Matthew 15
Young's Literal Translation
15 Then come unto Jesus do they from Jerusalem -- scribes and Pharisees -- saying,
2 `Wherefore do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they may eat bread.'
3 And he answering said to them, `Wherefore also do ye transgress the command of God because of your tradition?
4 for God did command, saying, Honour thy father and mother; and, He who is speaking evil of father or mother -- let him die the death;
5 but ye say, Whoever may say to father or mother, An offering [is] whatever thou mayest be profited by me; --
6 and he may not honour his father or his mother, and ye did set aside the command of God because of your tradition.
7 `Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people doth draw nigh to Me with their mouth, and with the lips it doth honour Me, but their heart is far off from Me;
9 and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings -- commands of men.'
10 And having called near the multitude, he said to them, `Hear and understand:
11 not that which is coming into the mouth doth defile the man, but that which is coming forth from the mouth, this defileth the man.'
12 Then his disciples having come near, said to him, `Hast thou known that the Pharisees, having heard the word, were stumbled?'
13 And he answering said, `Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up;
14 let them alone, guides they are -- blind of blind; and if blind may guide blind, both into a ditch shall fall.'
15 And Peter answering said to him, `Explain to us this simile.'
16 And Jesus said, `Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 do ye not understand that all that is going into the mouth doth pass into the belly, and into the drain is cast forth?
18 but the things coming forth from the mouth from the heart do come forth, and these defile the man;
19 for out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, whoredoms, thefts, false witnessings, evil speakings:
20 these are the things defiling the man; but to eat with unwashen hands doth not defile the man.'
21 And Jesus having come forth thence, withdrew to the parts of Tyre and Sidon,
22 and lo, a woman, a Canaanitess, from those borders having come forth, did call to him, saying, `Deal kindly with me, Sir -- Son of David; my daughter is miserably demonized.'
23 And he did not answer her a word; and his disciples having come to him, were asking him, saying -- `Let her away, because she crieth after us;'
24 and he answering said, `I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'
25 And having come, she was bowing to him, saying, `Sir, help me;'
26 and he answering said, `It is not good to take the children's bread, and to cast to the little dogs.'
27 And she said, `Yes, sir, for even the little dogs do eat of the crumbs that are falling from their lords' table;'
28 then answering, Jesus said to her, `O woman, great [is] thy faith, let it be to thee as thou wilt;' and her daughter was healed from that hour.
29 And Jesus having passed thence, came nigh unto the sea of Galilee, and having gone up to the mountain, he was sitting there,
30 and there came to him great multitudes, having with them lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and they did cast them at the feet of Jesus, and he healed them,
31 so that the multitudes did wonder, seeing dumb ones speaking, maimed whole, lame walking, and blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 And Jesus having called near his disciples, said, `I have compassion upon the multitude, because now three days they continue with me, and they have not what they may eat; and to let them away fasting I will not, lest they faint in the way.'
33 And his disciples say to him, `Whence to us, in a wilderness, so many loaves, as to fill so great a multitude?'
34 And Jesus saith to them, `How many loaves have ye?' and they said, `Seven, and a few little fishes.'
35 And he commanded the multitudes to sit down upon the ground,
36 and having taken the seven loaves and the fishes, having given thanks, he did break, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
37 And they did all eat, and were filled, and they took up what was over of the broken pieces seven baskets full,
38 and those eating were four thousand men, apart from women and children.
39 And having let away the multitudes, he went into the boat, and did come to the borders of Magdala.
Matthew 15
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Tradition of the Elders
15 Then(A) Pharisees and scribes came from Jerusalem to Jesus and asked,(B) 2 “Why do Your disciples(C) break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat!”[a](D)
3 He answered them, “And why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition? 4 For God said:[b]
Honor your father and your mother;(E)[c] and,
The one who speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death.(F)[d]
5 But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple”— 6 he does not have to honor his father.’[e] In this way, you have revoked God’s word[f] because of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:
8 These people[g] honor Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
9 They worship Me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commands of men.”(G)[h]
Defilement Is from Within
10 Summoning the crowd, He told them, “Listen and understand: 11 It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles(H) a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”(I)
12 Then the disciples came up and told Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard this statement?”
13 He replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.(J) 14 Leave them alone! They are blind guides.[i] And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.”(K)
15 Then Peter replied to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”(L)
16 “Are even you still lacking in understanding?” He[j] asked. 17 “Don’t you realize[k] that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?[l] 18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man.(M) 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies,(N) blasphemies.(O) 20 These are the things that defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”(P)
A Gentile Mother’s Faith
21 When Jesus left there,(Q) He withdrew to the area of Tyre and Sidon.(R) 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out,[m] “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon.”(S)
23 Yet He did not say a word to her. So His disciples(T) approached Him and urged Him, “Send her away because she cries out after us.”[n]
24 He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”(U)
25 But she came, knelt before Him, and said, “Lord, help me!”
26 He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.”(V)
27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table!”
