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George Lamsa Translation
Matthew 15:2
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“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat.”
Why do thy disciples transgresse the tradition of the Elders? for they wash not their handes when they eat bread.
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."
"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
"Why don't your followers obey the unwritten laws which have been handed down to us? They don't wash their hands before they eat."
"Why do Your disciples violate the tradition (religious laws) handed down by the [Jewish] elders? For Your disciples do not [ceremonially] wash their hands before they eat."
Why do thy disciples transgresse the tradition of the Elders? for they wash not their hands when they eate bread.
"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
"Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat."
"Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? They don't even wash their hands before they eat."
"Why is it that your talmidim break the Tradition of the Elders? They don't do n'tilat-yadayim before they eat!"
Why do thy disciples transgress what has been delivered by the ancients? for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
"Why do your followers not obey the traditions we have from our great leaders who lived long ago? Your followers don't wash their hands before they eat!"
"Why is it that your disciples disobey the teaching handed down by our ancestors? They don't wash their hands in the proper way before they eat!"
"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat a meal."
Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Why do your disciples go against the teaching of the fathers? for they take food with unwashed hands.
"Why do your talmidim disobey the tradition of the Zakenim? For they don't wash their hands when they eat bread."
"Why do your disciples disregard the tradition of the elders? For they don't wash their hands when they eat."eat bread">[fn]Mark 7:5; Colossians 2:8;">[xr]
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders, and wash not their hands when they eat bread?
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders, and wash not their hands when they eat bread?
Why do thy disciples transgresse the traditions of the elders? for they washe not their handes when they eate bread.
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
"Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don't wash their hands when they eat bread."
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?
"Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the Elders by not washing their hands before meals?"
Whi breken thi disciplis the tradiciouns of eldere men? for thei waisschen not her hondis, whanne thei eten breed.
Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they don't wash their hands when they eat bread.
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
"Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don't wash their hands when they eat."
"Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."
"Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat."
"Why do Your followers not obey the teaching that was given to them by our fathers? They do not wash their hands before they eat."
"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat."
Wherefore do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands, when they eat bread!
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
"Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat."
why do thy disciples transgresse the tradicios of ye elders? for they wesshe not their hondes when they eate breed.
`Wherefore do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they do not wash their hands when they may eat bread.'
Why do thy disciples transgresse ye tradicions of the elders? for they wash not their hodes whan they eate bred.
why do your disciples violate the tradition of our ancestors, in not washing their hands when they eat bread?
"Why don't your cowboys do what all of our grandpappies taught us to do? Why, they don't even wash their hands before they eat."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
transgress: Mark 7:2, Mark 7:5, Genesis 1:14, Colossians 2:8, Colossians 2:20-23, 1 Peter 1:18
tradition: Tradition, in Latin traditio from trado I deliver, hand down, exactly agreeing with the original × ×ס××××£××¢ [Strong's G3862], from × ×ס××××ש×× [Strong's G3860], I deliver, transmit. Among the Jews it signifies what is called oral law, which they say has been successively handed down from Moses, through every generation, to Judah the Holy, who compiled and digested it into the Mishneh, to explain which the two Gemaras, or Talmuds, called the Jerusalem and Babylonish, were composed. Of the estimation in which these were held by the Jews, the following may serve as an example: "The words of the Scribes are lovely beyond the words of the law, for the words of the law are weighty and light, but the words of the Scribes are all weighty.
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 4:2 - General 2 Chronicles 17:9 - the book Esther 3:3 - Why Ecclesiastes 7:16 - Be not Isaiah 29:13 - their fear Malachi 2:8 - ye have caused Matthew 15:20 - but Matthew 23:3 - whatsoever Matthew 23:24 - General Mark 2:24 - why Mark 7:3 - the tradition Luke 6:2 - Why Luke 11:38 - he marvelled Luke 20:3 - I will Galatians 1:14 - traditions Hebrews 12:3 - contradiction James 4:8 - Cleanse
Cross-References
AFTER these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram; I am your shield, and your reward is exceedingly great.
And Abram said, O LORD God, what will thou give me, for I will die childless, and Eliezer of Damascus, one of my household, will be my heir?
