Mark 7:6

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

But, he, said unto them - Well, prophesied Isaiah concerning you, ye hypocrites, as it is written - This people, with the lips do honour me, while, their heart, far off, holdeth from me, -

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus answered, "You are all hypocrites. Isaiah was right when he wrote these words from God about you: ‘These people honor me with their words, but I am not really important to them.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
He answered and sayde vnto them: well prophesied Esaias of you ypocrites as it is writte: This people honoreth me with their lyppes but their hert is farre from me:

International Standard Version
He told them, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites. As it is written,Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8;">[xr] 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

New American Standard Bible
But He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

New Century Version
Jesus answered, "Isaiah was right when he spoke about you hypocrites. He wrote, ‘These people show honor to me with words, but their hearts are far from me.

Update Bible Version
And he said to them, Isaiah prophesied well of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.

Webster's Bible Translation
He answered and said to them, Well hath Isaiah prophesied concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with [their] lips, but their heart is far from me.

Amplified Bible
He replied, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders), as it is written [in Scripture], 'THESE PEOPLE HONOR ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME.

English Standard Version
And he 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;

World English Bible
He answered 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.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He answering said to them, Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Weymouth's New Testament
"Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites," He replied; "as it is written, "`This People honour Me with their lips, while their hearts are far away from Me:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he answeride, and seide to hem, Ysaie prophesiede wel of you, ypocritis, as it is writun, This puple worschipith me with lippis, but her herte is fer fro me;

English Revised Version
And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.

Berean Standard Bible
Jesus answered them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus replied: You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said, "All of you praise me with your words, but you never really think about me.

American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.

Bible in Basic English
And he said, Well did Isaiah say of you, you false ones: These people give me honour with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Complete Jewish Bible
Yeshua answered them, "Yesha‘yahu was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites — as it is written, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away from me.

Darby Translation
But he answering said to them, Well did Esaias prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.

Etheridge Translation
But he said to them, Well prophesied concerning you Eshaia the prophet, you hypocrites; [fn] as it is written, This people with their lips honour me, but their heart is very far from me.

Murdock Translation
And he said to them: Well did Isaiah the prophet prophecy concerning you, ye hypocrites; as it is written: This people honoreth me with its lips, but their heart is very far from me.

King James Version (1611)
He answered and said vnto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you Hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth mee with their lips, but their heart is farre from me.

New Living Translation
Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

New Life Bible
He said to them, "Isaiah told about you who pretend to be someone you are not. Isaiah wrote, ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.

New Revised Standard
He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then hee answered and sayd vnto them, Surely Esay hath prophecied well of you, hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth mee with lippes, but their heart is farre away from me.

George Lamsa Translation
He said to them, The prophet Isaiah well prophesied about you, O hypocrites, as it is written, This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Revised Standard Version
And he 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;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He aunswered, and sayde vnto them, that Esaias hath prophesied well of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoreth me with their lippes, but their heart is farre from me.

Good News Translation
Jesus answered them, "How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me.

Christian Standard Bible®
He answered them, “Isaiah

Hebrew Names Version
He answered them, "Well did Yesha`yahu prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.

King James Version
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Lexham English Bible
So he said to them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far, far away from me.

Literal Translation
And answering, He said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites; as it has been written: "This people honors Me with the lips, but their heart is far away from Me;

Young's Literal Translation
and he answering said to them -- `Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites, as it hath been written, This people with the lips doth honor Me, and their heart is far from Me;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But he answered & sayde vnto them: Full well hath Esay prophecied of you Ypocrytes, as it is wrytte: This people honoureth me wt their lippes, but their hert is farre fro me.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Jesus answered, to such hypocrites as you may well be applied those words of the prophet Esaias, "this people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

THE MESSAGE
Jesus answered, "Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull's-eye in fact: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it. They act like they are worshiping me, but they don't mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy, Ditching God's command and taking up the latest fads."

New English Translation
He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘ This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me .

New King James Version
He 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.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus calmly replied, "Isaiah foretold the future about you when he said, 'These people will say they ride for me, but it's just all talk.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

Legacy Standard Bible
And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:‘This people honors Me with their lips,But their heart is far away from Me.

