Mark 2:27
New International Version
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

New Living Translation
Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

English Standard Version
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Berean Literal Bible
And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made on account of the man, and not the man on account of the Sabbath.

King James Bible
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

New King James Version
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

New American Standard Bible
Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

NASB 1995
Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

NASB 1977
And He was saying to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Jesus was saying to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Amplified Bible
Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Christian Standard Bible
Then he told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then He told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

American Standard Version
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Contemporary English Version
Jesus finished by saying, "People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people.

English Revised Version
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then he added, "The day of worship was made for people, not people for the day of worship.

Good News Translation
And Jesus concluded, "The Sabbath was made for the good of human beings; they were not made for the Sabbath.

International Standard Version
Then he told them, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

Majority Standard Bible
Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

NET Bible
Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

New Heart English Bible
And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Weymouth New Testament
And Jesus said to them: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath;

World English Bible
He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath,

Berean Literal Bible
And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made on account of the man, and not the man on account of the Sabbath.

Young's Literal Translation
And he said to them, 'The sabbath for man was made, not man for the sabbath,

Smith's Literal Translation
And he said to them, The sabbath was for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to them: The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he said to them: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

New American Bible
Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

New Revised Standard Version
Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he said to them, The sabbath was created for the sake of man, and not man for the sake of the sabbath.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was created for the sake of man and not man for the sake of the Sabbath.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And he said to them: The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

Godbey New Testament
And He said to them, The Sabbath was made for the sake of man, and not man for the sake of the Sabbath.

Haweis New Testament
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

Mace New Testament
adding this observation, "the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."

Weymouth New Testament
And Jesus said to them: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath;

Worrell New Testament
And He said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath;

Worsley New Testament
And He said moreover unto them, The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Lord of the Sabbath
26During the high priesthood of Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was lawful only for the priests. And he gave some to his companions as well.” 27Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”…

Cross References
Genesis 2:2-3
And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. / Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. / Six days you shall labor and do all your work, / but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. ...

Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. / Six days you shall labor and do all your work, / but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do. ...

Matthew 12:8
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:5
Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. / For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.

Isaiah 58:13-14
If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, / then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Nehemiah 9:14
You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through Your servant Moses.

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.

Ezekiel 20:12
I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so that they would know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Exodus 31:13
“Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

Leviticus 23:3
For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

Numbers 15:32-36
While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. / Those who found the man gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation, / and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody. ...

John 5:16-18
Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him. / But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.” / Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. / Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. / For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”


Treasury of Scripture

And he said to them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Exodus 23:12
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

Deuteronomy 5:14
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.

Nehemiah 9:13,14
Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: …

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Account Jesus Sabbath
Mark 2
1. Jesus followed by multitudes,
3. heals a paralytic;
13. calls Matthew;
15. eats with tax collectors and sinners;
18. excuses his disciples for not fasting;
23. and for picking the heads of grain on the Sabbath day.














Then Jesus declared
This phrase introduces a direct statement from Jesus, emphasizing the authority and significance of His words. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus often speaks with authority, challenging existing interpretations and practices. The Greek word for "declared" (λέγει) implies a definitive and authoritative pronouncement, underscoring the importance of what follows.

The Sabbath
The Sabbath, originating from the Hebrew word "Shabbat," meaning "to cease" or "to rest," is a day of rest instituted by God in Genesis 2:2-3 and codified in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). It was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a day set apart for rest and worship. By the time of Jesus, the Sabbath had accumulated numerous additional rules and traditions, which often overshadowed its original purpose.

was made
The Greek word used here, "ἐγένετο" (egeneto), means "came into being" or "was created." This indicates that the Sabbath is not an eternal principle but a created institution, designed with a specific purpose in mind. It highlights the intentionality behind the Sabbath's establishment.

for man
This phrase emphasizes the purpose of the Sabbath: it was created for the benefit of humanity. The Sabbath was intended to provide rest, refreshment, and a time for spiritual renewal. It was a gift from God, meant to serve human needs and promote well-being, rather than being a burdensome obligation.

not man
Here, Jesus is correcting a common misconception of His time. The religious leaders had turned the Sabbath into a legalistic burden, placing the observance of rules above the welfare of people. Jesus is reorienting the focus, reminding His listeners that human needs and dignity take precedence over ritualistic observance.

for the Sabbath
This concluding phrase reinforces the idea that the Sabbath should not dominate or control human life. Instead, it should serve humanity, aligning with God's compassionate and gracious character. Jesus' teaching here challenges the legalism of the Pharisees and calls for a return to the Sabbath's original intent as a blessing and a time for restoration.

Verse 27. - The sabbath was instituted for the benefit of man, that he might refresh and renew his body, fatigued and worn by six days' labour, with the restful calm of the seventh; and that he might have leisure to apply his mind to the things which concern his everlasting salvation; to consider and meditate upon the Law of God; and rouse himself, by the remembrance of the Divine greatness and goodness, to true repentance, to gratitude, and to love. The force of the argument is this: The sabbath was made on account of man, not man on account of the sabbath. The sabbath, great and important as that institution is, is subordinate to man. If, then, the absolute rest of the sabbath becomes hurtful to man, a new departure must be taken, and some amount of labour must be undergone, that man may be benefited. Therefore was Christ justified in permitting to his disciples a little labour in plucking these ears of corn on the sabbath day, in order that they may appease their hunger. For it is better that the rest of the sabbath should be disturbed, though but a little, than that any one of those for whose sake the sabbath was instituted should perish.

Parallel Commentaries ...


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

[Jesus] told
ἔλεγεν (elegen)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

them,
αὐτοῖς (autois)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
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.

“The
Τὸ (To)
Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Sabbath
σάββατον (sabbaton)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4521: The Sabbath, a week.

was made
ἐγένετο (egeneto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

for
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

man,
ἄνθρωπον (anthrōpon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

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

man
ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

for
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

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

Sabbath.
σάββατον (sabbaton)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4521: The Sabbath, a week.


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NT Gospels: Mark 2:27 He said to them The Sabbath was (Mar Mk Mr)
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