Mark7
New King James Version
1Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.
2Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.
3For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.
4When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.
5Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
6He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
7And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
9He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’
11But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God),
12then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother,
13making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
14When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand:
15There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.
16If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
17When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.
18So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him,
19because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?”
20And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.
21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
24From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.
25For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.
26The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
27But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”
28And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”
29Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”
30And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.
31Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.
32Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.
33And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.
34Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
35Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.
36Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.
37And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Mark 7.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The traditions of the elders. (1–13). What defiles the man. (14–23). The woman of Canaan's daughter cured. (24–30). Christ restores a man to hearing and speech. (31–37).
vv1-13
One great design of Christ's coming was, to set aside the ceremonial law; and to make way for this, he rejects the ceremonies men added to the law of God's making. Those clean hands and that pure heart which Christ bestows on his disciples, and requires of them, are very different from the outward and superstitious forms of Pharisees of every age. Jesus reproves them for rejecting the commandment of God. It is clear that it is the duty of children, if their parents are poor, to relieve them as far as they are able; and if children deserve to die that curse their parents, much more those that starve them. But if a man conformed to the traditions of the Pharisees, they found a device to free him from the claim of this duty.
vv14-23
Our wicked thoughts and affections, words and actions, defile us, and these only. As a corrupt fountain sends forth corrupt streams, so does a corrupt heart send forth corrupt reasonings, corrupt appetites and passions, and all the wicked words and actions that come from them. A spiritual understanding of the law of God, and a sense of the evil of sin, will cause a man to seek for the grace of the Holy Spirit, to keep down the evil thoughts and affections that work within.
vv24-30
Christ never put any from him that fell at his feet, which a poor trembling soul may do. As she was a good woman, so a good mother. This sent her to Christ. His saying, Let the children first be filled, shows that there was mercy for the Gentiles, and not far off. She spoke, not as making light of the mercy, but magnifying the abundance of miraculous cures among the Jews, in comparison with which a single cure was but as a crumb. Thus, while proud Pharisees are left by the blessed Saviour, he manifests his compassion to poor humbled sinners, who look to him for children's bread. He still goes about to seek and save the lost.
Key Words
καί (kaí): and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaîos): a separatist, i.e. exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary
συνάγω (synágō): to lead together, i.e. collect or convene; specially, to entertain (hospitably)
πρός (prós): a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward (with the genitive case, the side of, i.e. pertaining to; with the dative case, by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the accusative case, the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is predicated)
αὐτός (autós): the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
τὶς (tìs): some or any person or object
γραμματεύς (grammateús): scribe, town-clerk
ἔρχομαι (érchomai): to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
ἀπό (apó): "off," i.e. away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative)
Ἱεροσόλυμα (Hierosólyma): Hierosolyma (i.e. Jerushalaim), the capitol of Palestine
Cross References
Mark 7Direct parallel in Matthew where Jesus exposes the scribes and Pharisees' hypocrisy using Isaiah.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Isaiah passage quoted by Jesus regarding hypocritical lip-service and human-mandated traditions.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
The Fifth Commandment quoted by Jesus to expose the Pharisees' tradition of Corban.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Mosaic law prescribing death for cursing parents, cited by Jesus to counter Pharisees.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Matthew's parallel narrative of the Syrophoenician woman's extraordinary faith and daughter's healing.
Supported by JFB
Matthew's parallel catalog of evil things proceeding directly from the human heart.
Supported by John Calvin
Parallel details her cry, addressing Jesus as "Son of David," omitted in Mark's account.
Supported by JFB
Messianic prophecy of ears of the deaf being unstopped, fulfilled in Jesus' miracle.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Messianic prophecy that the tongue of the dumb shall sing, fulfilled in this healing.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Apostolic teaching on carnal ordinances and divers washings imposed until the time of reformation.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Paul's warning against doctrines and commandments of men regarding food and rituals.
Supported by Matthew Poole
First biblical diagnosis of the human heart's total corruption, echoing Jesus' statement.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Jesus' teaching on not casting pearls before swine, echoing the term "dogs."
Supported by JFB
Prohibition against going to Gentiles, illustrating why the woman's healing was an exception.
Supported by JFB