28 Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment[o] her daughter was cured.(W)
Healing Many People
29 Moving on from there,(X) Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee.(Y) He went up on a mountain and sat there, 30 and large crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them. 31 So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.(Z) And they gave glory to the God of Israel.
Feeding 4,000
32 Now Jesus summoned His disciples and said,(AA) “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry; otherwise they might collapse on the way.”
33 The disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place(AB) to fill such a crowd?”
34 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked them.
“Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.”
35 After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 He took the seven loaves and the fish, and He gave thanks, broke them, and kept on giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.(AC) 37 They all ate and were filled. Then they collected the leftover pieces—seven large baskets full. 38 Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children. 39 After dismissing the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.[p](AD)
Footnotes
- Matthew 15:2 Lit eat bread = eat a meal
- Matthew 15:4 Other mss read commanded, saying
- Matthew 15:4 Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16
- Matthew 15:4 Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9
- Matthew 15:6 Other mss read then he does not have to honor his father or mother
- Matthew 15:6 Other mss read commandment
- Matthew 15:8 Other mss add draw near to Me with their mouths, and
- Matthew 15:9 Is 29:13 LXX
- Matthew 15:14 Other mss add for the blind
- Matthew 15:16 Other mss read Jesus
- Matthew 15:17 Other mss add yet
- Matthew 15:17 Lit and goes out into the toilet
- Matthew 15:22 Other mss read and cried out to Him
- Matthew 15:23 Lit she is yelling behind us or after us
- Matthew 15:28 Lit hour
- Matthew 15:39 Other mss read Magdala
Matthew 15
Darby Translation
15 Then the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem come up to Jesus, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress what has been delivered by the ancients? for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answering said to them, Why do *ye* also transgress the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching?
4 For God commanded saying, Honour father and mother; and, He that speaks ill of father or mother, let him die the death.
5 But *ye* say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, whatsoever [it be] by which [received] from me thou wouldest be profited:
6 and he shall in no wise honour his father or his mother; and ye have made void the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching.
7 Hypocrites! well has Esaias prophesied about you, saying,
8 This people honour me with the lips, but their heart is far away from me;
9 but in vain do they worship me, teaching [as] teachings commandments of men.
10 And having called to [him] the crowd, he said to them, Hear and understand:
11 Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man; but what goes forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man.
12 Then his disciples, coming up, said to him, Dost thou know that the Pharisees, having heard this word, have been offended?
13 But he answering said, Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up.
14 Leave them alone; they are blind leaders of blind: but if blind lead blind, both will fall into a ditch.
15 And Peter answering said to him, Expound to us this parable.
16 But he said, Are *ye* also still without intelligence?
17 Do ye not yet apprehend, that everything that enters into the mouth finds its way into the belly, and is cast forth into the draught?
18 but the things which go forth out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those defile man.
19 For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnessings, blasphemies;
20 these are the things which defile man; but the eating with unwashen hands does not defile man.
21 And Jesus, going forth from thence, went away into the parts of Tyre and Sidon;
22 and lo, a Canaanitish woman, coming out from those borders, cried [to him] saying, Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.
23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came to [him] and asked him, saying, Dismiss her, for she cries after us.
24 But he answering said, I have not been sent save to the lost sheep of Israel's house.
25 But she came and did him homage, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answering said, It is not well to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs.
27 But she said, Yea, Lord; for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the table of their masters.
28 Then Jesus answering said to her, O woman, thy faith [is] great. Be it to thee as thou desirest. And her daughter was healed from *that* hour.
29 And Jesus, going away from thence, came towards the sea of Galilee, and he went up into the mountain and sat down there;
30 and great crowds came to him, having with them lame, blind, dumb, crippled, and many others, and they cast them at his feet, and he healed them:
31 so that the crowds wondered, seeing dumb speaking, crippled sound, lame walking, and blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
32 But Jesus, having called his disciples to [him], said, I have compassion on the crowd, because they have stayed with me already three days and they have not anything they can eat, and I would not send them away fasting lest they should faint on the way.
33 And his disciples say to him, Whence should we have so many loaves in [the] wilderness as to satisfy so great a crowd?
34 And Jesus says to them, How many loaves have ye? But they said, Seven, and a few small fishes.
35 And he commanded the crowds to lie down on the ground;
36 and having taken the seven loaves and the fishes, having given thanks, he broke [them] and gave [them] to his disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.
37 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was over and above of the fragments seven baskets full;
38 but they that ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And, having dismissed the crowds, he went on board ship and came to the borders of Magadan.
