Matius 12:2-7

12:2 But when the Pharisees ¹  saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.” 12:3 He ²  said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry – 12:4 how he entered the house of God and they ate ³  the sacred bread, ⁴  which was against the law ⁵  for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? ⁶  12:5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 12:6 I ⁷  tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 12:7 If ⁸  you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ ⁹  you would not have condemned the innocent.

[12:2]  ¹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[12:3]  ² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:4]  ³ tc The Greek verb ἔφαγεν (efagen, “he ate”) is found in a majority of witnesses (Ì⁷⁰ C D L W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt sy co) in place of ἔφαγον (efagon, “they ate”), the wording found in א B pc. ἔφαγεν is most likely motivated by the parallels in Mark and Luke (both of which have the singular).

[12:4]  ⁴ tn Grk “the bread of presentation.”

[12:4]  sn The sacred bread refers to the “bread of presentation,” “showbread,” or “bread of the Presence,” twelve loaves prepared weekly for the tabernacle and later, the temple. See Exod 25:30; 35:13; 39:36; Lev 24:5-9. Each loaf was made from 3 quarts (3.5 liters; Heb “two tenths of an ephah”) of fine flour. The loaves were placed on a table in the holy place of the tabernacle, on the north side opposite the lampstand (Exod 26:35). It was the duty of the priest each Sabbath to place fresh bread on the table; the loaves from the previous week were then given to Aaron and his descendants, who ate them in the holy place, because they were considered sacred (Lev 24:9). See also Mark 2:23-28, Luke 6:1-5.

[12:4]  ⁵ sn Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was against the law is one of analogy: “If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.” Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.

[12:4]  ⁶ sn See 1 Sam 21:1-6.

[12:6]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:7]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:7]  ⁹ sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 9:13).