Mark 7:5
New International Version
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?”

New Living Translation
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.”

English Standard Version
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?”

Berean Standard Bible
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”

Berean Literal Bible
And the Pharisees and the scribes questioned Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat the bread with unwashed hands?"

King James Bible
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?

New King James Version
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?”

New American Standard Bible
And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unholy hands?”

NASB 1995
The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?”

NASB 1977
And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?”

Legacy Standard Bible
And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands?”

Amplified Bible
So the Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus, “Why do Your disciples not live their lives according to the tradition of the elders, but [instead] eat their bread with [ceremonially] unwashed hands?”

Christian Standard Bible
So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ceremonially unclean hands? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ritually unclean hands?”

American Standard Version
And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the Scribes and Pharisees asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the Elders, but eat bread without having washed their hands?”

Contemporary English Version
The Pharisees and teachers asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? Why do they eat without washing their hands?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common hands?

English Revised Version
And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples follow the traditions taught by our ancestors? They are unclean because they don't wash their hands before they eat!"

Good News Translation
So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Jesus, "Why is it that your disciples do not follow the teaching handed down by our ancestors, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?"

International Standard Version
So the Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with unclean hands."

Literal Standard Version
Then the Pharisees and the scribes question Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat the bread with unwashed hands?”

Majority Standard Bible
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with unwashed hands.”

New American Bible
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”

NET Bible
The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands?"

New Revised Standard Version
So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

New Heart English Bible
The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the Tradition of the Elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?

Weymouth New Testament
So the Pharisees and Scribes put the question to Him: "Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of the Elders, and eat their food with unclean hands?"

World English Bible
The Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why don’t your disciples walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?”

Young's Literal Translation
Then question him do the Pharisees and the scribes, 'Wherefore do thy disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but with unwashed hands do eat the bread?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Tradition and Worship
4And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining. 5So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.” 6Jesus 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.…

Cross References
Mark 7:2
and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled--that is, unwashed.

Mark 7:3
Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially.

Mark 7:8
You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men."

Mark 7:9
He went on to say, "You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition.

Mark 7:13
Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters."

Galatians 1:14
I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.


Treasury of Scripture

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

Mark 2:16-18
And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? …

Matthew 15:2
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

Acts 21:21,24
And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs…

Jump to Previous
Ancients Bread Defiled Delivered Disciples Eat Elders Fathers Food Hands Impure Instead Live Pharisees Question Rules Scribes Teachers Tradition Traditions Transgress Unclean Unwashed Unwashen Walk Wherefore
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Ancients Bread Defiled Delivered Disciples Eat Elders Fathers Food Hands Impure Instead Live Pharisees Question Rules Scribes Teachers Tradition Traditions Transgress Unclean Unwashed Unwashen Walk Wherefore
Mark 7
1. The Pharisees find fault with the disciples for eating with unwashed hands.
8. They break the commandment of God by the traditions of men.
14. Food defiles not the man.
24. He heals the Syrophenician woman's daughter of an unclean spirit;
31. and one that was deaf, and stammered in his speech.














(5) With unwashen hands.--The better MSS. give, "with defiled hands," the word being the same as before. It was probable that the Pharisees would use the stronger word in their question, equally probable that a transcriber might think it better to substitute that which was the more easily understood.

Verse 5. - The Law of Moses prohibited contact with many things deemed to be unclean; and if any one had touched them he was counted unclean, so that he might not approach the temple until he had cleansed himself by the washing prescribed in the Law; the design being that by means of these ceremonial and bodily washings the Jews might be awakened to the necessity of spiritual cleansing. Hence the Jews, and especially the Pharisees, who wished to be esteemed more righteous than others, placing their whole religion in these external ceremonies, frequently washed themselves before their meals, and even at their meals. At the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee we read that there were placed "six waterpots of stone (λίθιναι ῦδρίαι)" for these purifying purposes; so that if any Jew had by accident come into contact with any unclean thing, and so had contracted any ceremonial impurity, he might remove it. This, however, was only a custom, and not a thing of legal obligation until it was exalted into a law by the Pharisees. Now, this punctilious observance of traditions by the Pharisees and other Jews yielded little or no religious profit; for it occupied their time with external purifications, and so drew away their attention from the duty of far greater moment - the cleansing of the soul from sin. They made clean "the outside of the cup and platter," but neglected the inward cleansing of the heart. Therefore our blessed Lord, who came to put an end to the old ceremonial law, and to these vain and frivolous traditions which now overlaid it, and who wished to direct all the care of his disciples to the making of the heart clean, cared not to enforce these external washings upon his disciples, although he did not say this in so many words to the Pharisees, lest he should provoke their envy and their malice. He therefore meets their question in another way.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
So
Καὶ (Kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Pharisees
Φαρισαῖοι (Pharisaioi)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5330: Of Hebrew origin; a separatist, i.e. Exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

scribes
γραμματεῖς (grammateis)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1122: From gramma. A writer, i.e. scribe or secretary.

questioned
ἐπερωτῶσιν (eperōtōsin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1905: To interrogate, question, demand of. From epi and erotao; to ask for, i.e. Inquire, seek.

[Jesus]:
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

“Why
Διὰ (Dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

{do} Your
σου (sou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

disciples
μαθηταί (mathētai)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3101: A learner, disciple, pupil. From manthano; a learner, i.e. Pupil.

not
οὐ (ou)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

live
περιπατοῦσιν (peripatousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4043: From peri and pateo; to tread all around, i.e. Walk at large; figuratively, to live, deport oneself, follow.

according to
κατὰ (kata)
Preposition
Strong's 2596: A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined).

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

tradition
παράδοσιν (paradosin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3862: An instruction, tradition. From paradidomi; transmission, i.e. a precept; specially, the Jewish traditionary law.

of the
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

elders?
πρεσβυτέρων (presbyterōn)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 4245: Comparative of presbus; older; as noun, a senior; specially, an Israelite Sanhedrist or Christian 'presbyter'.

Instead,
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

they eat
ἐσθίουσιν (esthiousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2068: Strengthened for a primary edo; used only in certain tenses, the rest being supplied by phago; to eat.

with defiled
κοιναῖς (koinais)
Adjective - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2839: Probably from sun; common, i.e. shared by all or several, or profane.

hands.�
χερσὶν (chersin)
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 5495: A hand.


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NT Gospels: Mark 7:5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked him (Mar Mk Mr)
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