Mark 7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 7
The Tradition of the Elders.[a] 1 Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him,(A) 2 they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands,[b] keeping the tradition of the elders. 4 And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles [and beds].) 5 So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders[c] but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” 6 He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:(B)
‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
7 In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.’
8 You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” 9 He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’(C) 11 Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’[d] (meaning, dedicated to God), 12 you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. 13 You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” 14 (D)He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. 15 Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” [16 ][e]
17 [f](E)When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, 19 [g](F)since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) 20 “But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles. 21 (G)From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. 23 All these evils come from within and they defile.”
The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith. 24 (H)From that place he went off to the district of Tyre.[h] He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. 25 Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.(I) 27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.[i] For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” 28 She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” 29 Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
The Healing of a Deaf Man. 31 (J)Again he left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. 32 And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; 34 then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) 35 And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. 36 [j]He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. 37 They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and [the] mute speak.”(K)
Footnotes
- 7:1–23 See note on Mt 15:1–20. Against the Pharisees’ narrow, legalistic, and external practices of piety in matters of purification (Mk 7:2–5), external worship (Mk 7:6–7), and observance of commandments, Jesus sets in opposition the true moral intent of the divine law (Mk 7:8–13). But he goes beyond contrasting the law and Pharisaic interpretation of it. The parable of Mk 7:14–15 in effect sets aside the law itself in respect to clean and unclean food. He thereby opens the way for unity between Jew and Gentile in the kingdom of God, intimated by Jesus’ departure for pagan territory beyond Galilee. For similar contrast see Mk 2:1–3:6; 3:20–35; 6:1–6.
- 7:3 Carefully washing their hands: refers to ritual purification.
- 7:5 Tradition of the elders: the body of detailed, unwritten, human laws regarded by the scribes and Pharisees to have the same binding force as that of the Mosaic law; cf. Gal 1:14.
- 7:11 Qorban: a formula for a gift to God, dedicating the offering to the temple, so that the giver might continue to use it for himself but not give it to others, even needy parents.
- 7:16 Mk 7:16, “Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear,” is omitted because it is lacking in some of the best Greek manuscripts and was probably transferred here by scribes from Mk 4:9, 23.
- 7:17 Away from the crowd…the parable: in this context of privacy the term parable refers to something hidden, about to be revealed to the disciples; cf. Mk 4:10–11, 34. Jesus sets the Mosaic food laws in the context of the kingdom of God where they are abrogated, and he declares moral defilement the only cause of uncleanness.
- 7:19 (Thus he declared all foods clean): if this bold declaration goes back to Jesus, its force was not realized among Jewish Christians in the early church; cf. Acts 10:1–11:18.
- 7:24–37 The withdrawal of Jesus to the district of Tyre may have been for a respite (Mk 7:24), but he soon moved onward to Sidon and, by way of the Sea of Galilee, to the Decapolis. These districts provided a Gentile setting for the extension of his ministry of healing because the people there acknowledged his power (Mk 7:29, 37). The actions attributed to Jesus (Mk 7:33–35) were also used by healers of the time.
- 7:27–28 The figure of a household in which children at table are fed first and then their leftover food is given to the dogs under the table is used effectively to acknowledge the prior claim of the Jews to the ministry of Jesus; however, Jesus accedes to the Gentile woman’s plea for the cure of her afflicted daughter because of her faith.
- 7:36 The more they proclaimed it: the same verb proclaim attributed here to the crowd in relation to the miracles of Jesus is elsewhere used in Mark for the preaching of the gospel on the part of Jesus, of his disciples, and of the Christian community (Mk 1:14; 13:10; 14:9). Implied in the action of the crowd is a recognition of the salvific mission of Jesus; see note on Mt 11:5–6.
Marcos 7
La Biblia de las Américas
Lo que contamina al hombre
7 (A)Los fariseos, y algunos de los escribas que habían venido de Jerusalén(B), se reunieron alrededor de Él; 2 y vieron que algunos de sus discípulos comían el pan con manos inmundas[a](C), es decir, sin lavar. 3 (Porque los fariseos y todos los judíos no comen a menos de que se laven las manos cuidadosamente[b], observando así la tradición de los ancianos(D); 4 y cuando vuelven de la plaza, no comen a menos de que se laven[c]; y hay muchas otras cosas que han recibido para observarlas, como el lavamiento[d] de los vasos(E), de los cántaros y de las vasijas de cobre.) 5 Entonces los fariseos y los escribas le preguntaron*: ¿Por qué tus discípulos no andan conforme a la tradición de los ancianos(F), sino que comen[e] con manos inmundas[f](G)? 6 Y Él les dijo: Bien profetizó Isaías de vosotros, hipócritas, como está escrito:
«Este pueblo con los labios me honra,
pero su corazón está muy lejos de mí(H).
7 Mas en vano me rinden culto,
enseñando como doctrinas preceptos de hombres(I)».
