thought the imagery of washing a dining couch quite odd. The longer reading, in this case, can thus be argued as the harder reading. On balance, even though a decision is difficult (especially because of the weighty external evidence for the shorter reading), it is preferable to retain καὶ κλινῶν in the text.
  8. Mark 7:4 sn Verses 3-4 represent parenthetical remarks by the author, giving background information.
  9. Mark 7:5 tn Grk “eat bread.”
  10. Mark 7:6 tn The term “heart” is a collective singular in the Greek text.
  11. Mark 7:7 sn A quotation from Isa 29:13.
  12. Mark 7:8 tn Grk “Having left the command.”
  13. Mark 7:8 tc The majority of mss, mostly Byzantine ([A] ƒ13 33 M), have at the end of v. 8 material that seems to have come from v. 4 and v. 13: “the washing of pots and cups, and you do many other similar things.” A slight variation on the wording occurs at the very beginning of v. 8 in mostly Western witnesses (D Θ 0131vid 28 565 it). Such floating texts are usually signs of scribal emendations. The fact that the earliest and most reliable mss, as well as other significant witnesses (P45 א B L W Δ 0274 ƒ1 co), lacked this material also strongly suggests that the longer reading is secondary.
  14. Mark 7:9 tc The translation here follows the reading στήσητε (stēsēte, “set up”) found in D W Θ ƒ1 28 565 2542 it sys,p Cyp. The majority of mss here read τηρήσητε (tērēsete; א A L ƒ13 33 M co) or τηρῆτε (tērēte; B), both translated “keep.” It is hard to know which reading is best: On the one hand, τηρήσητε/τηρῆτε has much stronger external support, but στήσητε is a more difficult reading. What makes “keep” suspect is that it appears in two different forms, suggesting independent alterations of a difficult reading. Further, scribes may have been influenced by the preceding “commandment of God” to change the text toward “keep” (TCGNT 81), a common enough expression (cf. Matt 19:17; John 14:15; 1 Tim 6:1; 1 John 5:3; Rev 14:12). Thus, the more difficult reading is “set up.” Also, the more natural opposite of “reject” (ἀθεῖτε [atheite], literally “you set aside”) is “set up.” However, the Western reading may have been influenced by Exod 6:4 or Heb 10:9, but this likelihood seems remote. Thus, “set up” is more likely to be the earlier reading here.
  15. Mark 7:10 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.
  16. Mark 7:10 sn A quotation from Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9.
  17. Mark 7:11 sn Corban is a Hebrew loanword (transliterated in the Greek text and in most modern English translations) referring to something that has been set aside as a gift to be given to God at some later date, but which is still in the possession of the owner (L&N 53.22). According to contemporary Jewish tradition the person who made this claim was absolved from responsibility to support or assist his parents, a clear violation of the Mosaic law to honor one’s parents (v. 10).
  18. Mark 7:13 tn Grk “nullifying.” This participle shows the results of the Pharisees’ command.
  19. Mark 7:14 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  20. Mark 7:15 tc Most later mss add 7:16 “Let anyone with ears to hear, listen.” This verse is included in A D W Θ ƒ1,13 33 M latt sy, but is lacking in significant Alexandrian mss and a few others (א B L Δ* 0274 28). It appears to be a scribal gloss (see 4:9 and 4:23), perhaps introduced as a reiteration of the thought in 7:14, and is almost certainly not an original part of the Greek text of Mark. The present translation follows NA28 in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.
  21. Mark 7:17 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
  22. Mark 7:17 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  23. Mark 7:19 tn Or “into the latrine.”
  24. Mark 7:19 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
