1Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying: [15:2] Why do your disciples step across the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. [15:3] Jesus answered and said to them: Why do you also step across the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? [15:4] For God commanded: Honor your father and your mother, and: The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die. [15:5] But you say: Whoever says to his father or his mother, Whatever you might have received from me is a gift to God — [15:6] he need not honor his father. And you have made void the word of God for the sake of your tradition. [15:7] Actors! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you, saying: [15:8] This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. [15:9] In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
MAT 15:1-9
The Tradition of the Elders
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Jewish society, the Pharisees and scribes were guardians of oral traditions that interpreted and expanded the written Torah. Handwashing before meals was one such tradition, rooted in purity laws but not explicitly commanded in Scripture. For the Pharisees, these traditions were essential for maintaining holiness and communal identity. Jesus’ disciples, however, did not observe this practice, which the Pharisees saw as a transgression of communal norms. Jesus counters by accusing them of prioritizing human traditions over divine commandments, citing the Decalogue’s injunction to honor parents. He highlights their hypocrisy , accusing them of allowing individuals to declare resources as ‘Corban’ (a gift dedicated to God) to avoid supporting their parents, thus violating the commandment. This practice, while technically legal, undermined familial obligations, a cornerstone of Jewish and Greco-Roman society. Jesus’ critique exposes the tension between ritual purity and ethical integrity, challenging the Pharisees’ authority and their interpretation of holiness.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
MAT 15:1
- KJV
- Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
- BSB
- Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
- Koinōnos
- Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying:
MAT 15:2
- KJV
- Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
- BSB
- “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
- Koinōnos
- Why do your disciples step across the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.
MAT 15:3
- KJV
- But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
- BSB
- Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
- Koinōnos
- Jesus answered and said to them: Why do you also step across the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
MAT 15:4
- KJV
- For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
- BSB
- For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
- Koinōnos
- For God commanded: Honor your father and your mother, and: The one who speaks evil of father or mother must certainly die.
MAT 15:5
- KJV
- But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
- BSB
- But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’
- Koinōnos
- But you say: Whoever says to his father or his mother, Whatever you might have received from me is a gift to God —
MAT 15:6
- KJV
- And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
- BSB
- he need not honor his father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
- Koinōnos
- he need not honor his father. And you have made void the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
MAT 15:7
- KJV
- Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
- BSB
- You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you:
- Koinōnos
- Actors! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you, saying:
MAT 15:8
- KJV
- This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
- BSB
- ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
- Koinōnos
- This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
MAT 15:9
- KJV
- But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
- BSB
- They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
- Koinōnos
- In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.1.2
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.1.2
“The Jews had for a great while had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the sect of the Essens, and the sect of the Sadducees, and the third sort of opinions was that of those called Pharisees”
Cited to ground: In 1st-century Jewish society, the Pharisees and scribes were guardians of oral traditions that interpreted and expanded the written Torah.
Translator's notes
MAT 15:2
- break:The word translated 'break' here implies stepping across a boundary or going beyond a prescribed limit, suggesting a deliberate act of transgression against a rule or command.
- tradition:The word translated 'tradition' refers to something handed down or transmitted, whether orally or in writing, often carrying the weight of established custom or teaching.
MAT 15:4
- and:The word translated 'curse' or 'revile' means to speak evil of someone, to insult them, or to call down harm upon them, indicating strong verbal abuse.
MAT 15:7
- Hypocrites!:The term translated 'Hypocrites' originally referred to an actor on a stage, someone playing a part and concealing their true self behind a mask or facade.