Devine Scripture

Mark 7:2

What does Mark 7:2 mean?

A plain-English look at Mark 7:2 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Mark 7:2 means

The Pharisees’ complaint is practical and symbolic: they observed some of Jesus’ disciples eating with “defiled,” that is, unwashed hands. In their eyes this behavior violated established purity practices that regulated religious and communal life. The accusation implies that Jesus’ movement disregards important religious hygiene and, more seriously, the community’s covenantal symbols. The charge is less about germs than about ritual cleanliness tied to holiness before God.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And had seen that some of his disciples took their bread with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and having seen certain of his disciples with defiled hands--that is, unwashed--eating bread, they found fault;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

and seeing some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, unwashed, hands,

Context

This verse explains why the Jerusalem officials have come—because they noticed a particular behavior among Jesus’ followers. It prepares the reader for a discussion about the meaning and priority of ritual washings. The issue raised will become a theater for Jesus to expose deeper spiritual problems unlike the surface practice of handwashing.

v.1And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem,

v.2This passage

v.3(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders;

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Matthew 23:23

    Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.

  • Matthew 7:3

    And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

  • Daniel 6:4

    Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

  • Romans 14:14

    I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself: save that to him who accounteth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

  • Acts 10:28

    and he said unto them, Ye yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation; and yet unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or unclean:

  • Acts 11:8

    But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth.

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