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George Lamsa Translation
Matthew 15:3
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He answered them, “Why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?
But hee answered, and said vnto them, Why doe you also transgresse the Commandement of God by your tradition?
But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Jesus answered, "And why do you refuse to obey God's command so that you can follow your own teachings?
He replied to them, "Why also do you violate the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition [handed down by the elders]?
But he answered & said vnto them, Why doe yee also transgresse the commaundement of God by your tradition?
And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
Jesus answered: Why do you disobey God and follow your own teaching?
He answered, "Indeed, why do you break the command of God by your tradition?
But he answering said to them, Why do *ye* also transgress the commandment of God on account of your traditional teaching?
Jesus answered, "And why do you refuse to obey God's command so that you can follow those traditions you have?
Jesus answered, "And why do you disobey God's command and follow your own teaching?
So he answered and said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition?
But answering He said to them, Why do you also transgress the command of God on account of your tradition?
And he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
And in answer he said to them, Why do you, yourselves, go against the word of God on account of the teaching which has been handed down to you?
He answered them, "Why do you also disobey the mitzvah of God because of your tradition?
But he answered them, "Why do you also disregard the commandment of God because of your tradition?
Jeshu answered, and said to them, Why also do ye transgress the commandment of Aloha for the sake of your tradition?
Jesus replied and said to them: Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God, on account of your tradition?
But he aunswered and sayde vnto them: why do ye also transgresse the commaundement of God, by your tradition?
And he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
He answered them, "Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?
For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answering said, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God thro' your tradition?
"Why do you, too," He retorted, "transgress God's commands for the sake of your tradition?
He answeride, and seide to hem, Whi breken ye the maundement of God for youre tradicioun?
And he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
But he answered and said to them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
He answered them, "And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?
He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
Jesus replied, "And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?
Jesus said to them, "Why do you break the Law of God by trying to keep their teaching?
He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
But, he, answering, said unto them - Wherefore do, ye also, transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
But he answering, said to them: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God for your tradition? For God said:
He answered them, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
He answered and sayde vnto them: why do ye also transgresse ye comaundment of God thorowe youre tradicions?
And he answering said to them, `Wherefore also do ye transgress the command of God because of your tradition?
He answered & sayde vnto the: Why do ye transgresse the comaundemet of God, because of youre owne tradicios?
but he answered them, why do you violate the law of God to follow your tradition?
But Jesus put it right back on them. "Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God's commands? God clearly says, ‘Respect your father and mother,' and, ‘Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.' But you weasel around that by saying, ‘Whoever wants to, can say to father and mother, What I owed to you I've given to God.' That can hardly be called respecting a parent. You cancel God's command by your rules. Frauds! Isaiah's prophecy of you hit the bull's-eye: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it. They act like they're worshiping me, but they don't mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy."
Jesus told 'em, "Let me ask you this. Why don't you do what the Boss tells you to do?
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Why: Matthew 7:3-5, Mark 7:6-8, Mark 7:13, Colossians 2:8, Colossians 2:23, Titus 1:14
Reciprocal: Exodus 21:17 - curseth Esther 3:3 - Why Isaiah 5:20 - them Hosea 4:6 - seeing Matthew 5:19 - shall teach Mark 2:24 - why Mark 7:9 - Full Luke 11:38 - he marvelled Luke 20:3 - I will Galatians 1:14 - traditions Colossians 2:22 - after 1 Peter 1:18 - received 2 Peter 3:16 - the other
Cross-References
And I will make of you a great people, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing;
And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth; so that if you can number the dust of the earth, then shall your descendants also be numbered.
And when Abram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he armed his young men, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued the raiders as far as Dan.
Blessed is the man who is willing to help; more blessed is he than he who merely rests in hope, as a tree of life he bears fruit.
He who is given to pleasures from his youth will be a servant, and in the end will groan.
Under an odious woman when she is married; and under a maidservant who ousts her mistress.
I got for myself menservants and maidservants, and had a great household; also I had great possessions of cattle and flocks, above all who were before me in Jerusalem.
RIGHTEOUS art thou. O LORD, when I plead with thee; yet let me talk of justice before thee. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all the treacherous men rich?
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But he answered and said unto them,.... Taking no notice of the tradition about eating bread without washing the hands, whether it was right or wrong; it being at most but an human tradition, of no moment and importance, whether it was broke or kept; he makes a very just recrimination, by putting another question to them,
why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? suggesting, that, if his disciples were guilty, they were not so guilty as they themselves were; that his disciples, at most, were but guilty of the breach of an human precept, whereas they were guilty of the breach of a divine command; and that it was strange, that men who were so scrupulous of breaking, and bore so hard on such as did transgress the traditions of the elders, could allow themselves to transgress the commandments of God; yea, to do this by, and while they were observing their own traditions: and which observation carries a full acquittance of the disciples from blame; for, if by keeping the traditions of the elders, they broke the commands of God, it was a very good reason why they should not observe them.
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 15:3. Why do ye - transgress the commandment — Ye accuse my disciples of transgressing the traditions of the elders - I accuse you of transgressing the commands of God, and that too in favour of your own tradition; thus preferring the inventions of men to the positive precepts of God. Pretenders to zeal often prefer superstitious usages to the Divine law, and human inventions to the positive duties of Christianity.
