Mark 7:9

9 And he said to them, Well do ye set aside the commandment of God, that ye may observe what is delivered by yourselves [to keep].

Mark 7:9 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 7:9

And he said unto them
He continued his discourse, saying,

full well,
or "fairly",

ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own
tradition:
these words may be considered, as spoken ironically, thus; as pious and excellently good men, you in a very fair and handsome manner, reject and make void the commandments and laws of God; and it is very fit it should be so, in order to preserve your own traditions, that nothing may be wanting to keep up the honour of them, and a due regard to them. The Arabic version reads the words by way of interrogation, "is it fit that you should omit the commandments of God, and keep your own statutes?" and so the Ethiopic, "do ye rightly make void the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own commandment?" Which makes them come nearer to the passage in Matthew; (See Gill on Matthew 15:3).

Mark 7:9 In-Context

7 But in vain do they worship me, teaching [as their] teachings commandments of men.

8 [For], leaving the commandment of God, ye hold what is delivered by men [to keep] -- washings of vessels and cups, and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said to them, Well do ye set aside the commandment of God, that ye may observe what is delivered by yourselves [to keep].

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, he who speaks ill of father or mother, let him surely die.

11 But *ye* say, If a man say to his father or his mother, [It is] corban (that is, gift), whatsoever thou mightest have profit from me by ...

Footnotes

• [a]. Or 'your tradition.'