Mark 7:10

10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ ^[a] and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ ^[b]

Mark 7:10 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 7:10

For Moses said
That is, God by Moses; for the following precept was spoken by God, and written by him on one of the tables of stone, and delivered into the hands of Moses, to be given to the children of Israel:

honour thy father and thy mother,
( Exodus 20:12 ) , the sanction of which law is,

and whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death,
( Exodus 21:17 ) . As the former of these commands is to be understood, not only of honouring parents in thought, word, and deed, but also of providing for them, when in want and distress, through poverty and old age; so the latter is to be interpreted, not merely of wishing or imprecating the most dreadful things upon parents, which some may not be guilty of, and yet transgress this command; but likewise of every slight put upon them, and neglect of them, when in necessitous circumstances: and both these laws were broken by the Jews, through their tradition hereafter mentioned; (See Gill on Matthew 15:4).

Mark 7:10 In-Context

8 You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men. ”

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

10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’

11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),

12 he is no longer permitted to do anything for his father or mother.

Footnotes

• [a]. Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
• [b]. Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9