independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
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Hands, tradition, and the commandment of God 7:1–13
vv. 1–5 — the observation, Mark's aside, and the question
1
Καὶ συνάγονται πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καί τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐλθόντες ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων.independent — historic present συνάγονται — the Jerusalem deputation converges; official scrutiny arrives from the capital
2
καὶ ἰδόντες τινὰς τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ὅτιparticipial — preposed circumstantial — anacoluthon: it leans forward across the parenthesis of vv. 3–4 to ἐπερωτῶσιν (v. 5)
κοιναῖς χερσίν, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν ἀνίπτοις, ἐσθίουσιν τοὺς ἄρτουςcontent — ὅτι-content of the seeing; Mark glosses the ritual term κοιναῖς ('common') as ἀνίπτοις for outsiders
3
— οἱ γὰρ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ πάντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοιcause — the narrator's parenthesis opens — explanatory γάρ for Gentile readers; subject suspended before its protasis
ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖραςconditional — protasis — πυγμῇ notoriously obscure ('with the fist,' 'up to the wrist,' 'carefully'); left literal
οὐκ ἐσθίουσιν,cause — the aside's main verb — customary present
κρατοῦντες τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων,participial — κρατέω — the tenacious grip on the oral tradition, the chapter's contested word
4
καὶ ἀπ’ ἀγορᾶς ἐὰν μὴ βαπτίσωνταιconditional — second protasis — βαπτίσωνται (some witnesses ῥαντίσωνται, 'sprinkle'); market contact risked defilement
οὐκ ἐσθίουσιν,cause — the refrain of the aside repeats
καὶ ἄλλα πολλά ἐστινcause — the traditions multiply beyond handwashing
ἃ παρέλαβον κρατεῖν,relative — παρέλαβον — the technical verb of receiving tradition, cognate to παράδοσις
βαπτισμοὺς ποτηρίων καὶ ξεστῶν καὶ χαλκίων.phrase modifier — apposition — the inventory of immersions; the parenthesis closes
5
καὶ ἐπερωτῶσιν αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς·independent — historic present — the sentence broken off at v. 2 is finally resumed; the challenge lands
Διὰ τί οὐ περιπατοῦσιν οἱ μαθηταί σου κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων,content — περιπατεῖν — the halakah idiom: conduct as walking
ἀλλὰ κοιναῖς χερσὶν ἐσθίουσιν τὸν ἄρτον;content — the charge in their own ritual vocabulary — κοιναῖς again
vv. 6–8 — Isaiah's indictment and the verdict
6
Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς·independent — the reply — speech-frame
Καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν Ἠσαΐας περὶ ὑμῶν τῶν ὑποκριτῶν,content — the first Καλῶς — Isaiah 'aptly' described them; ὑποκριτής, the play-actor
ὡς γέγραπται ὅτιcomparative — citation formula with recitative ὅτι — the standing record of Scripture
Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ,content — Isa 29:13 LXX — lip-honor; covenant language turned to indictment
ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ·content — καρδία — the chapter's key term enters: the far heart behind the near lips
7
μάτην δὲ σέβονταί μεcontent — the citation's verdict — worship voided
διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων.participial — the manner that empties the worship — human ἐντάλματα dignified as διδασκαλίαι
8
ἀφέντες τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦparticipial — preposed aorist participle — the abandonment loaded before the verb strikes; leans on κρατεῖτε
κρατεῖτε τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων.content — the verdict applied — their κρατεῖν (v. 3) grips παράδοσις, not ἐντολή
vv. 9–13 — Moses versus Korban
9
καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς·independent — iterative imperfect — the rebuke continues in a second wave
Καλῶς ἀθετεῖτε τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦcontent — the second Καλῶς — biting irony: how skillfully they annul
ἵνα τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν τηρήσητε.purpose — the purpose stated bluntly — ὑμῶν: the tradition is now theirs, not the elders'
10
Μωϋσῆς γὰρ εἶπεν·cause — the scriptural ground — Moses' 'said' set against their 'say' (v. 11)
Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου,content — Exod 20:12 — the fifth commandment, including material support
καί· Ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θανάτῳ τελευτάτω·content — Exod 21:17 LXX — the capital sanction; θανάτῳ τελευτάτω renders the Hebrew infinitive absolute
11
ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε·content — the antithesis — emphatic ὑμεῖς against Μωϋσῆς: their counter-torah
Ἐὰν εἴπῃ ἄνθρωπος τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρί·conditional — protasis inside quoted speech — leans forward across the Korban words to the apodosis (v. 12)
Κορβᾶν,content — the vow-word itself — transliterated Hebrew/Aramaic qorbān, withdrawing the thing from ordinary use
ὅ ἐστιν δῶρον,relative — Mark's parenthetic gloss for his readers — the first of the chapter's translation asides
ὃ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς,relative — the thing vowed away — the very support the parent would have received
12
οὐκέτι ἀφίετε αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ποιῆσαι τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρί,content — the apodosis — their ruling actively forbids the help the commandment requires
13
ἀκυροῦντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ τῇ παραδόσει ὑμῶνparticipial — result/means participle — ἀκυρόω, stripping God's word of its authority
ᾗ παρεδώκατε·relative — dative ᾗ attracted to its antecedent — παρεδώκατε, the cognate verb: they perpetuate what they received
καὶ παρόμοια τοιαῦτα πολλὰ ποιεῖτε.content — the close — Korban is representative, not isolated
What defiles — nothing outside, everything from the heart 7:14–23
vv. 14–15 — the aphorism to the crowd
14
Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος πάλιν τὸν ὄχλονparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἔλεγεν; the audience widens beyond the deputation
ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς·independent — the public pronouncement — speech-frame
Ἀκούσατέ μου πάντεςcontent — the programmatic summons — the parable-audience formula (cf. 4:3)
καὶ σύνετε.content — συνίημι — the understanding the disciples will be shown to lack (ἀσύνετοι, v. 18)
15
οὐδέν ἐστιν ἔξωθεν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς αὐτὸνcontent — the negative half of the aphorism — ἔξωθεν, the doomed direction
ὃ δύναται κοινῶσαι αὐτόν·relative — κοινόω — the ritual-pollution verb that frames the whole unit (vv. 15, 18, 20, 23)
ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκπορευόμενά ἐστιν τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον.content — the positive half — εἰσπορευόμενον answered by ἐκπορευόμενα; defilement's direction reversed
vv. 17–19 — the house explanation (no v. 16: the critical text omits the ears-to-hear refrain as harmonization to 4:9, 23)
17
Καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθεν εἰς οἶκον ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου,conditional — temporal ὅτε (typed cnd; no temporal key) — the Markan house, the schoolroom of private teaching
ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν παραβολήν.independent — inceptive imperfect — the saying of v. 15 is a παραβολή to them: a riddle
18
καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς·independent — historic present — the explanation begins with a rebuke
Οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε;content — the rebuke — καὶ ὑμεῖς: even you, like the outsiders; ἀσύνετοι answers σύνετε (v. 14)
οὐ νοεῖτεcontent — the second question — dullness pressed
ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἔξωθεν εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὐ δύναται αὐτὸν κοινῶσαι,content — the aphorism restated as content — πᾶν … οὐ, the Semitic 'nothing whatever'
19
ὅτι οὐκ εἰσπορεύεται αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἀλλ’ εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν,cause — the digestion argument — food's path is bodily, never reaching the καρδία
καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκπορεύεται;cause — the blunt terminus — ἀφεδρών; food's ἐκπορεύεται is merely physical
— καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα.participial — THE crux — masc. nom. participle agreeing with the subject of λέγει (v. 18): read here as Mark's editorial verdict, 'he declared all foods clean' (cf. Acts 10:15), not Jesus' own syntax; the Byzantine neuter καθαρίζον smooths it back into the quotation
vv. 20–23 — from within: the vice catalogue
20
ἔλεγεν δὲ ὅτιindependent — speech-frame with recitative ὅτι — the positive thesis resumed
Τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκεῖνο κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.content — casus pendens resumed by ἐκεῖνο — the emphatic 'that is what defiles'
21
ἔσωθεν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοὶ ἐκπορεύονται,cause — the ground — ἔσωθεν against ἔξωθεν; the heart of Isa 29:13 now the wellspring of evil
πορνεῖαι, κλοπαί, φόνοι,phrase modifier — the vice catalogue opens — plurals of concrete deed
22
