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Now there gathered together to [Jesus] the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem,

For they had seen that some of His disciples ate with [a]common hands, that is, unwashed [with hands defiled and unhallowed, because they had not given them a [b]ceremonial washing]—

For the Pharisees and all of the Jews do not eat unless [merely for ceremonial reasons] they wash their hands [diligently [c]up to the elbow] with clenched fist, adhering [carefully and faithfully] to the tradition of [practices and customs handed down to them by] their forefathers [to be observed].

And [when they come] from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions [oral, man-made laws handed down to them, which they observe faithfully and diligently, such as], the washing of cups and wooden pitchers and widemouthed jugs and utensils of copper and [d]beds—

And the Pharisees and scribes kept asking [Jesus], Why do Your disciples not order their way of living according to the tradition handed down by the forefathers [to be observed], but eat with hands unwashed and ceremonially not purified?

But He said to them, Excellently and truly [[e]so that there will be no room for blame] did Isaiah prophesy of you, the pretenders and hypocrites, as it stands written: These people [constantly] honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far distant from Me.

In vain (fruitlessly and without profit) do they worship Me, ordering and teaching [to be obeyed] as doctrines the commandments and precepts of men.(A)

You disregard and give up and ask to depart from you the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men [keeping it carefully and faithfully].

And He said to them, You have a fine way of rejecting [thus thwarting and nullifying and doing away with] the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition (your own human regulations)!

10 For Moses said, Honor (revere with tenderness of feeling and deference) your father and your mother, and, He who curses or reviles or speaks evil of or abuses or treats improperly his father or mother, let him surely die.(B)

11 But [as for you] you say, A man is exempt if he tells [his] father or [his] mother, What you would otherwise have gained from me [everything I have that would have been of use to you] is Corban, that is, is a gift [already given as an offering to God],

12 Then you no longer are permitting him to do anything for [his] father or mother [but are letting him off from helping them].

13 Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many things of this kind you are doing.

14 And He called the people to [Him] again and said to them, Listen to Me, all of you, and understand [what I say].

15 There is not [even] one thing outside a man which by going into him can pollute and defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him and make him unhallowed and unclean.

16 [f]If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening [and let him [g]perceive and comprehend by hearing].

17 And when He had left the crowd and had gone into the house, His disciples began asking Him about the parable.

18 And He said to them, Then are you also unintelligent and dull and without understanding? Do you not discern and see that whatever goes into a man from the outside cannot make him unhallowed or unclean,

19 Since it does not reach and enter his heart but [only his] digestive tract, and so passes on [into the place designed to receive waste]? Thus He was making and declaring all foods [ceremonially] clean [that is, [h]abolishing the ceremonial distinctions of the Levitical Law].

20 And He said, What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders [him] unhallowed.

21 For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery,

22 Coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; [i]unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride ([j]the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness).

23 All these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed.

24 And Jesus arose and went away from there to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He went into a house and did not want anyone to know [that He was there]; but it was not possible for Him to be hidden [from public notice].

25 Instead, at once, a woman whose little daughter had (was under the control of) an unclean spirit heard about Him and came and flung herself down at His feet.

26 Now the woman was a Greek (Gentile), a Syrophoenician by nationality. And she kept begging Him to drive the demon out of her little daughter.

27 And He said to her, First let the children be fed, for it is not becoming or proper or right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the [little house] dogs.

28 But she answered Him, Yes, Lord, yet even the small pups under the table eat the little children’s scraps of food.

29 And He said to her, Because of this saying, you may go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter [permanently].

30 And she went home and found the child thrown on the couch, and the demon departed.

31 Soon after this, Jesus, coming back from the region of Tyre, passed through Sidon on to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of Decapolis [the ten cities].

32 And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had difficulty in speaking, and they begged Jesus to place His hand upon him.

33 And taking him aside from the crowd [privately], He thrust His fingers into the man’s ears and spat and touched his tongue;

34 And looking up to heaven, He sighed as He said, Ephphatha, which means, Be opened!

35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak distinctly and as he should.

36 And Jesus [[k]in His own interest] admonished and ordered them sternly and expressly to tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.

37 And they were overwhelmingly astonished, saying, He has done everything excellently (commendably and nobly)! He even makes the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak!

Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:2 William Tyndale, The Tyndale Bible.
  2. Mark 7:2 Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation.
  3. Mark 7:3 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  4. Mark 7:4 James Moulton and George Milligan, The Vocabulary and Robert Young, Analytical Concordance agree with most lexicons in reading “beds” here. Some manuscripts end verse 4 after “utensils of copper.”
  5. Mark 7:6 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
  6. Mark 7:16 Many manuscripts do not contain this verse.
  7. Mark 7:16 G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.
  8. Mark 7:19 W. Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor’s Greek New Testament.
  9. Mark 7:22 Alexander Souter, Pocket Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.
  10. Mark 7:22 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
  11. Mark 7:36 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies: The Greek uses the middle voice here to show that the charge is given with the speaker’s personal interest in view.