8 Dejando el mandamiento de Dios, os aferráis a la tradición de los hombres(J). 9 También les decía: Astutamente[g] violáis el mandamiento de Dios para guardar vuestra tradición(K). 10 Porque Moisés dijo: «Honra a tu padre y a tu madre(L)»; y: «El que hable mal de su padre o de su madre, que muera[h](M)»; 11 pero vosotros decís: «Si un hombre dice al padre o a la madre: “Cualquier cosa mía con que pudieras beneficiarte es corbán(N) (es decir, ofrenda[i] a Dios)”»; 12 ya no le dejáis hacer nada en favor de su padre o de su madre; 13 invalidando así la palabra de Dios por vuestra tradición(O), la cual habéis transmitido, y hacéis muchas cosas semejantes a estas. 14 Y llamando de nuevo a la multitud, les decía: Escuchadme todos y entended: 15 no hay nada fuera del hombre que al entrar en él pueda contaminarlo; sino que lo que sale de adentro del hombre es lo que contamina al hombre. 16 [j]Si alguno tiene oídos para oír, que oiga. 17 Y cuando dejó a la multitud y entró en la casa(P), sus discípulos le preguntaron acerca de la parábola(Q). 18 Y Él les dijo*: ¿También vosotros sois tan faltos de entendimiento? ¿No comprendéis que todo lo que de afuera entra al hombre no le puede contaminar, 19 porque no entra en su corazón, sino en el estómago[k], y se elimina[l]? (Declarando así limpios(R) todos los alimentos(S).) 20 Y decía: Lo que sale del hombre, eso es lo que contamina al hombre(T). 21 Porque de adentro, del corazón de los hombres, salen los malos pensamientos, fornicaciones[m], robos, homicidios, adulterios, 22 avaricias, maldades, engaños, sensualidad, envidia[n](U), calumnia, orgullo[o] e insensatez. 23 Todas estas maldades de adentro salen, y contaminan al hombre.
La mujer sirofenicia
24 (V)Levantándose de allí, se fue a la región de Tiro[p](W), y entrando en una casa, no quería que nadie lo supiera, pero[q] no pudo pasar inadvertido; 25 sino que enseguida, al oír hablar de Él, una mujer cuya hijita tenía un espíritu inmundo, fue y se postró a sus pies. 26 La mujer era gentil[r], sirofenicia de nacimiento; y le rogaba que echara fuera de su hija al demonio. 27 Y Él le decía: Deja que primero los hijos se sacien, pues no está bien[s] tomar el pan de los hijos y echarlo a los perrillos. 28 Pero ella respondió y le dijo*: Es cierto, Señor; pero aun los perrillos debajo de la mesa comen las migajas de los hijos. 29 Y Él le dijo: Por esta respuesta[t], vete; el demonio ha salido de tu hija. 30 Cuando ella volvió a su casa, halló que la niña estaba acostada[u] en la cama, y que el demonio había salido.
Curación de un sordomudo
31 (X)Volviendo a salir de la región de Tiro(Y), pasó por Sidón(Z) y llegó al mar de Galilea(AA), atravesando la región de Decápolis(AB). 32 Y le trajeron* a uno que era sordo y que hablaba con dificultad, y le rogaron* que pusiera la mano sobre él(AC). 33 Entonces Jesús, tomándolo aparte de la multitud, a solas, le metió los dedos en los oídos, y escupiendo(AD), le tocó la lengua con la saliva; 34 y levantando los ojos al cielo, suspiró profundamente(AE) y le dijo*: ¡Effatá!, esto es: ¡Abrete! 35 Y al instante se abrieron sus oídos, y desapareció[v] el impedimento[w] de su lengua, y hablaba con claridad. 36 Y Jesús les ordenó que a nadie se lo dijeran(AF); pero mientras más se lo ordenaba, tanto más ellos lo proclamaban(AG). 37 Y se asombraron en gran manera, diciendo: Todo lo ha hecho bien; aun a los sordos hace oír y a los mudos hablar.
Footnotes
- Marcos 7:2 O, impuras
- Marcos 7:3 Lit., con el puño
- Marcos 7:4 O, se rocíen. Algunos mss. dicen: se bauticen
- Marcos 7:4 Lit., bautismo
- Marcos 7:5 Lit., comen pan
- Marcos 7:5 O, impuras
- Marcos 7:9 Lit., Bien
- Marcos 7:10 Lit., muera a muerte
- Marcos 7:11 O, donativo
- Marcos 7:16 Los mss. más antiguos no incluyen este vers.
- Marcos 7:19 Lit., vientre
- Marcos 7:19 Lit., va a dar a la letrina
- Marcos 7:21 I.e., actos de inmoralidad sexual
- Marcos 7:22 Lit., un ojo maligno
- Marcos 7:22 O, arrogancia
- Marcos 7:24 Algunos mss. antiguos agregan: y de Sidón
- Marcos 7:24 Lit., y
- Marcos 7:26 Lit., griega
- Marcos 7:27 O, no es justo
- Marcos 7:29 Lit., palabra
- Marcos 7:30 Lit., echada
- Marcos 7:35 Lit., se desató
- Marcos 7:35 O, la atadura
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
