Mark 7:5 Meaning and Explanation
“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →The Pharisees and scribes ask Jesus why his disciples do not live by the tradition of the elders but eat with unwashed hands.
What Does Mark 7:5 Mean?
The challenge comes into the open. The questioners speak of how the disciples walk — the old idiom for a whole manner of life — and the standard they invoke is telling: not the law itself, but the tradition of the elders. Custom has been seated as the court.
They aim at the disciples, but the target is the Master, for a teacher answered for the conduct of his followers. Jesus will accept the question and then raise it: not whether hands were washed, but whether hearts are near to God. He is never cornered by a question; he uses it to reach the deeper one.
Mark 7:5 in the Original Language
peripateo (περιπατέω), 'walk' -- to walk about; a common figure for one's whole way of life.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 7:5
What does Mark 7:5 mean?
The Pharisees and scribes ask Jesus why his disciples do not live by the tradition of the elders but eat with unwashed hands.