(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ritually,[a] thus[b] holding fast to the traditions of the elders. And when they come[c] from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions[d] which they have received and[e] hold fast to—for example,[f] the washing of cups and pitchers and bronze kettles and dining couches.)[g] And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their[h] bread with unclean hands?”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:3 Literally “with the fist”; although the exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain, there is general agreement it has to do with the ritual or ceremonial nature of the handwashing
  2. Mark 7:3 Here “thus” is supplied as a component of the participle (“holding fast to”) which is understood as result
  3. Mark 7:4 The phrase “when they come” is not in the Greek text but is implied
  4. Mark 7:4 The word “traditions” is not in the Greek text but is implied
  5. Mark 7:4 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“have received”) has been translated as a finite verb
  6. Mark 7:4 The phrase “for example” is not in the Greek text but is supplied as a clarification in the English translation
  7. Mark 7:4 Several important manuscripts omit “and dining couches”
  8. Mark 7:5 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.(A) When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.[a])(B)

So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders(C) instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 7:4 Some early manuscripts pitchers, kettles and dining couches