Mark 7 5

Mark 7:5 kjv

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

Mark 7:5 nkjv

Then 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?"

Mark 7:5 niv

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?"

Mark 7:5 esv

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?"

Mark 7:5 nlt

So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, "Why don't your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony."

Mark 7 verses

Mark 7 5 Meaning

Mark 7:5 describes the Pharisees and scribes questioning Jesus about why His disciples did not adhere to the Jewish religious custom of ritually washing hands before eating, which was part of the "tradition of the elders," rather than a commandment from God's written law. This query highlighted their focus on external adherence to human-made rules over the deeper spiritual principles and divine commands that Jesus embodied and taught.

Mark 7 5 Context

Mark 7:5 is part of a larger pericope (Mark 7:1-23) detailing a direct confrontation between Jesus and the religious authorities from Jerusalem. The chapter opens with Pharisees and scribes observing Jesus' disciples eating with unwashed hands, prompting their accusation in verse 5. This act was not a matter of hygiene but ritual purity, as the "tradition of the elders" had established intricate rules for ritual washing (netilat yadayim). This tradition, while highly valued by these religious leaders, was an oral law passed down through generations, distinct from the written Mosaic Law. The immediate context of Mark 7 shows Jesus using this challenge to expose their hypocrisy: they meticulously adhered to human traditions while neglecting or even violating God's direct commandments (like honoring parents, as seen in Mark 7:10-13). Historically, the Pharisees were a prominent Jewish religious party, zealous for the Law and its traditions, emphasizing ritual purity for all aspects of life, seeking to live out a "priestly" holiness. Scribes were experts in the Mosaic Law, interpreting and teaching it, and were closely allied with the Pharisees. This setting highlights the clash between rigid legalism based on human interpretation and Jesus' emphasis on true inward purity and the spirit of God's Law.

Mark 7 5 Word analysis

• Then the Pharisees and the scribes:
  • Pharisees (Greek: Pharisaioi - Φαρισαῖοι): A dominant Jewish religious-political party during Jesus' time, known for their strict observance of the Mosaic Law and the "oral law" (tradition of the elders). They sought to extend priestly purity to all aspects of life.
  • Scribes (Greek: grammateis - γραμματεῖς): Experts in the Law of Moses; they copied, interpreted, and taught the Law. They often supported the Pharisaic viewpoint. Their presence indicates an official challenge from influential religious authorities.
• asked him,
  • The inquiry is less a genuine question for understanding and more an interrogation or an accusation, seeking to find fault with Jesus and His disciples. It implies a challenge to Jesus' authority and teaching.
• 'Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders,
  • 'Why': Direct, confrontational, challenging Jesus' leadership and His disciples' conduct.
  • 'your disciples': They acknowledge Jesus' followers, implicating Jesus as their leader responsible for their actions.
  • 'not walk according to': Implies disregard, disobedience, or rejection of an accepted standard of conduct. "Walk according to" is an idiom for living or conducting oneself in agreement with specific principles.
  • 'the tradition of the elders' (Greek: ten paradosin ton presbyteron - τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων):
    • Paradosis (παράδοσις): Refers to something "handed down," a teaching or custom received from ancestors. In this context, it specifically denotes the Oral Law or Jewish custom developed over centuries alongside the written Torah, containing numerous interpretations and regulations on matters like purity, tithing, and sabbath observance. This was believed to have originated from Moses, orally, and later codified, though not divinely revealed like the written Law.
    • Elders (πρεσβυτέρων): Refers to the respected leaders and teachers of past generations whose accumulated interpretations formed this tradition. For the Pharisees, this tradition was considered as binding as the written Law, sometimes even more so, serving as a protective "fence" around the Law.
    • This specific tradition of ritual handwashing was detailed in various tractates of the Mishnah, like Yadayim. It was not based on hygienic concerns, but ritual defilement that was thought to pass from food handled by ritually impure hands to the stomach, thus defiling the eater.
• but eat bread with unwashed hands?'
  • 'eat bread': A common, everyday act, yet here it becomes a point of contention due to ritual implications.
  • 'with unwashed hands': (Greek: koinas chersin - κοιναῖς χερσίν, lit. "common hands" or "defiled hands").
    • Koinos (κοινός): Meaning "common," "ordinary," or "defiled/impure." It doesn't mean simply "unclean" in the sense of physical dirt, but ritually impure or profaned according to the tradition. Hands were considered ritually "common" or defiled if they had not undergone the prescribed ceremonial washings, even if physically clean. This implies the disciples were not performing the elaborate purification rites established by the elders.

Mark 7 5 Bonus section

The seemingly trivial act of eating with unwashed hands, as highlighted in this verse, was a profound symbolic issue. For the Pharisees, adhering to the "tradition of the elders" was a way to maintain national and religious identity and distinction. It was seen as an expression of zeal for God's Law. By seemingly disregarding these traditions, Jesus was not merely being careless; He was implicitly challenging the very framework of their religious authority and system, implying that God’s presence was not limited to their carefully constructed purity rules. The focus was less on whether one could eat clean food, but rather the defilement that supposedly passed through ritually "unwashed" hands to clean food, making the food ritually common or defiled. This specific tradition often involved specific amounts of water, pouring techniques, and pronouncements, emphasizing the performative aspect over the spiritual reality.

Mark 7 5 Commentary

Mark 7:5 encapsulates the core tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities: a clash over the nature of true piety and the authority of religious rules. The Pharisees and scribes prioritized meticulously observed external traditions, seeing them as integral to holiness and devotion. Their question was a challenge to Jesus' authority and His perceived disregard for what they held sacred. They saw Jesus' disciples as law-breakers and therefore, implicitly, Jesus as a poor teacher or even a blasphemer for allowing such behavior.

However, Jesus viewed these human traditions as often burdensome and, more significantly, as a diversion from God's true commands. This verse sets the stage for Jesus' powerful indictment that external adherence to man-made rituals often masks inner spiritual defilement. He would go on to explain that defilement comes not from what enters a person from outside (like food touched by "unwashed" hands) but from what comes out of the heart: evil thoughts, greed, malice, pride (Mark 7:15-23). This principle highlights the essential difference between true righteousness rooted in a transformed heart and a superficial religious performance based on external conformity. The exchange serves as a foundational teaching on prioritizing God's will and inward transformation over empty religious observance and man-made regulations.