Mark 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Tradition of the Elders
7 Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 2 they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands,[a] thus observing the tradition of the elders,(A) 4 and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash,[b] and there are also many other traditions that they observe: the washing of cups and pots and bronze kettles and beds.[c])(B) 5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat with defiled hands?”(C) 6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;(D)
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’
8 “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”(E)
9 Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!(F) 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’(G) 11 But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God[d]),(H) 12 then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, 13 thus nullifying the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.”
14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”[e]
17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “So, are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, 19 since it enters not the heart but the stomach and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. 21 For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith
24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre.[f] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Sir,[g] even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And when she went home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.
Jesus Cures a Deaf Man
31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech, and they begged him to lay his hand on him.(I) 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.(J) 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”(K) 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.(L) 36 Then Jesus[h] ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.(M) 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Footnotes
- 7.3 Meaning of Gk uncertain
- 7.4 Other ancient authorities read and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they purify themselves
- 7.4 Other ancient authorities lack and beds
- 7.11 Gk lacks to God
- 7.15 Other ancient authorities add 7.16: “If you have ears to hear, then hear”
- 7.24 Other ancient authorities add and Sidon
- 7.28 Or Lord; other ancient authorities prefix Yes
- 7.36 Gk he
Mark 7
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Pharisees Object To Eating With Unwashed Hands. Jesus Condemns Their Traditions
7 And the Pharisees and some of the scribes are gathered-together with Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 And having seen some of His disciples, that they are eating their bread with defiled[a] hands, that is, unwashed[b]— 3 for the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands with a fist[c], holding-on-to the tradition of the elders. 4 And they do not eat [when they return][d] from the marketplace unless they cleanse[e] [themselves]. And there are many other traditions which they received to hold-on-to— the cleansing of cups and pitchers and copper-pots and couches[f]. 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes ask Him, “For what reason are Your disciples not walking according to the tradition of the elders, but are eating their bread with defiled hands?” 6 And the One said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly concerning you hypocrites, as it has been written [in Isa 29:13], that ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far distant from Me. 7 But they are worshiping Me in-vain[g], teaching as teachings[h] the commandments of humans’. 8 Having neglected the commandment of God, you are holding on to the tradition of humans!” 9 And He was saying to them, “You are nicely[i] setting-aside[j] the commandment of God in order that you may establish[k] your tradition! 10 For Moses said [in Ex 20:12], ‘Be honoring your father and your mother’, and [in Ex 21:17], ‘Let the one speaking-evil-of father or mother come-to-an-end[l] by a death’. 11 But you say if a person says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you might be benefitted from me is Corban (which means “Gift”)’, 12 you no longer permit him to do anything[m] for his father or mother— 13 nullifying[n] the word of God by your tradition which you handed-down. And you are doing many similar such things”. 14 And having summoned the crowd again, He was saying to them, “Everyone listen-to Me and understand— 15 there is nothing outside of the person proceeding into him which is able to defile him. But the things proceeding out of the person are the things defiling the person. 16 [o]
What Goes Into The Body Does Not Defile, But What Comes Out of The Heart
17 And when He entered into a house away-from the crowd, His disciples were questioning Him as to the parable. 18 And He says to them, “So are even you without-understanding? Do you not perceive that everything outside proceeding into the person is not able to defile[p] him 19 because it does not proceed into his heart, but into his stomach, and it proceeds out into the latrine?” (He was making all foods clean[q].) 20 And He was saying that “The thing proceeding out of the person— that defiles the person. 21 For from within, out of the heart of people, proceed the evil thoughts, sexual-immoralities, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries, greeds, evils, deceit, sensuality, an evil eye[r], blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed-out from within, and defile the person”.