Contextual Overview

¹ And the Pharisees and certain of the Scribes who have come from Jerusalem gather themselves together unto him; ² and, observing certain of his disciples, that, with defiled hands, that is unwashed, they are eating bread, - - ³ For, the Pharisees, and all the Jews, unless with care they wash their hands, eat not, holding fast the tradition of the elders; ⁴ and coming from market, unless they sprinkle themselves, they eat not, - and, many other things, there are, which they have accepted to hold fast - immersions of cups and measures and copper vessels - - ⁵ and so the Pharisees and the Scribes, question, him - For what cause do thy disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but, with defiled hands, eat bread? ⁶ But, he, said unto them - Well, prophesied Isaiah concerning you, ye hypocrites, as it is written - This people, with the lips do honour me, while, their heart, far off, holdeth from me, - ⁷ But, in vain, do they pay devotions unto me, teaching for teachings, the commandments of men; ⁸ Having, dismissed, the commandment, of God, ye, hold fast, the tradition, of men. ⁹ And he was saying to them - Well, do ye set aside the commandment of God, that, your own tradition, ye may observe; ¹⁰ For, Moses, said - Honour thy father and thy mother, and - He that revileth father or mother, let him, surely die, -

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Well: Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:7-9, Acts 28:25

hypocrites: Matthew 23:13-15, Luke 11:39-44

honoureth: Ezekiel 33:31, Hosea 8:2, Hosea 8:3, John 5:42, John 8:41, John 8:42, John 8:54, John 8:55, John 15:24, 2 Timothy 3:5, Titus 1:16, James 2:14-17

Reciprocal: Proverbs 19:27 - General Jeremiah 12:2 - near Matthew 6:2 - as Matthew 15:3 - Why

Cross-References

Genesis 5:32
And Noah was five hundred years old, - and Noah begat Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis 8:13
So it came to pass in the six hundred and first year at the beginning, on the first of the month, that the waters had dried up from off the earth, - and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked and lo! the face of the ground was dried.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He answered and said unto them,.... Matthew postpones the following citation and application of the prophecy of Isaiah, to the account of the command of God being broken by the tradition of Corban; which Mark makes the answer of Christ to begin with:

well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites; which in Matthew is read, "ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you", Matthew 15:7; to the same sense as here: for the prophecy of Isaiah not only described the hypocrites of his time, but had respect chiefly to the Jews in succeeding ages, in the times of Christ, and both before and after; when they would, as they did, greatly degenerate, and lost the power and spirituality of religion, and had only the form of it; left the word of God for the traditions of men, and were given up to great stupidity, and to judicial blindness: hence the Apostle Paul refers to a passage in the same chapter, Isaiah 29:10, and applies it to the Jews in his time, Romans 11:8;

Romans 11:8- :, saying,

as it is written in Isaiah 29:13,

this people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In the Prophet Isaiah more is said than is here cited; and so in Matthew more is produced, and the whole is there expressed thus: "this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me",

Matthew 15:8: they presented their bodies before the Lord in the synagogues, or in the temple, and prayed to him with an air of devotion and fervency, and offered up their praises to him, for their external privileges and blessings; but, alas! this was all lip labour; there was no lifting up their hearts, with their hands, unto God; these were not united to fear his name, but were distracted in his worship, and carried away from him to other objects; Matthew 15:8- :.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 15:1-20.

Mark 7:1

Came from Jerusalem - Probably to observe his conduct, and to find matter of accusation against him.

Mark 7:2

Defiled hands - The hands were considered defiled or polluted unless they were washed previous to every meal.

Mark 7:3

Except they wash their hands oft - Our word “oft” means frequently, often. The Greek wore translated oft has been rendered various ways. Some have said that it means “up to the wrist” - unless they wash their hands up to the wrist. Others have said up to the elbow.” There is evidence that the Pharisees had some such foolish rule as this about washing, and it is likely that they practiced it faithfully. But the Greek Word πυγμή pugmē - means properly the “fist,” and the meaning here is, “Unless they wash their hands (rubbing them) with the fist” - that is, not merely dipping the finger or hands in water as a sign of ablution, but rubbing the hands together as a ball or fist, in the usual Oriental manner when water is poured over them. Hence, the phrase comes to mean “diligently, carefully, sedulously.” - Robinson, Lexicon. The idea is, unless they pay the utmost attention to it, and do it carefully and according to rule.

The tradition - What had been handed down; not what was delivered “by writing” in the law of Moses, but what had been communicated from father to son as being proper and binding.

The elders - The ancients; not the old men “then living,” but those who had lived formerly.

Mark 7:4

Market - This word means either the place where provisions were sold, or the place where men were convened for any purpose. Here it probably means the former.

