Mark 2:21

No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

2:18-22 Strict professors are apt to blame all that do not fully come up to their own views. Christ did not escape slanders; we should be willing to bear them, as well as careful not to deserve them; but should attend to every part of our duty in its proper order and season.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the notes at Matthew 9:15-17.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Mr 2:18-22. Discourse on Fasting. ( = Mt 9:14-17; Lu 5:33-39).

See on [1409]Lu 5:33-39.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Mark 2:21"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

No man also seweth a piece of new cloth, The traditions of the elders are meant, particularly concerning eating and drinking, and fasting, things before spoken of; and which occasioned this parable, and which were new things in comparison of the commands of God: some of them were of very short standing, devised in, that age; and most, if not all of them, were since the times of Ezra.

On an old garment; the moral and ceremonial righteousness of the Jews, in obedience to the law of God; signifying, that the former were not to be joined with these, to make up a justifying righteousness before God; which were not sufficient for such a purpose, either singly, or both together:

else the new piece that filled it up, taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse; for by attendance to the traditions of the elders, the Jews were taken off from, and neglected the commandments of God; nay, oftentimes the commands of God were made void by these traditions, so that the old garment of their own righteousness, which was very ragged and imperfect of itself, instead of being purer and more perfect, became much the worse, even for the purpose for which it was intended; See Gill on Matthew 9:16.

Geneva Study Bible

No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Mark 2:21. ἐπιρράπτει, sews upon, for ἐπιβάλλει in Mt. and Lk.; not in Greek authors, here only in N. T.; in Sept[13], Job 16:15, the simple verb.—εἰ δὲ μή: vide on εἰ δὲ μήγε in Matthew 9:17.—εἰ δὲ μήγε, etc.: that which filleth up taketh from it (ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ)—the new, viz., from the old; the second clause explanatory of the first.—καὶ χ. σ. γ., and a worse rent takes place.

[13]Septuagint.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

21. new cloth] Literally uncarded or unteazled cloth.

else] i. e. if he do, the new piece taketh from the old garment, and makes worse its original rents.

Bengel's Gnomen

Mark 2:21. Αἴρει τὸ πλήρωμα τὸ καινὸν τοῦ παλαιοῦ) This reading is a mean between extremes, brief, and likely to be genuine.[22] The meaning is: the new piece put in to patch up the rent, takes away with it some of the old cloth.

[22] AΔ, later Syr., whom Tischend. follows, read αἴρει ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὸ πληρωμα. B reads τὸ πληρ. ἀφʼ εἁυτοῦ. L, whom Lachm. follows, has τὸ πλήρ. ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ. Dab Vulg. and Rec. Text have τὸ πλήρωμα (to which Rec. Text adds αὐτοῦ) τὸ καινὸν ἀπὸ (omitted in Rec. Text) τοῦ παλαίου—ED.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 21. - No man seweth a piece of new cloth - the Greek is (ῤακους ἀγνάφου) undressed cloth, cloth newly woven, and before it has been dressed by the fuller - on an old garment. The latter part of this verse is better rendered, as in the Revised Version, thus: Else that which should fill it up taketh from it, the new from the old; and a worse rent is made. The meaning of the words is this: An old garment, if it be torn, should be mended by a patch of old material; for if a patch of new material is used, its strength or fullness takes away from the old garment to which it is sewn; the old and the new do not agree, the new drags the old and tears it, and so a worse rent is made. Mark 2:21

Vincent's Word Studies

Seweth (ἐπιῤῥάπτει)

A word found in Mark only. Matthew (Matthew 9:16) and Luke (Luke 5:36) use ἐπιβάλλει, throweth upon, as we speak of clapping a patch upon.