2 The Apostles are found fault with, for eating with unwashed hands. 4 The Pharisees’ traditions about washings, Hypocrites. 8 Men’s traditions more set by than God’s. 10 Parents must be honored. 15 The things that do indeed defile a man. 25 The woman of Canaan. 32 The deaf dumb man is healed.

Then (A)[a]gathered unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the Scribes which came from Jerusalem.

And when they saw some of his disciples [b]eat meat with [c]common hands, (that is to say, unwashen) they complained.

(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, [d]holding the traditions of the Elders.

And when they come from the [e]market, except they wash, they eat not: and many other things there be, which they have taken upon them to observe, as the washing of cups, and [f]pots, and of brazen vessels, and of beds.)

Then asked him the Pharisees and Scribes, Why [g]walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the Elders, but eat meat with unwashen hands?

[h]Then he answered and said unto them, Surely (B)Isaiah hath prophesied well of you, hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with lips, but their heart is far away from me.

[i]But they worship me in vain, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

[j]For ye lay the Commandments of God apart, and observe the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and of cups, and many other such like things ye do.

[k]And he said unto them, Well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may observe your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, (C)Honor thy father and thy mother: and (D)Whosoever shall speak evil of father or mother, let him [l]die the death.

11 But ye say, If a man say to father or mother, Corban, that is, By the gift that is offered by me, thou mayest have profit, he shall be free.

12 So ye suffer him no more to do anything for his father, or his mother.

13 Making the word of God of none authority, by your tradition which ye have ordained: and ye do many such like things.

14 (E)Then he calleth the whole multitude unto him, and said unto them, Hearken you all unto me, and understand.

15 There is nothing without a man, that can defile him, when it entereth into him: but the things which proceed out of him, are they which defile the man.

16 If any have ears to hear, let him hear.

17 And when he came into an house, away from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

18 And he said unto them, What? are ye without understanding also? Do ye not know that whatsoever thing from without entereth into a man, cannot defile him,

19 Because it entered not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught which is the [m]purging of all meats?

20 Then he said, That which cometh out of man, that defileth man.

21 (F)For from within, even out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22 Thefts, [n]covetousness, wickedness, deceit, uncleanness, a [o]wicked eye, backbiting, pride, foolishness.

23 All these evil things come from within, and defile a man.

24 (G)[p]And from thence he rose, and went into the [q]borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would that no man should have known: but he could not be hid.

25 For a certain woman, whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came, and fell at his feet,

26 (And the woman was a [r]Greek, a [s]Syro-Phoenician by nation) and she besought him that he would cast out the devil out of her daughter.

27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be fed: for it is not good to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto [t]whelps.

28 Then she answered, and said unto him, [u]Truth, Lord: yet indeed the whelps eat under the table of the children’s crumbs.

29 Then he said unto her, For this saying go thy way: the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

30 And when she was come home to her house, she found the devil departed, and her daughter lying on the bed.

31 [v]And he departed again from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of [w]Decapolis.

32 And they brought unto him one that was deaf and stammered in his speech, and prayed him to put his hand upon him.

33 Then he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers in his ears, and did spit, and touched his tongue.

34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

36 And he commanded them that they should tell no man: but how much soever he forbade them, the more a great deal they published it,

37 And were beyond measure astonied, saying, He hath done all things well: (H)He maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:1 None do more resist the wisdom of God, than they that should be wisest, and that upon a zeal of their own traditions: for men do not please themselves more in anything than in superstition, that is to say, in a worship of God fondly devised of themselves.
  2. Mark 7:2 Word for word, eat bread: a kind of speech which the Hebrews use, taking bread for all kinds of food.
  3. Mark 7:2 For the Pharisees would not eat their meat with unwashed hands, because they thought that their hands were defiled with common handling of things, Matt. 15:11, 12.
  4. Mark 7:3 Observing diligently.
  5. Mark 7:4 That is to say, from civil affairs and worldly, they go not to meat, unless they wash themselves first.
  6. Mark 7:4 By these words are understood all kinds of vessels, which are appointed for our daily use.
  7. Mark 7:5 Why live they not? a kind of speech taken from the Hebrews: for amongst them, the way is taken for trade of life.
  8. Mark 7:6 Hypocrisy is always joined with superstition.
  9. Mark 7:7 The more earnest the superstitious are, the more they are mad, in promising themselves God’s favor by their deserts.
  10. Mark 7:8 The devices of superstitious men do not only not fulfill the Law of God (as they blasphemously persuade themselves) but also do utterly take it away.
  11. Mark 7:9 True Religion, which is clean contrary to superstition, consisteth in spiritual worship: and all enemies of true Religion, although they seem to have taken deep root, shall be plucked up.
  12. Mark 7:10 Without hope of pardon, he shall be put to death.
  13. Mark 7:19 For that that goeth into the draught, purgeth all meats.
  14. Mark 7:22 All kind of craftiness whereby men profit themselves by other men’s losses.
  15. Mark 7:22 Cankered malice.
  16. Mark 7:24 That which the proud do reject when it is offered unto them, that same do the modest and humble sinners as it were violently wring out.
  17. Mark 7:24 Into the uttermost coasts of Palestine, which were next to Tyre and Sidon.
  18. Mark 7:26 By profession, profane.
  19. Mark 7:26 Neighbor or near to Damascus.
  20. Mark 7:27 He useth this word Whelps rather than the word Dogs, that he may seem to speak more contumaciously.
  21. Mark 7:28 As if she said, it is as thou sayest Lord, for it is enough for the whelps, if they can but gather up the crumbs that are under the table: therefore I crave the crumbs, and not the children’s bread.
  22. Mark 7:31 As the Father created us to this life in the beginning in his only Son, so doth he also in him alone renew us unto everlasting life.
  23. Mark 7:31 It was a little country, and so called of ten cities, which the four governments do run between and compass, Pliny, book 3, chap. 8.

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