Human Traditions and God’s Commandments

And the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered to him. And they saw that some of his disciples were eating their[a] bread with unclean—that is, unwashed—hands. (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. 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] 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?” 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.
And they worship me in vain,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’[k]

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

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

And gathered together unto him are the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, having come from Jerusalem,

and having seen certain of his disciples with defiled hands -- that is, unwashed -- eating bread, they found fault;

for the Pharisees, and all the Jews, if they do not wash the hands to the wrist, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders,

and, [coming] from the market-place, if they do not baptize themselves, they do not eat; and many other things there are that they received to hold, baptisms of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and couches.

Then question him do the Pharisees and the scribes, `Wherefore do thy disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but with unwashed hands do eat the bread?'

and he answering said to them -- `Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites, as it hath been written, This people with the lips doth honor Me, and their heart is far from Me;

and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings, commands of men;

for, having put away the command of God, ye hold the tradition of men, baptisms of pots and cups; and many other such like things ye do.'

And he said to them, `Well do ye put away the command of God that your tradition ye may keep;

10 for Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, He who is speaking evil of father or mother -- let him die the death;

11 and ye say, If a man may say to father or to mother, Korban (that is, a gift), [is] whatever thou mayest be profited out of mine,

12 and no more do ye suffer him to do anything for his father or for his mother,

13 setting aside the word of God for your tradition that ye delivered; and many such like things ye do.'

14 And having called near all the multitude, he said to them, `Hearken to me, ye all, and understand;

15 there is nothing from without the man entering into him that is able to defile him, but the things coming out from him, those are the things defiling the man.

16 If any hath ears to hear -- let him hear.'

17 And when he entered into a house from the multitude, his disciples were questioning him about the simile,

18 and he saith to them, `So also ye are without understanding! Do ye not perceive that nothing from without entering into the man is able to defile him?

19 because it doth not enter into his heart, but into the belly, and into the drain it doth go out, purifying all the meats.'

20 And he said -- `That which is coming out from the man, that doth defile the man;

21 for from within, out of the heart of men, the evil reasonings do come forth, adulteries, whoredoms, murders,

22 thefts, covetous desires, wickedness, deceit, arrogance, an evil eye, evil speaking, pride, foolishness;

23 all these evils do come forth from within, and they defile the man.'

24 And from thence having risen, he went away to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and having entered into the house, he wished none to know, and he was not able to be hid,

25 for a woman having heard about him, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, having come, fell at his feet, --

26 and the woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phenician by nation -- and was asking him, that the demon he may cast forth out of her daughter.

27 And Jesus said to her, `Suffer first the children to be filled, for it is not good to take the children's bread, and to cast [it] to the little dogs.'

28 And she answered and saith to him, `Yes, sir; for the little dogs also under the table do eat of the children's crumbs.'

29 And he said to her, `Because of this word go; the demon hath gone forth out of thy daughter;'

30 and having come away to her house, she found the demon gone forth, and the daughter laid upon the couch.

31 And again, having gone forth from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis,

32 and they bring to him a deaf, stuttering man, and they call on him that he may put the hand on him.

33 And having taken him away from the multitude by himself, he put his fingers to his ears, and having spit, he touched his tongue,

34 and having looked to the heaven, he sighed, and saith to him, `Ephphatha,' that is, `Be thou opened;'

35 and immediately were his ears opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he was speaking plain.

36 And he charged them that they may tell no one, but the more he was charging them, the more abundantly they were proclaiming [it],

37 and they were being beyond measure astonished, saying, `Well hath he done all things; both the deaf he doth make to hear, and the dumb to speak.'

That Which Defiles(A)

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled,(B) that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.(C) When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.[a])(D)

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders(E) instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.’[b](F)

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”(G)

And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe[c] your own traditions!(H) 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’[d](I) and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[e](J) 11 But you say(K) that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God(L) by your tradition(M) that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] [f]

17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him(N) about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods(O) clean.)(P)

20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed,(Q) malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith(R)

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[g](S) He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit(T) came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”

30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man(U)

31 Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre(V) and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee(W) and into the region of the Decapolis.[h](X) 32 There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk,(Y) and they begged Jesus to place his hand on(Z) him.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit(AA) and touched the man’s tongue. 34 He looked up to heaven(AB) and with a deep sigh(AC) said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). 35 At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.(AD)

36 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone.(AE) But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:4 Some early manuscripts pitchers, kettles and dining couches
  2. Mark 7:7 Isaiah 29:13
  3. Mark 7:9 Some manuscripts set up
  4. Mark 7:10 Exodus 20:12; Deut. 5:16
  5. Mark 7:10 Exodus 21:17; Lev. 20:9
  6. Mark 7:16 Some manuscripts include here the words of 4:23.
  7. Mark 7:24 Many early manuscripts Tyre and Sidon
  8. Mark 7:31 That is, the Ten Cities