Except they wash - In the original, “Except they baptize.” In this place it does not mean to immerse the whole body, but only the hands. There is no evidence that the Jews washed their “whole bodies” every time they came from market. It is probable that they often washed with the use of a very small quantity of water.

The washing of cups - In the Greek, “the baptism of cups.”

Cups - drinking vessels. Those used at their meals.

Pots - Measures of “liquids.” Vessels made of wood, used to hold wine, vinegar, etc.

brazen vessels - Vessels made of brass, used in cooking or otherwise. These, if much polluted, were commonly passed through the fire: if slightly polluted they were washed. Earthen vessels, if defiled, were usually broken.

Tables - This word means, in the original, “beds or couches.” It refers not to the “tables” on which they ate, but to the “couches” on which they reclined at their meals. See the notes at Matthew 23:6. These were supposed to be defiled when any unclean or polluted person had reclined on them, and they deemed it necessary to purify them with water. The word “baptism” is here used - in the original, “the baptism of tables;” but, since it cannot be supposed that “couches” were entirely “immersed” in water, the word “baptism” here must denote some other application of water, by sprinkling or otherwise, and shows that the term is used in the sense of washing in any way. If the word is used here, as is clear it is, to denote anything except entire immersion, it may be elsewhere, and baptism is lawfully performed, therefore, without immersing the whole body in water.

Mark 7:7

For doctrines - For commands of God binding on the conscience. Imposing “your” traditions as equal in authority to the laws of God.

Mark 7:8

Laying aside - Rejecting, or making, it give place to traditions; considering the traditions as superior in authority to the divine law. This was the uniform doctrine of the Pharisees. See the notes at Matthew 15:1-9.

The tradition of men - What has been handed down by human beings, or what rests solely on their authority.

Mark 7:9

Full well - These words are capable of different interpretations. Some read them as a question: “Do ye do well in rejecting?” etc. Others suppose they mean “skillfully, cunningly.” “You show great cunning or art, in laying aside God’s commands and substituting in their place those of men.” Others suppose them to be ironical. “How nobly you act! From conscientious attachment to your traditions you have made void the law of God;” meaning to intimate by it that they had acted wickedly and basely.

Mark 7:17

The parable - The “obscure” and difficult remarks which he had made in Mark 7:15. The word “parable,” here, means “obscure” and “difficult saying.” They could not understand it. They had probably imbibed many of the popular notions of the Pharisees, and they could not understand why a man was not defiled by external things. It was, moreover, a doctrine of the law that men were ceremonially polluted by contact with dead bodies, etc., and they could not understand how it could be otherwise.

Mark 7:18

Cannot defile him - Cannot render his “soul” polluted; cannot make him a “sinner” so as to need this purifying as a “religious” observance.

Mark 7:19

Entereth not into his heart - Does not reach or affect the “mind,” the “soul,” and consequently cannot pollute it. Even if it should affect the “body,” yet it cannot the “soul,” and consequently cannot need to be cleansed by a religious ordinance. The notions of the Pharisees, therefore, are not founded in reason, but are mere “superstition.”

The draught - The sink, the vault. “Purging all meats.” The word “purging,” here, means to purify, to cleanse. What is thrown out of the body is the innutritious part of the food taken into the stomach, and leaving only that which is proper for the support of life; and it cannot, therefore, defile the soul.

All meals - All food; all that is taken into the body to support life. The meaning is, that the economy or process by which life is supported “purifies” or “renders nutritious” all kinds of food. The unwholesome or innutritious parts are separated, and the wholesome only are taken into the system. This agrees with all that has since been discovered of the process of digestion and of the support of life. The food taken into the stomach is by the gastric juice converted into a thick pulp called chyme. The nutritious part of this is conveyed into small vessels, and changed into a milky substance called “chyle.” This is poured by the thoracic duct into the left subclavian vein and mingles with the blood, and conveys nutriment and support to all parts of the system. The useless parts of the food are thrown off.

Mark 7:20

Hat which cometh out of the man - His words; the expression of his thoughts and feelings; his conduct, as the development of inward malice, anger, covetousness, lust, etc.

Defileth the man - Makes him really polluted or offensive in the sight of God. This renders the soul corrupt and abominable in his sight. See Matthew 15:18-20.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Mark 7:6. Honoureth me — με τιμα - but the Codex Bezae, and three copies of the Itala, have με αγαπα, loveth me: - the AEthiopic has both readings.