Matthew 15
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 15
The Tradition of the Elders.[a] 1 (A)Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 (B)“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?[b] They do not wash [their] hands when they eat a meal.” 3 He said to them in reply, “And why do you break the commandment of God[c] for the sake of your tradition? 4 (C)For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ 5 [d]But you say, ‘Whoever says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God,” 6 need not honor his father.’ You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said:
8 (D)‘This people honors me with their lips,[e]
but their hearts are far from me;
9 (E)in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.’”
10 (F)He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. 11 It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” 12 Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13 He said in reply,[f] “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 (G)Let them alone; they are blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Then Peter[g] said to him in reply, “Explain [this] parable to us.” 16 He said to them, “Are even you still without understanding? 17 Do you not realize that everything that enters the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine? 18 (H)But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile. 19 [h]For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”
The Canaanite Woman’s Faith.[i] 21 (I)Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” 23 But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” 24 [j]He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 (J)But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children[k] and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” 28 (K)Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith![l] Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
The Healing of Many People. 29 Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. 30 (L)Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. 31 The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.
The Feeding of the Four Thousand.[m] 32 (M)Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” 33 The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” 34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” 35 He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks,[n] broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. 37 (N)They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets full. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, not counting women and children. 39 And when he had dismissed the crowds, he got into the boat and came to the district of Magadan.
Footnotes
- 15:1–20 This dispute begins with the question of the Pharisees and scribes why Jesus’ disciples are breaking the tradition of the elders about washing one’s hands before eating (Mt 15:2). Jesus’ counterquestion accuses his opponents of breaking the commandment of God for the sake of their tradition (Mt 15:3) and illustrates this by their interpretation of the commandment of the Decalogue concerning parents (Mt 15:4–6). Denouncing them as hypocrites, he applies to them a derogatory prophecy of Isaiah (Mt 15:7–8). Then with a wider audience (the crowd, Mt 15:10) he goes beyond the violation of tradition with which the dispute has started. The parable (Mt 15:11) is an attack on the Mosaic law concerning clean and unclean foods, similar to those antitheses that abrogate the law (Mt 5:31–32, 33–34, 38–39). After a warning to his disciples not to follow the moral guidance of the Pharisees (Mt 15:13–14), he explains the parable (Mt 15:15) to them, saying that defilement comes not from what enters the mouth (Mt 15:17) but from the evil thoughts and deeds that rise from within, from the heart (Mt 15:18–20). The last verse returns to the starting point of the dispute (eating with unwashed hands). Because of Matthew’s omission of Mk 7:19b, some scholars think that Matthew has weakened the Marcan repudiation of the Mosaic food laws. But that half verse is ambiguous in the Greek, which may be the reason for its omission here.
- 15:2 The tradition of the elders: see note on Mk 7:5. The purpose of the handwashing was to remove defilement caused by contact with what was ritually unclean.
- 15:3–4 For the commandment see Ex 20:12 (Dt 5:16); 21:17. The honoring of one’s parents had to do with supporting them in their needs.
- 15:5 See note on Mk 7:11.
- 15:8 The text of Is 29:13 is quoted approximately according to the Septuagint.
- 15:13–14 Jesus leads his disciples away from the teaching authority of the Pharisees.
- 15:15 Matthew specifies Peter as the questioner, unlike Mk 7:17. Given his tendency to present the disciples as more understanding than in his Marcan source, it is noteworthy that here he retains the Marcan rebuke, although in a slightly milder form. This may be due to his wish to correct the Jewish Christians within his church who still held to the food laws and thus separated themselves from Gentile Christians who did not observe them.
- 15:19 The Marcan list of thirteen things that defile (Mk 7:21–22) is here reduced to seven that partially cover the content of the Decalogue.
- 15:21–28 See note on Mt 8:5–13.
- 15:24 See note on Mt 10:5–6.
- 15:26 The children: the people of Israel. Dogs: see note on Mt 7:6.
- 15:28 As in the case of the cure of the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:10), Matthew ascribes Jesus’ granting the request to the woman’s great faith, a point not made equally explicit in the Marcan parallel (Mk 7:24–30).
- 15:32–39 Most probably this story is a doublet of that of the feeding of the five thousand (Mt 14:13–21). It differs from it notably only in that Jesus takes the initiative, not the disciples (Mt 15:32), and in the numbers: the crowd has been with Jesus three days (Mt 15:32), seven loaves are multiplied (Mt 15:36), seven baskets of fragments remain after the feeding (Mt 15:37), and four thousand men are fed (Mt 15:38).
- 15:36 Gave thanks: see Mt 14:19, “said the blessing.” There is no difference in meaning. The thanksgiving was a blessing of God for his benefits.
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