Pharisees attack Jesus for violating the Sabbath
Matthew 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Because a master belongs to the Sabbath, this son of the man.
Jesus had mastered the meaning of a day of rest.
In the original Greek, this verse is presented exactly backward from the English translations. "A Lord" comes first in the Greek, and "the son of the man" is the punchline at the end. The "of the Sabbath" doesn't modify "a lord." Instead, "of the Sabbath" is the object of the "is" verb. When this form of object follows the verb "to be," the verb means "belongs to." Since "sabbath" means "rest" or "day of rest" in Hebrew, Jesus defines "the son of the man" as a man who belongs to the day of rest. Seems very peaceful.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "man" is not shown in the English translation.
- OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "even" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "is" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "of" should be something more like "to."
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "Lord" doesn't appear here but at the start of the verse.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "man" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "is" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "of" should be something more like "to."
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "Lord" doesn't appear here but at the start of the verse.
For - The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation, "because" or "this is because..." to start a new sentence.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
Son - The word translated as "son" more generally means "child."
of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession. However,
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
man The Greek word for "of man" in the singular means "person" and "humanity" and "people" and "peoples" in the plural.
is -- (CW) The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. However, with a genitive object, used here, it means "belongs to."
Lord -(WP) The word translated as "Lord" means "having power," "being in authority" and "being in possession of." It also means "lord," "master of the house," and "head of the family." It is the term used specifically for a master of servants or slaves. The most important feature of this word is what doesn't have: an article. The Greek word translated as "Lord" without an article is used as the name, not the title of God (see this article). This word does not appear before "of the Sabbath," but at the start of the verse.
even -- (OS) In the Greek sources that we use today, there is no Greek word that can be translated as "even." The Mark 2:28 version does have a word here.
of - (WW) The "of" comes from the genitive form of the following word ("Sabbath") but here it is not possessive. Following the verb "to be" it is a genitive object, so the meaning of this word should be "to."
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
sabbath day. -- The word translated as the "the Sabbath day" is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "shabbat" meaning "rest" or "day of rest." It is in the possessive form.
For - The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation, "because" or "this is because..." to start a new sentence.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
Son - The word translated as "son" more generally means "child."
of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession. However,
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
Man - The Greek word for "of man" in the singular means "person" and "humanity" and "people" and "peoples" in the plural.
is -- (CW) The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. However, with a genitive object, used here, it means "belongs to."
Lord - (WP) The word translated as "Lord" means "having power," "being in authority" and "being in possession of." It also means "lord," "master of the house," and "head of the family." It is the term used specifically for a master of servants or slaves. The most important feature of this word is what doesn't have: an article. The Greek word translated as "Lord" without an article is used as the name, not the title of God (see this article). This word does not appear before "of the Sabbath," but at the start of the verse.
of - (WW) The "of" comes from the genitive form of the following word ("Sabbath") but here it is not possessive. Following the verb "to be" it is a genitive object, so the meaning of this word should be "to."
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
Sabbath. -- The word translated as the "Sabbath " is the Greek version of the Hebrew word "shabbat" meaning "rest" or "day of rest." It is in the possessive form.
κύριος (noun sg masc nom) "Lord" is from kurios, which means "having power," "being in authority" and "being in possession of." It also means "lord," "master of the house," and "head of the family."
γάρ (partic) "For" comes from gar which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for," "since," and "as." In an abrupt question it means "why" and "what." It always appears in the second position in the phrase it introduces.
ἐστιν (3rd sg pres ind act) "Is" is from eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," and "is possible." With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to."
τοῦ (article sg masc gen) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
σαββάτου (noun sg masc gen) "The sabbath days" is from sabbaton, which means "Sabbath," "seven days of week," and "first day of week."
ὁ (article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
υἱὸς (noun sg masc nom) "The Son" is from huios, which means a "son," and more generally, a "child." -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child."
τοῦ (article sg masc gen) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
ἀνθρώπου.(noun sg masc gen) "Of man" is from anthropos, which is "man," and, in plural, "mankind." It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate. -
Christ is calling himself a master who belongs to resting.
The word translated as "Lord" means simply "a lord."
Our leader has can recite all the commands in the Law regarding the Sabbath,” responded another of the Distinguished. “He is the master here.”
“A master, consequently, is he?” asked the Nazarene. “Of the Sabbath?”
“Absolutely,” asserted the man, “Who knows more than he?”
“The son of the man?” suggested the Master, indicating himself.
This response upset all of the Distinguished.