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Mark 7:4
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2 Now1 when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with aunwashed hands, they found fault.  
3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands1 in a special way, holding the atradition of the elders.  
4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.
5 aThen the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”  
6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ahypocrites, as it is written:
b‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me. 
7 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men —the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”  
9 He said to them, “All too well ayou reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  
10 For Moses said, a‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, b‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’  
11 But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, a“Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God),  
12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother,
13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
14 aWhen He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and bunderstand:  
15 There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that adefile a man.  
Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
<< Mark 7:3   Mark 7:5 >>


Mark 7:4

And when they come - This clause is added by our translators, to fill up the sense; but it was probably a part of the original: for is the reading of the Codex Bezae, Vulgate, Armenian, and most of the Itala. The clause in my old MS. Bible is read thus: And thei turninge agein fro chepinge . The words seem essentially necessary to a proper understanding of the text; and, if not admitted on the above authority, they must be supplied in italics, as in our common translation.

Except they wash - Or dip; for may mean either. But instead of the word in the text, the famous Codex Vaticanus; (B), eight others, and Euthymius, have ̔ , sprinkle. However, the Jews sometimes washed their hands previously to their eating: at other times, they simply dipped or plunged them into the water.

Of cups - ; any kind of earthen vessels.

Pots - Of measures - Ϛ , from the singular Ϛ , a measure for liquids, formed from the Latin sextarius , equal to a pint and a half English. See this proved by Wetstein on this place. My old MS. renders it cruetis .

Of brazen vessels - . These, if polluted, were only to be washed, or passed through the fire; whereas the earthen vessels were to be broken.

And of tables - Beds, couches - . This is wanting in BL, two others, and the Coptic. It is likely it means no more than the forms, or seats, on which they sat to eat. A bed or a couch was defiled, if any unclean person sat or leaned on it - a man with an issue - a leper - a woman with child, etc. As the word , baptisms, is applied to all these, and as it is contended that this word, and the verb whence it is derived, signify dipping or immersion alone, its use in the above cases refutes that opinion and shows that it was used, not only to express dipping or immersion, but also sprinkling and washing. The cups and pots were washed; the beds and forms perhaps sprinkled; and the hands dipped up to the wrist.




Other Adam Clarke entries containing Mark 7:4:

Luke 11:38

 

<< Mark 7:3   Mark 7:5 >>

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