  25. Mark 7:24 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  26. Mark 7:24 tc Most mss, including early and significant witnesses (א A B ƒ1,13 33 M lat), have here καὶ Σιδῶνος (kai Sidōnos, “and Sidon”). The Western text, as well as several other significant mss (D L W Δ Θ 28 565 it), lack the words. Although the external evidence is on the side of inclusion, it is difficult to explain why scribes would omit the mention of Sidon. On the other hand, the parallels in v. 31 and Matt 15:21 would be sufficient motivation for scribes to add Sidon here. Furthermore, every other mention of Tyre in the Gospels is accompanied by Sidon, putting pressure on scribes to conform this text as well. The shorter reading therefore, though without compelling external evidence on its side, is strongly supported by internal evidence, rendering judgment on its authenticity fairly certain.
  27. Mark 7:24 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
  28. Mark 7:25 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
  29. Mark 7:26 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  30. Mark 7:27 tn Or “lap dogs, house dogs,” as opposed to dogs on the street. The diminutive form originally referred to puppies or little dogs, then to house pets. In some Hellenistic uses κυνάριον (kunarion) simply means “dog.”sn The term dogs does not refer to wild dogs (scavenging animals roaming around the countryside) in this context, but to small dogs taken in as house pets. It is thus not a derogatory term per se, but is instead intended by Jesus to indicate the privileged position of the Jews (especially his disciples) as the initial recipients of Jesus’ ministry. The woman’s response of faith and her willingness to accept whatever Jesus would offer pleased him to such an extent that he granted her request. This is the only miracle mentioned in Mark that Jesus performed at a distance without ever having seen the afflicted person, or issuing some sort of audible command.
  31. Mark 7:29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  32. Mark 7:31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  33. Mark 7:31 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  34. Mark 7:31 sn The Decapolis refers to a group of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay on the east side of the Jordan River. Although frequently seen as a league of independent city states organized by the Roman general Pompey, contemporary sources do not support such a view. Rather their unity came from their Greek (Hellenistic) culture and religions, which set them apart from surrounding areas.
  35. Mark 7:33 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  36. Mark 7:33 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the deaf man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  37. Mark 7:33 sn After spitting, he touched his tongue. It was not uncommon in Judaism of the day to associate curative powers with a person’s saliva. The scene as a whole reflects Jesus’ willingness to get close to people and have physical contact with them where appropriate. See W. L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 267 n. 78.
  38. Mark 7:34 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  39. Mark 7:34 sn The author’s parenthetical note gives the meaning of the Aramaic word Ephphatha.
  40. Mark 7:35 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the man who had been a deaf mute) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  41. Mark 7:36 tn Grk “but as much as he ordered them, these rather so much more proclaimed.” Greek tends to omit direct objects when they are clear from the context, but these usually need to be supplied for the modern English reader. Here what Jesus ordered has been clarified (“ordered them not to do this”), and the pronoun “it” has been supplied after “proclaimed.”
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Mark 7
Lexham English Bible