A Gentile Woman Begs For Crumbs From The Master’s Table
24 And having arisen, He went from there to the districts of Tyre. And having entered into a house, He was wanting[s] no one to know[t] it. And-yet He was not able to escape-notice. 25 But immediately, a woman having heard about Him— of whom her little daughter was having an unclean spirit— having come, fell at His feet. 26 Now the woman was a Greek[u], a Syro-Phoenician[v] by nationality. And she was asking Him that He cast out the demon from her daughter. 27 And He was saying to her, “First allow the children to be filled-to-satisfaction. For it is not good to take the bread of the children and throw it to the little-dogs[w]”. 28 But the one responded and says to Him, “Master, even the little dogs under the table eat from the crumbs of the children!” 29 And He said to her, “Because of this statement, go— the demon has gone out of your daughter”. 30 And having gone to her house, she found the child having been put[x] on the bed, and the demon having gone out.
Jesus Heals a Deaf-Mute
31 And again having gone out of the districts of Tyre, He went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee in the midst of the districts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring to Him a deaf and speech-impaired one, and are begging Him that He lay His hand on him. 33 And having taken him away from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his[y] ears. And having spit[z], He touched his[aa] tongue. 34 And having looked up to heaven, He sighed. And He says to him “Ephphatha”, which means “Be opened”. 35 And immediately his ears were opened and the binding[ab] of his tongue was released and he was speaking correctly. 36 And He gave-orders to them that they should be telling no one. But as much as He was giving orders to them, they even more abundantly were proclaiming it. 37 And they were being super-abundantly astounded, saying “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak”.
Footnotes
- Mark 7:2 Or, unclean; that is, not ritually purified from contact with unclean things or people, according to their traditions.
- Mark 7:2 Mark breaks off his sentence here and explains this to his readers, then begins again in v 5.
- Mark 7:3 There are different opinions about the exact procedure in view here. In any case it is a ceremonial washing for which the water is seen in Jn 2:6. Some manuscripts have a different word meaning ‘often’ or ‘thoroughly’.
- Mark 7:4 [when they return]...cleanse [themselves]. Or, [food]...cleanse [it].
- Mark 7:4 This refers to a ritual cleansing, as does the related word in the next verse.
- Mark 7:4 That is, the dining couches on which people of that day reclined to eat.
- Mark 7:7 Or, to no end, pointlessly, futilely.
- Mark 7:7 Or, doctrines.
- Mark 7:9 Or, splendidly, beautifully (used sarcastically).
- Mark 7:9 Or, rejecting.
- Mark 7:9 Or, make your tradition stand. Some manuscripts say ‘keep your tradition’.
- Mark 7:10 That is, die. On this phrase, see Mt 15:4.
- Mark 7:12 In other words, if you vow to give your estate as an offering to God when you die, you must no longer honor any request from your parents to benefit from it.
- Mark 7:13 Or, voiding, annulling, invalidating.
- Mark 7:16 Some manuscripts add here ‘If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear’.
- Mark 7:18 Or, make him unclean or impure. It is disobedience to God’s Law that defiles a person. Their traditions are not God’s laws.
- Mark 7:19 making... clean. Or, declaring... clean, treating... clean. These words may be Mark’s comment, as in 3:30; 7:3-4. If these are still the words of Jesus, punctuate this ‘latrine, cleansing all foods’ (the latrine proves they are clean because they pass through the body without affecting the heart); or, ‘latrine, purging all foods’ (simply completing the physical description).
- Mark 7:22 This refers to envy in Mt 20:15.
- Mark 7:24 Or, intending, wishing.
- Mark 7:24 Or, learn.
- Mark 7:26 That is, a Gentile.
- Mark 7:26 That is, from Phoenicia, a region of the Roman province of Syria, in which Tyre was one city.
- Mark 7:27 Or, lap-dogs, house-dogs. Jesus answers with a proverbial-type statement, then she responds with the same type of statement.
- Mark 7:30 having been put. And therefore, lying.
- Mark 7:33 Or, His. The significance of this action is not clear. Some think it was a kind of sign language by which Jesus was telling the man or the onlookers what He was going to heal.
- Mark 7:33 Mark does not tell us where Jesus spit.
- Mark 7:33 Or, His.
- Mark 7:35 That is, the binding which held the man’s tongue and impeded his speaking.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
