1Christ reproveth the scribes and Pharisees for setting their own traditions above the commandments of God. 10He teacheth that not that which goeth into the mouth, but that which cometh out of it, defileth a man. 21He healeth the daughter of a woman of Canaan; 29and great multitudes near the sea of Galilee. 32He feedeth more than four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fishes.
1THEN camea to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
a Mark 7:1.
2Why do thy disciples transgress the 1tradition of the 2elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
1 Gr. delivering over, or institution.
2 Or, of them of old time, namely, of the Pharisaical doctors, as Mat. 5:21.
3But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by 3your tradition?
3 That is, which ye have taken up and follow.
4Forb God commanded, saying, 4Honour thy father and mother: and, Hec that curseth father or mother, let him die 5the death.
b Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:2.
4 Honor signifies not only outward reverence, but also all manner of help and assistance, 1 Tim. 5:3, 17.
c Exod. 21:17; Lev. 20:9; Prov. 20:20.
5 That is, he shall without excuse be punished with death, Exod. 21:17; Lev. 20:9.
5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, 6It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6 Or, Be it a gift, that is, an offering, Mat. 5:24. Hebrew korban, see Mark 7:11. Or, whatsoever gift is offered by me, shall be profitable unto thee, he satisfies; or, he is discharged from giving any further support to his parents. See hereof also in the annotations on Mark 7:11. The sense is that they taught that, under pretext of offerings, men might withhold from their parents the help due unto them.
6Andd honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
d Mark 7:13; 1 Tim. 4:3; 2 Tim. 3:2.
7Ye hypocrites, well did 7Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
7 That is, it suits you well which Isaiah has said in former times to the Jews of his time.
8Thise people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
e Isa. 29:13; Ezek. 33:31; Mark 7:6.
9But in vain they do worship me, 8teaching for doctrines the commandmentsf of men.
8 Namely, to observe them as a part of God’s worship, Deut. 4:2 and 12:32.
f Mark 7:6, 7; Col. 2:18, 20, 22.
10¶Andg he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
g Mark 7:14.
11Noth that which goeth into the mouth 9defileth a man; but that which cometh 10out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
h Acts 10:15; Rom. 14:17, 20; Titus 1:15.
9 Gr. makes common, that is, (it) does profane. See Acts 10:14. Christ speaks here according to the opinion of the Pharisees of that defilement which would arise from the taking of food with unwashed hands.
10 Namely, proceeding from an impure heart, as Christ afterwards declares, verses 18, 19.
12Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13But he answered and said, Everyi11plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall 12be rooted up.
i John 15:2.
11 Or, planting, that is, every doctrine or divine worship.
12 Gr. plucked out by the root.
14Let them alone: theyj be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
j Isa. 42:19; Luke 6:39.
15Thenk answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this 13parable.
k Mark 7:17.
13 The word parable is sometimes, as it is here, taken for all manner of doctrine, which is somewhat obscurely propounded.
16And Jesus said, Are ye also yet 14without understanding?
14 Or, unwise, without understanding.
17Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?l
l drain, sewer
18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19Form out of the heart proceed evil 15thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
m Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Prov. 6:14; Jer. 17:9.
15 Or, communications.
20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with 16unwashen hands defileth not a man.
16Christ does not reprove here the civil custom in washing the hands before eating, but the superstition of the Pharisees, which placed holiness and religion therein.
21¶Thenn Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
n Mark 7:24.
22And, behold, a 17woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
17 Concerning her, see the annotations on Mark 7:26, where she is called a Grecian woman of Syrophenicia. Here she is called a woman of Canaan, because the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon were sprung from the Canaanites. For, Sidon, from whom the city Sidon had its origin and name, was the firstborn son of Canaan, the son of Ham, Gen. 10:15.
23But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth 18after us.
18 Gr. from behind.
24But he answered and said, Io am not sent 19but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
o Mat. 10:6; Acts 13:46.
19 Namely, before this time; for, the time of the calling of the Gentiles was not yet come.
25Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26But he answered and said, It is not 20meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to 21dogs.
20 Gr. honorable, or good.
21 The Gentiles are compared to dogs, because as then they were yet strangers to God’s covenant.
27And she said, Truth, Lord: 22yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
22 Gr. for.
28Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
29Andp Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there.
p Mark 7:31.
30Andq great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, 23maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:
q Isa. 29:18; 35:5; Mat. 11:5; Luke 7:22.
23 That is, mutilated, or weakened in their limbs.
31Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
32¶Thenr Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
r Mark 8:1.
33And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
34And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
35And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave 24thanks,s and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
24 Namely, for this blessing, which He accounted as already obtained. For, He knew that He had received power from the Father to do it, and that the Father always answered Him. See John 11:41, 42.
s 1 Sam. 9:13.
37And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
38And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
39And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of 25Magdala.
25 Mark 8:10 mentions Dalmanutha, which seems to be the name of the land in which Magdala was situated.