And Abram said, Behold, thou hast given me no son; and, behold, one of the members of my household will be my heir.
Then the LORD said to him, This man shall not be your heir; but your own son that shall come out of your own loins shall be your heir.
And Abram believed in the LORD; and it was counted to him for righteousness.
And Abraham called his eldest servant, the steward of his house, who was in charge of everything that he had; and he said to him, Put your hand under my girdle;
And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed, carrying with him all kinds of choice things of his master; and he arose, and went to Aram-nahrin (Mesopotamia), to the city of Nahor.
And Isaac prayed before the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD answered him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
There is no one greater in this house than I; neither has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
So they came near to the steward of Josephs house and spoke with him at the door of the house,
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?.... Having observed, for some little time, the conduct of Christ and his disciples, they thought proper to take no notice of him as yet, but of them; and of them, not as transgressing any command of God, but of men; not being able to charge them with any breach of the law of God: and could they have done this with any show of truth, yet they might choose rather to accuse them of breaking the rules of the elders; by whom they mean, not the elders of the present sanhedrim, but Hillell and Shammai; the two heads of their famous schools, and other ancient doctors; from whom were delivered by one to another, certain rules and laws of their own devising, which had no foundation in the word of God; and of these the Scribes and Pharisees were more tenacious, than of the Scriptures; and indeed they preferred them before them: most extravagant are their praises and commendations of these unwritten traditions; thus they say d,
"Know then, that "the words of the Scribes" are more lovely than the words of the law: for, says R. Tarphon, if a man does not read, he only transgresses an affirmative; but if he transgresses the words of the school of Hillell, he is guilty of death, because he hath broke down a hedge, and a serpent shall bite him. It is a tradition of R. Ishmael, the words of the law have in them both prohibition and permission; some of them are light, and some heavy, but "the words of the Scribes" are all of them heavy--Mynqz
×××ר×× ××ר×, "weightier are the words of the elders", than the words of the prophets.''
And elsewhere e, this advice is given;
"My son, attend to "the words of the Scribes", more than to the words of the law; for in the words of the law, are affirmatives and negatives; but the words of the Scribes
×× ××¢××ר ×¢× ×××¨× ×¡×פר××, "everyone that transgresses the words of the Scribes", is guilty of death.''
This is what they charge the disciples with here, and could they have had their wills, would have put them to death for it: the particular tradition, they accuse them with the breach of, follows,
for they wash not their hands when they eat bread; common bread, an ordinary meal; for, for eating of holy things, more than bare washing was required, even an immersion of them in water; but the hands were to be washed before eating common food, whether they were known to be defiled or not: "bread" is particularly mentioned, as including all sorts of food, and as distinct from fruit; for, for eating of common fruit, there was no need of washing of hands; he that washed his hands for eating fruit, was reckoned an ostentatious man f, who were the first authors of this tradition, it is not certain; it is said g, that
"Hillell and Shammai decreed ×¢× ××ר×ת ××××, "concerning the purification of the hands"; R. Jose ben R. Bon, in the name of R. Levi, says, so was the tradition before, but they forgot it; and these two stood up, and agreed with the minds of the former ones.''
"However, it is a certain point, that the washing of the hands, and the dipping of them, are ××××¨× ×¡×פר××, "from the words of the Scribes" h.''
The breach of this rule was reckoned equal to the most flagitious crimes i: R. Jose says,
"whoever eats bread without washing of hands, is as if he lay with a whore: and, says R. Eleazer, whoever despiseth washing of hands, shall be rooted out of the world.''
And elsewhere it is said by them k, that
"he that blesseth (food) with defiled hands, is guilty of death.''
And again l,
"whoever does not wash his hands as is fitting, although he is punished above, he shall be punished below.''
