Matthew 12:2 - Forerunner Commentary

Matthew 12:2

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 At that time ^aJesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to ^bpluck heads of grain and to eat.

2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

3 But He said to them, “Have you not read ^awhat David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:

4 how he entered the house of God and ate ^athe showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, ^bbut only for the priests?

5 Or have you not read in the ^alaw that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple¹ profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?

6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is ^aOne greater than the temple.

7 But if you had known what this means, ^a‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Healing on the Sabbath

9 ^aNow when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.

10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, ^a“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

Verse Comparison: Matthew 12:2

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American Standard Version
But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath.

Amplified® Bible
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, See there! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful {and} not permitted on the Sabbath.

Contemporary English Version
Some Pharisees noticed this and said to Jesus, "Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!"

Darby English Version
But the Pharisees, seeing [it], said to him, Behold, thy disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on sabbath.

Good News Bible
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do this on the Sabbath!"

International Standard Version
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"

King James Version
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

New American Standard Bible
But when the Pharisees saw {this,} they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."

New International Version
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."

New King James Version
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what does not prove lawful to do on a Sabbath."

Revised Standard Version
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath."

Young's Literal Translation
and the Pharisees having seen, said to him, `Lo, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on a sabbath.'

New English Translation
But when the Pharisees¹ saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.”

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