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Having no regard[a] for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition.”[b] He also said to them, “You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up[c] your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’[d] and, ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:8 tn Grk “Having left the command.”
  2. Mark 7:8 tc The majority of mss, mostly Byzantine ([A] ƒ13 33 M), have at the end of v. 8 material that seems to have come from v. 4 and v. 13: “the washing of pots and cups, and you do many other similar things.” A slight variation on the wording occurs at the very beginning of v. 8 in mostly Western witnesses (D Θ 0131vid 28 565 it). Such floating texts are usually signs of scribal emendations. The fact that the earliest and most reliable mss, as well as other significant witnesses (P45 א B L W Δ 0274 ƒ1 co), lacked this material also strongly suggests that the longer reading is secondary.
  3. Mark 7:9 tc The translation here follows the reading στήσητε (stēsēte, “set up”) found in D W Θ ƒ1 28 565 2542 it sys,p Cyp. The majority of mss here read τηρήσητε (tērēsete; א A L ƒ13 33 M co) or τηρῆτε (tērēte; B), both translated “keep.” It is hard to know which reading is best: On the one hand, τηρήσητε/τηρῆτε has much stronger external support, but στήσητε is a more difficult reading. What makes “keep” suspect is that it appears in two different forms, suggesting independent alterations of a difficult reading. Further, scribes may have been influenced by the preceding “commandment of God” to change the text toward “keep” (TCGNT 81), a common enough expression (cf. Matt 19:17; John 14:15; 1 Tim 6:1; 1 John 5:3; Rev 14:12). Thus, the more difficult reading is “set up.” Also, the more natural opposite of “reject” (ἀθεῖτε [atheite], literally “you set aside”) is “set up.” However, the Western reading may have been influenced by Exod 6:4 or Heb 10:9, but this likelihood seems remote. Thus, “set up” is more likely to be the earlier reading here.
  4. Mark 7:10 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.
  5. Mark 7:10 sn A quotation from Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

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