And to fright people into an observance of this tradition, they talk of Shibta, a sort of an evil spirit, that hurts such as eat without washing their hands: they say, he sits upon their hands, and upon their bread, and leaves something behind, which is very dangerous m; and it is recorded n, to the praise of R. Akiba, that he chose rather to die, than to transgress this tradition; for being in prison, and in want of water, what little he had, he washed his hands with it, instead of drinking it. Eleazar ben Chanac was excommunicated for despising the tradition concerning washing of hands; and when he died, the sanhedrim sent and put a great stone upon his coffin, to show, that he that died in his excommunication, the sanhedrim stoned his coffin o: but of this, See Gill "Mr 7:3".
d T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 3. 2. e T. Bab. Erubim, fol. 21. 2. T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 4. 2. f Misn. Chagiga, c. 2. sect. 5, 6. Maimon. Praefat. ad Tract. Yadaim, & Hilch. Beracot, c. 6. sect. 3. g T. Hieros. Sabbat, fol. 3. 4. h Maimon Hilch. Mikvaot, c. 11. sect. 1. i T. Bab. Sota, fol. 4. 2. k Zohar in Deut. fol. 107. 3. l lb. in Gen. fol. 60. 2. m Gloss. in. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 77. 2. Taanith, fol. 20. 2. & Cholin, fol. 107. 2. n T. B. Erubim, fol. 2l. 2. o T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 19. l.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
See also Mark 7:1-9.
Then came to Jesus ... - Mark says that they saw the disciples of Jesus eating with unwashed hands.
Matthew 15:2
Transgress the tradition of the elders - The world âeldersâ literally means âold men.â Here it means the âancients,â or their âancestors.â The âtradition of the eldersâ meant something handed down from one to another by memory; some precept or custom not commanded in the written law, but which scribes and Pharisees held themselves bound to observe.
They supposed that when Moses was on Mount Sinai two sets of laws were delivered to him: one, they said, was recorded, and is that contained in the Old Testament; the other was handed down from father to son, and kept uncorrupted to their day. They believed that Moses, before he died, delivered this law to Joshua; he to the Judges; they to the prophets; so that it was kept pure until it was recorded in the Talmuds. In these books these pretended laws are now contained. They are exceedingly numerous and very trifling. They are, however, regarded by the Jews as more important than either Moses or the prophets.
One point in which the Pharisees differed from the Sadducees was in holding to these traditions. It seems, however, that in the particular traditions mentioned here, all the Jews were united; for Mark adds Mark 7:3 that âthe Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.â Mark has also added that this custom of washing extended not merely to their hands before eating, but in coming from the market; and also to cups, and pots, and brass vessels, and tables, Mark 7:3-4. They did this professedly for the sake of cleanliness. So far it was well. But they also made it a matter of superstition. They regarded external purity as of much more importance than the purity of the heart. They had many foolish rules about it respecting the quantity of water that was to be used, the way in which it should be applied, the number of times it should be changed, the number of those that might wash at a time, etc. Our Saviour did not think it proper to regard these rules, and this was the reason why they âfound faultâ with him.
Matthew 15:3
But he answered ... - They accused him of violating their traditions, as though they were obligatory.
In his answer he implied that his disciples were not bound to obey their traditions - they were invented by human beings. He said, also, that those traditions could not be binding, as they violated the commandments of God. He proceeded to specify a case in which their tradition made void one of the plain laws of God; and if that was their character, then they could not blame him for not regarding them.
Matthew 15:4
For God commanded ... - That is, in the fifth commandment Exodus 20:12, and in Exodus 21:17. To âhonorâ is to obey, to reverence, to speak kindly to, to speak and think well of. To âcurseâ is to disobey, to treat with irreverence, to swear at, to speak ill of, to think evil of in the heart, to meditate or do any evil to a parent. All this is included in the original word.
Let him die the death - This is a Hebrew phrase, the same as saying, âlet him surely die.â The Jewish law punished this crime with death. This duty of honoring and obeying a parent was what Christ said they had violated by their traditions. He proceeds to state the way in which it was done.
Matthew 15:5
It is a gift - In Mark it is âcorban.â The word âcorbanâ is a Hebrew word denoting a gift.
