Matius 15:1-9

Breaking Human Traditions

15:1 Then Pharisees ¹  and experts in the law ²  came from Jerusalem ³  to Jesus and said, ⁴  15:2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their ⁵  hands when they eat.” ⁶  15:3 He answered them, ⁷  “And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? 15:4 For God said, ⁸  ‘Honor your father and mother’ ⁹  and ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ ¹⁰  15:5 But you say, ‘If someone tells his father or mother, “Whatever help you would have received from me is given to God,” ¹¹  15:6 he does not need to honor his father.’ ¹²  You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. 15:7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said,

15:8 ‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart ¹³  is far from me,

15:9 and they worship me in vain,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” ¹⁴ 

Markus 7:1-7

Breaking Human Traditions

7:1 Now ¹⁵  the Pharisees ¹⁶  and some of the experts in the law ¹⁷  who came from Jerusalem ¹⁸  gathered around him. 7:2 And they saw that some of Jesus’ disciples ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed. 7:3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, ¹⁹  holding fast to the tradition of the elders. 7:4 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches. ²⁰ ) ²¹  7:5 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 ²²  with unwashed hands?” 7:6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart ²³  is far from me.

7:7 They worship me in vain,

teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’ ²⁴ 

Matius 23:1-33

Seven Woes

23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 23:2 “The ²⁵  experts in the law ²⁶  and the Pharisees ²⁷  sit on Moses’ seat. 23:3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. ²⁸  23:4 They ²⁹  tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. 23:5 They ³⁰  do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries ³¹  wide and their tassels ³²  long. 23:6 They ³³  love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues ³⁴  23:7 and elaborate greetings ³⁵  in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’ 23:8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. 23:9 And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 23:10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ. ³⁶  23:11 The ³⁷  greatest among you will be your servant. 23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

23:13 “But woe to you, experts in the law ³⁸  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! ³⁹  You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! ⁴⁰  For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.

23:14 [[EMPTY]] ⁴¹ 

23:15 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁴²  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, ⁴³  and when you get one, ⁴⁴  you make him twice as much a child of hell ⁴⁵  as yourselves!

23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. ⁴⁶  But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. ⁴⁷  But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁴⁸  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth ⁴⁹  of mint, dill, and cumin, ⁵⁰  yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You ⁵¹  should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! ⁵² 

23:25 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁵³  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, ⁵⁴  so that the outside may become clean too!

23:27 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁵⁵  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. ⁵⁶  23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

23:29 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁵⁷  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You ⁵⁸  build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves ⁵⁹  of the righteous. 23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, ⁶⁰  we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! 23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ⁶¹ 

Matius 22:29

22:29 Jesus ⁶²  answered them, “You are deceived, ⁶³  because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God.

[15:1]  ¹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[15:1]  ² tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[15:1]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:1]  ⁴ tn The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb so that its telic (i.e., final or conclusive) force can be more easily detected: The Pharisees and legal experts came to Jesus in order to speak with him.

[15:2]  ⁵ tc ‡ Although most witnesses read the genitive plural pronoun αὐτῶν (autwn, “their”), it may have been motivated by clarification (as it is in the translation above). Several other authorities do not have the pronoun, however (א B Δ 073 ˹ 579 700 892 1424 pc f g¹); the lack of an unintentional oversight as the reason for omission strengthens their combined testimony in this shorter reading. NA²⁷ has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[15:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “when they eat bread.”

[15:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.”

[15:4]  ⁸ tc Most mss (א*^,2 C L W 0106 33 Ï) have an expanded introduction here; instead of “For God said,” they read “For God commanded, saying” (ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἐνετείλατο λέγων, Jo gar qeo" eneteilato legwn). But such expansions are generally motivated readings; in this case, most likely it was due to the wording of the previous verse (“the commandment of God”) that caused early scribes to add to the text. Although it is possible that other witnesses reduced the text to the simple εἶπεν (eipen, “[God] said”) because of perceived redundancy with the statement in v. 3, such is unlikely in light of the great variety and age of these authorities (א¹ B D Θ 073 Ë^1,13 579 700 892 pc lat co, as well as other versions and fathers).

[15:4]  ⁹ sn A quotation from Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.

[15:4]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9.

[15:5]  ¹¹ tn Grk “is a gift,” that is, something dedicated to God.

[15:6]  ¹² tc The logic of v. 5 would seem to demand that both father and mother are in view in v. 6. Indeed, the majority of mss (C L W Θ 0106 ˹ Ï) have “or his mother” (ἢ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, h thn mhtera autou) after “honor his father” here. However, there are significant witnesses that have variations on this theme (καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ [kai thn mhtera autou, “and his mother”] in Φ 565 1241 pc and ἢ τὴν μητέρα [“or mother”] in 073 ˹³ 33 579 700 892 pc), which is usually an indication of a predictable addition to the text rather than an authentic reading. Further, the shorter reading (without any mention of “mother”) is found in early and important witnesses (א B D sa). Although it is possible that the shorter reading came about accidentally (due to the repetition of –ερα αὐτοῦ), the evidence more strongly suggests that the longer readings were intentional scribal alterations.

[15:6]  tn Grk “he will never honor his father.” Here Jesus is quoting the Pharisees, whose intent is to release the person who is giving his possessions to God from the family obligation of caring for his parents. The verb in this phrase is future tense, and it is negated with οὐ μή (ou mh), the strongest negation possible in Greek. A literal translation of the phrase does not capture the intended sense of the statement; it would actually make the Pharisees sound as if they agreed with Jesus. Instead, a more interpretive translation has been used to focus upon the release from family obligations that the Pharisees allowed in these circumstances.

