Asked by Pharisees why followers eat with unwashed hands, violating tradition.
Mark 7:9 Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Mark 7:9 You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
Thoroughly do you cancel the command of the Divine so that you may keep this tradition of yours.
People want to preserve the traditional control over people.
This is a restatement of the previous verse, Mark 7:8, and, like it, the word translated as "commandment" and "commands" here is singular, but does it refer to a specific commandment or to the "command" in the sense of control? If translated to the singular "the command", this verse becomes a discussion of who is in general control rather than a discussion of a specific commandment or a group of commands.
Both English translations insert words to incorrectly emphasize the "well" and "fine" that begins the sentence as well as the adding a "own" to emphasize the "your" at the end. This exaggeration makes Jesus seem more snarky or critical than he was.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "full" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "own" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "tradition" is not shown in the English translation.
- IP - Inserted Phrase-- The phrase "have a" doesn't exist in the source.
- IP - Inserted Phrase-- The phrase "way of" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - The "setting" is not an active verb but a participle, "you set."
- WN --Wrong Number- The word "commands" is translated as plural but the Greek word is singular.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF -- Wrong Form - The "to" does not identify a following infinitive.
- MW -- Missing Word -- This verb is a subjunctive, which requires a "should" or "might" when outside of a when/if clause.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "own" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "traditions" is not shown in the English translation.
Full -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "full" in the Greek source.
well -- The word translated as "well" means, as an adverb, "well", "rightly", "happily", "thoroughly", "altogether", and "deservedly". It is also the adjective usually translated as "good." See this article on the real Greek meaning of the terms translated as "good" and "evil."
ye -- This comes from the second-person plural form of the following verb.
reject -- "Ye reject" is a Greek verb that means "to deny", "to disprove", "to cancel", "to render ineffective," and to :break faith with."
the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
commandment -- The word translated as "commandment" has the sense of a direct "order" or "command" given by someone as opposed to a body of law or tradition in society.
of -- The word translated as "of" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and signals its form. The form of this word requires that addition of extra words in English to capture its meaning. The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of", "which is", "than" (in comparisons), or "for", "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," 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," and "those"). See this article for more.
God, -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.
that -- The word translated as "that" is an adverb or a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "there", "where," and "in order that."
ye -- This comes from the second-person plural form of the following verb.
may -- This comes from the form of the verb that indicates possibility.
keep -- The term "keep" means "to watch over", "to guard", "to take care of", "to give heed to", "to keep," and "to observe." Jesus usually uses it to describe what people should do with teaching or laws.
your -- The word translated as "your" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the genitive case. This pronoun follows the noun so the possessive "of yours."
own -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "own" in the Greek source.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," 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," and "those"). See this article for more.
tradition. -- "Tradition" is from a noun which means literally "handing over" and it used to mean "handing over" and "passing down." It is used to mean the "transmission" of legends, "bequeathing" of an inheritance," or that which is handed down such as "tradition", "doctrine," or "teaching."
You -- This comes from the second-person plural form of the following verb.
have a -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as "have a" in the Greek source.
fine -- The word translated as "fine" means, as an adverb, "well", "rightly", "happily", "thoroughly", "altogether", and "deservedly". It is also the adjective usually translated as "good." See this article on the real Greek meaning of the terms translated as "good" and "evil."
way of -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as "way of " in the Greek source.
setting aside -- (WF) "Setting aside" is a Greek verb that means "to deny", "to disprove", "to cancel", "to render ineffective," and to break faith with." This is not a participle but and active verb.
the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
commands -- (WN) The word translated as "commandment" has the sense of a direct "order" or "command" given by someone as opposed to a body of law or tradition in society. This is singular, not plural.
of -- The word translated as "of" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and signals its form. The form of this word requires that addition of extra words in English to capture its meaning. The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of", "which is", "than" (in comparisons), or "for", "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," 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," and "those"). See this article for more.
God, -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.
in order to - (WF) The word translated as "in order to " is an adverb or a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "there", "where," and "in order that." By ending this phrase with a "to," instead of "that," this changes the following verb to an infinitive, which is wrong.
missing "should" or "might"-- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the following verb is a verb of possibility, a subjunctive, something that "should" or "might" occur. The helping verb is not needed in a clause beginning with an "if" or a "when."
observe -- The term "keep" means "to watch over", "to guard", "to take care of", "to give heed to", "to keep," and "to observe." Jesus usually uses it to describe what people should do with teaching or laws.
your -- The word translated as "your" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the genitive case. This pronoun follows the noun so the possessive "of yours."
own -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "own" in the Greek source.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," 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," and "those"). See this article for more.
traditions. -- (WN) "Traditions" is from a noun which means literally "handing over" and it used to mean "handing over" and "passing down." It is used to mean the "transmission" of legends, "bequeathing" of an inheritance," or that which is handed down such as "tradition", "doctrine," or "teaching."
Καλῶς (adv, adj pl masc acc) "Full well" is kalos, which means "beautiful", "good", "of fine quality", "noble," and "honorable." It is most often translated as "good" juxtaposed with "evil" in the New Testament, but the two ideas are closer to "wonderful" and "worthless", "noble" and "base." As an adverb, "well", "rightly", "happily", "thoroughly", "altogether", and "deservedly".
ἀθετεῖτε [3 verses]( verb 2nd pl pres ind act ) "Ye reject" is atheteo, which means "to deny", "to disprove", "to cancel", "to render ineffective," and to :break faith with."
τὴν [821 verses] (article sg fem acc ) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." --
ἐντολὴν [23 verses]( noun sg fem acc ) "Commandments\" is entole which means "injunction", "order," and "command."
τοῦ [821 verses] (article sg masc gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." --
θεοῦ, [144 verses](noun sg masc gen) "God" is theos, which means "God," "divine," and "Deity."
ἵνα [134 verses] (adv/conj) "That" is hina, which means "in that place", "there", "where", "when", "that", "in order that", "when," and "because."
τὴν [821 verses] ( article sg fem acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
παράδοσιν [5 verses]( noun sg fem acc ) "Tradition" is from paradosis, which means "handing down", "transmission", "that which is handed down," and "the transmission of orders." This specifically includes legends, traditions, and doctrines but it is not specific about the quality of what is handed down, only that it has been passed down.
ὑμῶν [168 verses](pron 2nd pl gen) "Your/you" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you." It is either a possessive pronoun or the object of a preposition.
τηρήσητε: [17 verses]( verb 2nd pl aor subj act or verb 2nd pl fut ind act) "Ye may keep" is tereo, which means "to watch over", "to guard", "to take care of", "to give heed to", "to keep," and "to observe."
Jesus rephrases the previous verse because it is easy to miss his meaning. As we saw in the previous verse, the word translated as "tradition" means "what is handed down" but it also means "the transmission of orders." A tradition is something handed down through history. A command of God is more like natural law, but the communication of the law is tradition. However, here he adds an idea to that statement. What religious leaders are protecting is their ability to act as the middlemen between God and their followers. Jesus saw these middlemen as making God's message ineffective because what they emphasize is their power as priests rather than God's will.