Here it means a thing dedicated to the service of God, and therefore not to be appropriated to any other use. The Jews were in the habit of making such dedications. They devoted their property to God for sacred uses, as they pleased. In doing this they used the word קר×× qaarbaan or κοÏβαÍν korban, or some similar word, saying, this thing is âcorban,â i. e., it is a gift to God, or is sacred to him. The law required that when a dedication of this kind was made it should be fulfilled. âVow and pay unto the Lord your God,â Psalms 76:11. See Deuteronomy 23:21. The law of God required that a son should honor his parent; i. e., among other things, that he should provide for his needs when he was old and in distress. Yet the Jewish teachers said that it was more important for a man to dedicate his property to God than to provide for the needs of his parent.
If he had once devoted his property once said it was âcorban,â or a gift to God - it could not be appropriated even to the support of a parent. If a parent was needy and poor, and if he should apply to a son for assistance, and the son should reply, though in anger, âIt is devoted to God; this property which you need, and by which you might be profited by me, is âcorbanâ - I have given it to God;â the Jews said the property could not be recalled, and the son was not under obligation to aid a parent with it. He had done a more important thing in giving it to God. The son was free. He could not be required to do anything for his father after that. Thus, he might, in a moment, free himself from the obligation to obey his father or mother. In a sense somewhat similar to this, the chiefs and priests of the Sandwich Islands had the power of devoting anything to the service of the gods by saying that it was âtaboo,â or âtabooed;â that is, it became consecrated to the service of religion; and, no matter who had been the owner, it could then be appropriated for no other use. In this way they had complete power over all the possessions of the people, and could appropriate them for their own use under the pretence of devoting them to religion. Thus, they deprived the people of their property under the plea that it was consecrated to the gods. The Jewish son deprived his parents of a support under the plea that the property was devoted to the service of religion. The principle was the same, and both systems were equally a violation of the rights of others.
Besides, the law said that a man should die who cursed his father, i. e., that refused to obey him, or to provide for him, or spoke in anger to him. Yet the Jews said that, though in anger, and in real spite and hatred, a son said to his father, âAll that I have which could profit you I have given to God,â he should be free from blame. Thus, the whole law was made void, or of no use, by what appeared to have the appearance of piety. âNo man, according to their views, was bound to obey the fifth commandment and support an aged and needy parent, if, either from superstition or spite, he chose to give his property to God, that is, to devote it to some religious use.â
Our Saviour did not mean to condemn the practice of giving to God, or to religious and charitable objects. The law and the gospel equally required this. Jesus commended even a poor widow that gave all her living, Mark 12:44, but he condemned the practice of giving to God where it interfered with our duty to parents and relations; where it was done to get rid of the duty of aiding them; and where it was done out of a malignant and rebellious spirit, with the semblance of piety, to get clear of doing to earthly parents what God required.
Matthew 15:7
Ye hypocrites! - See the notes at Matthew 7:5. Hypocrisy is the concealment of some base principle under the pretence of religion. Never was there a clearer instance of it than this an attempt to get rid of the duty of providing for needy parents under an appearance of piety toward God.
Esaias - That is, Isaiah. This prophecy is found in Isaiah 29:13.
Prophesy of you - That is, he spoke of the people of his day of the Jews, as Jews - in terms that apply to the whole people. He properly characterized the nation in calling them hypocrites. The words are applicable to the nation at all times, and they apply, therefore, to you. He did not mean particularly to speak of the nation in the time of Christ, but he spoke of them as having a national character of hypocrisy. Compare the notes at Matthew 1:22-23.
Matthew 15:8
Draweth nigh unto me with their mouth ... - That is, they are regular in the forms of worship; they are strict in ceremonial observances, and keep the law outwardly; but God requires the heart, and that they have not rendered.
Matthew 15:9
In vain do they worship me - That is, their attempts to worship are âvain,â or are not real worship - they are mere âforms.â
Teaching for doctrines ... - The word âdoctrines,â here, means the requirements of religion - things to be believed and practiced in religion.
God only has a right to declare what shall be done in his service; but they held their traditions to be superior to the written word of God, and taught them as doctrines binding the conscience. See the notes at Isaiah 29:13.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Matthew 15:2. Elders — Rulers and magistrates among the Jews.
For they wash not their hands — What frivolous nonsense! These Pharisees had nothing which their malice could fasten on in the conduct or doctrine of our blessed Lord and his disciples, and therefore they must dispute about washing of hands! All sorts of Pharisees are troublesome people in religious society; and the reason is, they take more pleasure in blaming others than in amending themselves.