[15:6]  sn Here Jesus refers 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. 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. 4).

[15:8]  ¹³ tn The term “heart” is a collective singular in the Greek text.

[15:9]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 29:13.

[7:1]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[7:1]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[7:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “and some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

[7:1]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:3]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “except they wash the hands with a fist,” a ceremonial washing (though the actual method is uncertain).

[7:4]  ²⁰ tc Several important witnesses (Ì^45vid א B L Δ 28* pc) lack “and dining couches” (καὶ κλινῶν, kai klinwn), while the majority of mss (A D W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï 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 (klinh) 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.

[7:4]  ²¹ sn Verses 3-4 represent parenthetical remarks by the author, giving background information.

[7:5]  ²² tn Grk “eat bread.”

[7:6]  ²³ tn The term “heart” is a collective singular in the Greek text.

[7:7]  ²⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 29:13.

[23:2]  ²⁵ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[23:2]  ²⁶ tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:2]  ²⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[23:3]  ²⁸ tn Grk “for they say and do not do.”

[23:4]  ²⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:5]  ³⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:5]  ³¹ sn Phylacteries were small leather cases containing OT scripture verses, worn on the arm and forehead by Jews, especially when praying. The custom was derived from such OT passages as Exod 13:9; 16; Deut 6:8; 11:18.

[23:5]  ³² tn The term κράσπεδον (kraspedon) in some contexts could refer to the outer fringe of the garment (possibly in Mark 6:56). This edge could have been plain or decorated. L&N 6.180 states, “In Mt 23:5 κράσπεδον denotes the tassels worn at the four corners of the outer garment (see 6.194).”

[23:5]  sn Tassels refer to the tassels that a male Israelite was obligated to wear on the four corners of his outer garment according to the Mosaic law (Num 15:38; Deut 22:12).

[23:6]  ³³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:6]  ³⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:7]  ³⁵ sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.

[23:10]  ³⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[23:10]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.

[23:11]  ³⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:13]  ³⁸ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:13]  ³⁹ tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so throughout this chapter).

[23:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “because you are closing the kingdom of heaven before people.”

[23:14]  ⁴¹ tc The most important mss (א B D L Z Θ Ë¹ 33 892* pc and several versional witnesses) do not have 23:14 “Woe to you experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ property, and as a show you pray long prayers! Therefore you will receive a more severe punishment.” Part or all of the verse is contained (either after v. 12 or after v. 13) in W 0102 0107 ˹³ Ï and several versions, but it is almost certainly not original. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number as well, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations. Note also that Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 are very similar in wording and are not disputed textually.

[23:15]  ⁴² tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:15]  ⁴³ tn Or “one proselyte.”

[23:15]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “when he becomes [one].”

[23:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “a son of Gehenna.” Expressions constructed with υἱός (Juios) followed by a genitive of class or kind denote a person belonging to the class or kind specified by the following genitive (L&N 9.4). Thus the phrase here means “a person who belongs to hell.”

[23:15]  sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.

[23:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.”

[23:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”

[23:23]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:23]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “you tithe mint.”

[23:23]  ⁵⁰ sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.

[23:23]  ⁵¹ tc ‡ Many witnesses (B C K L W Δ 0102 33 565 892 pm) have δέ (de, “but”) after ταῦτα (tauta, “these things”), while many others lack it (א D Γ Θ Ë^1,13 579 700 1241 1424 pm). Since asyndeton was relatively rare in Koine Greek, the conjunction may be an intentional alteration, and is thus omitted from the present translation. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[23:24]  ⁵² tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”

[23:25]  ⁵³ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:26]  ⁵⁴ tc A very difficult textual problem is found here. The most important Alexandrian and Byzantine, as well as significant Western, witnesses (א B C L W 0102 0281 ˹³ 33 Ï lat co) have “and the dish” (καὶ τῆς παροψίδος, kai th" paroyido") after “cup,” while few important witnesses (D Θ Ë¹ 700 and some versional and patristic authorities) omit the phrase. On the one hand, scribes sometimes tended to eliminate redundancy; since “and the dish” is already present in v. 25, it may have been deleted in v. 26 by well-meaning scribes. On the other hand, as B. M. Metzger notes, the singular pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou, “its”) with τὸ ἐκτός (to ekto", “the outside”) in some of the same witnesses that have the longer reading (viz., B* ˹³ al) hints that their archetype lacked the words (TCGNT 50). Further, scribes would be motivated both to add the phrase from v. 25 and to change αὐτοῦ to the plural pronoun αὐτῶν (aujtwn, “their”). Although the external evidence for the shorter reading is not compelling in itself, combined with these two prongs of internal evidence, it is to be slightly preferred.

[23:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:27]  ⁵⁶ sn This was an idiom for hypocrisy – just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (for discussion of a similar metaphor, see L&N 88.234; BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). See Deut 28:22; Ezek 13:10-16; Acts 23:3.

[23:29]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:29]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “Because you.” Here ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated.

[23:29]  ⁵⁹ tn Or perhaps “the monuments” (see L&N 7.75-76).

[23:30]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “fathers” (so also in v. 32).

[23:33]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”

[23:33]  sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.

[22:29]  ⁶² tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[22:29]  ⁶³ tn Or “mistaken” (cf. BDAG 822 s.v. πλανάω 2.c.γ).