Mark 7:9

9 "Praiseworthy indeed!" He added, "to set at nought God's Commandment in order to observe your own traditions!

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 idle is their devotion while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'

8 "You neglect God's Commandment: you hold fast to men's traditions."

9 "Praiseworthy indeed!" He added, "to set at nought God's Commandment in order to observe your own traditions!

10 For Moses said, `Honour thy father and thy mother' and again, `He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.'

11 But *you* say, `If a man says to his father or mother, It is a Korban (that is, a thing devoted to God), whatever it is, which otherwise you would have received from me--'