The tradition of the elders — The word ÏαÏαδοÏιÏ, tradition, has occupied a most distinguished place, both in the Jewish and Christian Church. Man is ever fond of mending the work of his Maker; and hence he has been led to put his finishing hand even to Divine revelation! This supplementary matter has been called ÏαÏαδοÏιÏ, from ÏαÏαδιδομαι, to deliver from hand to hand - to transmit; and hence the Latin term, tradition, from trado, to deliver, especially from one to another; - to hand down. Among the Jews TRADITION signifies what is also called the oral law, which they distinguish from the written law: this last contains the Mosaic precepts, as found in the Pentateuch: the former, the traditions of the elders, i.e. traditions, or doctrines, that had been successively handed down from Moses through every generation, but not committed to writing. The Jews feign that, when GOD gave Moses the written law, he gave him also the oral law, which is the interpretation of the former. This law, Moses at first delivered to Aaron then to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar; and, after these to the seventy-two elders, who were six of the most eminent men chosen out of each of the twelve tribes. These seventy-two, with Moses and Aaron, delivered it again to all the heads of the people, and afterwards to the congregation at large. They say also that, before Moses died, he delivered this oral law, or system of traditions, to JOSHUA, and Joshua to the ELDERS which succeeded him-THEY to the Prophets, and the PROPHETS to each other, till it came to JEREMIAH, who delivered it to BARUCH his scribe, who repeated it to EZRA, who delivered it to the men of the great synagogue, the last of whom was SIMON the Just. By Simon the Just it was delivered to ANTIGONUS of Socho; by him to JOSE the son of Jochanan; by him to JOSE, the son of Joezer; by him to NATHAN the Arbelite, and Joshua the son of Perachiah; and by them to JUDAH the son of Tabbai, and Simeon, the son of Shatah; and by them to SHEMAIAH and ABTALION; and by them to HILLEL; and by Hillel to SIMEON his son, the same who took Christ in his arms when brought to the temple to be presented to the Lord: by SIMEON it was delivered to GAMALIEL his son, the preceptor of St. Paul, who delivered it to SIMEON his son, and he to Rab. JUDAH HAKKODESH his son, who compiled and digested it into the book which is called the MISHNA; to explain which the two Talmuds, called the Jerusalem and Babylyonish Talmuds, were compiled, which are also called the Gemera or complement, because by these the oral law or Mishnah is fully explained. The Jerusalem Talmud was completed about A. D. 300; and the Babylonish Talmud about the beginning of the sixth century. This Talmud was printed at Amsterdam in 12 vols. folio. These contain the whole of the traditions of the elders, and have so explained, or rather frittered away, the words of God, that our Lord might well say, Ye have made the word of God of no effect by your traditions. In what estimation these are held by the Jews, the following examples will prove: "The words of the scribes are lovely beyond the words of the law: for the words of the law are weighty and light, but the words of the scribes are all weighty." Hierus. Berac. fol. 3.
"He that shall say, There are no phylacteries, though he thus transgress the words of the law, he is not guilty; but he that shall say, There are five Totaphot, thus adding to the words of the scribes, he is guilty."
"A prophet and an elder, to what are they likened! To a king sending two of his servants into a province; of one he writes thus: Unless he show you my seal, believe him not; for thus it is written of the prophet: He shall show thee a sign; but of the elders thus: According to the law which they shall teach thee, for I will confirm their words." - See Prideaux. Con. vol. ii. p. 465, and Lightfoot's Hor. Talmud.
They wash not their hands — On washing of hands, before and after meat, the Jews laid great stress: they considered eating with unwashed hands to be no ordinary crime; and therefore, to induce men to do it, they feigned that an evil spirit, called Shibta ש××ת×, who sits on the hands by night, has a right to sit on the food of him who eats without washing his hands, and make it hurtful to him! They consider the person who undervalues this rite to be no better than a heathen, and consequently excommunicate him. See many examples of this doctrine in Schoettgen and Lightfoot.