Human Traditions and God’s Commandments

7 And the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered to him. 2 And they saw that some of his disciples were eating their[a] bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ritually,[b] thus[c] holding fast to the traditions of the elders. 4 And when they come[d] from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions[e] which they have received and[f] hold fast to—for example,[g] the washing of cups and pitchers and bronze kettles and dining couches.)[h] 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their[i] bread with unclean hands?” 6 So he said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their[j] lips,
    but their heart is far, far away from me.
7 And they worship me in vain,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’[k]

8 Abandoning the commandment of God, you hold fast to the tradition of men.”

9 And he said to them, “You splendidly ignore the commandment of God so that you can keep[l] your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[m] and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die[n].’[o] 11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his[p] father or to his[q] mother, “Whatever benefit you would have received[r] from me is corban”[s] (that is, a gift to God), 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his[t] father or his[u] mother, 13 thus[v] making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar things such as this.”

Defilement from Within

14 And summoning the crowd again, he said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15 There is nothing outside of a person that is able to defile him by[w] going into him. But the things that go out of a person are the things that defile a person.”[x] 17 And when he entered into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 And he said to them, “So are you also without understanding? Do you not understand that everything that is outside that goes into a person is not able to defile him? 19 For it does not enter into his heart but into his[y] stomach, and goes out into the latrine”—thus[z] declaring all foods clean. 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person, that defiles a person. 21 For from within, from the heart of people, come evil plans, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries, acts of greed, malicious deeds, deceit, licentiousness, envy,[aa] abusive speech, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a person.”

A Syrophoenician Woman’s Great Faith

24 And from there he set out and[ab] went to the region of Tyre. And when he[ac] entered into a house, he wanted no one to know, and yet he was not able to escape notice. 25 But immediately a woman whose young daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, when she[ad] heard about him, came and[ae] fell down at his feet, 26 Now the woman was a Greek—a Syrophoenician by nationality—and she was asking him that he would expel the demon from her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it[af] to the dogs!” 28 But she answered and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “Because of this statement, go! The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And when she[ag] went to her home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.

A Man Deaf and Unable to Speak Healed

31 And again he went away from the region of Tyre and[ah] came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they were imploring him that he would place his[ai] hand on him. 33 And he took him away from the crowd by himself and[aj] put his fingers into his ears, and after[ak] spitting, he touched his tongue. 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”). 35 And[al] his ears were opened and his difficulty in speaking was removed[am] and he began to speak normally. 36 And he ordered them that they should say nothing, but as much as he ordered them not to, they proclaimed it[an] even more instead. 37 And they were amazed beyond all measure, saying, “He has done all things well! He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:2 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  2. Mark 7:3 Literally “with the fist”; although the exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain, there is general agreement it has to do with the ritual or ceremonial nature of the handwashing
  3. Mark 7:3 Here “thus” is supplied as a component of the participle (“holding fast to”) which is understood as result
  4. Mark 7:4 The phrase “when they come” is not in the Greek text but is implied
  5. Mark 7:4 The word “traditions” is not in the Greek text but is implied
  6. Mark 7:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“have received”) has been translated as a finite verb
  7. Mark 7:4 The phrase “for example” is not in the Greek text but is supplied as a clarification in the English translation
  8. Mark 7:4 Several important manuscripts omit “and dining couches”
  9. Mark 7:5 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  10. Mark 7:6 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  11. Mark 7:7 A quotation from Isa 29:13
  12. Mark 7:9 Some manuscripts have “you can maintain”
  13. Mark 7:10 A quotation from Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16
  14. Mark 7:10 Literally “let him die the death”
  15. Mark 7:10 A quotation from Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9
  16. Mark 7:11 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  17. Mark 7:11 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  18. Mark 7:11 Literally “you would have been benefited”
  19. Mark 7:11 A Hebrew term referring to something consecrated as a gift to God and thus not available for ordinary use
  20. Mark 7:12 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  21. Mark 7:12 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  22. Mark 7:13 Here “thus” is supplied as a component of the participle (“making void”) which is understood as result
  23. Mark 7:15 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“going”) which is understood as means
  24. Mark 7:15 Most later manuscripts add v. 16, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
  25. Mark 7:19 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  26. Mark 7:19 Here “thus” is supplied as a component of the participle (“declaring”) which is understood as result
  27. Mark 7:22 Literally “the evil eye”
  28. Mark 7:24 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“set out”) has been translated as a finite verb
  29. Mark 7:24 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“entered”) which is understood as temporal
  30. Mark 7:25 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
  31. Mark 7:25 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb
  32. Mark 7:27 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  33. Mark 7:30 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“went”) which is understood as temporal
  34. Mark 7:31 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went away”) has been translated as a finite verb
  35. Mark 7:32 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  36. Mark 7:33 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took … away”) has been translated as a finite verb
  37. Mark 7:33 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“spitting”) which is understood as temporal
  38. Mark 7:35 Some manuscripts have “And immediately”
  39. Mark 7:35 Literally “the bond of his tongue was loosened”
  40. Mark 7:36 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
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