μοιχεῖαι, πλεονεξίαι, πονηρίαι, δόλος, ἀσέλγεια, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός, βλασφημία, ὑπερηφανία, ἀφροσύνη·phrase modifier — the list turns from plural deeds to singular dispositions — ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός the Semitic 'evil eye,' envy
23
πάντα ταῦτα τὰ πονηρὰ ἔσωθεν ἐκπορεύεται καὶ κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.content — the summary verdict — ἔσωθεν has the last word; the heart, not food, is the locus of impurity
The Syrophoenician woman — the children's bread 7:24–30
vv. 24–26 — the hidden house and the Gentile suppliant
24
Ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἀναστὰςparticipial — preposed circumstantial — the Semitic setting-out idiom; leans on ἀπῆλθεν
ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὰ ὅρια Τύρου.independent — into Gentile territory — the foods-clean verdict is at once enacted in geography
καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς οἰκίανparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἤθελεν; the house again, now for hiding
οὐδένα ἤθελεν γνῶναι,independent — the attempted concealment — descriptive imperfect
καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθη λαθεῖν·independent — the Markan pattern — the secret that will not keep (cf. 1:45)
25
ἀλλ’ εὐθὺς ἀκούσασα γυνὴ περὶ αὐτοῦ,participial — preposed circumstantial with εὐθύς — leans on προσέπεσεν; the report outruns the hiding
ἧς εἶχεν τὸ θυγάτριον αὐτῆς πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον,relative — pleonastic αὐτῆς after ἧς — Semitic; θυγάτριον the pathos-diminutive; ἀκάθαρτον, the chapter's true uncleanness
ἐλθοῦσα προσέπεσεν πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ·independent — προσπίπτω — the suppliant's prostration
26
ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἦν Ἑλληνίς,independent — Ἑλληνίς — a Gentile by religion and culture; Mark pauses the scene to mark the boundary
Συροφοινίκισσα τῷ γένει·phrase modifier — verbless apposition — dative of respect τῷ γένει; emphatically outside Israel
καὶ ἠρώτα αὐτὸνindependent — iterative imperfect — persistent entreaty
ἵνα τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐκβάλῃ ἐκ τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτῆς.content — ἵνα of content after a verb of asking — the request itself
vv. 27–30 — the children's bread and the crumb-riposte
27
καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτῇ·independent — descriptive imperfect — the testing answer
Ἄφες πρῶτον χορτασθῆναι τὰ τέκνα,content — πρῶτον — a sequence, not an exclusion: Israel first, a 'then' held open; χορτάζω, the feeding-miracle verb (6:42)
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν καλὸνcause — the proverb's ground
λαβεῖν τὸν ἄρτον τῶν τέκνωνcontent — subject infinitive — the ἄρτος of the loaves-narrative becomes the children's portion
καὶ τοῖς κυναρίοις βαλεῖν.content — the saying's edge — κυνάριον, the house-dog diminutive, softens but does not erase the insult; the layout leaves the offense standing as a test
28
ἡ δὲ ἀπεκρίθη καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ·independent — aorist + historic present — the riposte given Mark's vivid frame
Κύριε·content — the only person in Mark to address Jesus as κύριε — respectful 'sir' at least, confession at most
καὶ τὰ κυνάρια ὑποκάτω τῆς τραπέζης ἐσθίουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν ψιχίων τῶν παιδίων.content — the riposte — she accepts his image and turns it: ascensive καί, the diminutives ψιχία and παιδία; the crumbs suffice
29
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ·independent — the concession — speech-frame
Διὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον ὕπαγε,content — διὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον — her word wins; the only argument Jesus ever concedes in Mark
ἐξελήλυθεν ἐκ τῆς θυγατρός σου τὸ δαιμόνιον.content — perfect ἐξελήλυθεν — already done and standing; healing at a distance, no rite, no touch
30
καὶ ἀπελθοῦσα εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτῆςparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on εὗρεν; she obeys the ὕπαγε
εὗρεν τὸ παιδίον βεβλημένον ἐπὶ τὴν κλίνην καὶ τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐξεληλυθός.independent — double perfect participles — the child at rest, the demon departed: v. 29 verified word for word
The deaf stammerer — Ephphatha 7:31–37
vv. 31–35 — the Decapolis route and the opened ears
31
Καὶ πάλιν ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῶν ὁρίων Τύρουparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἦλθεν
ἦλθεν διὰ Σιδῶνος εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ὁρίων Δεκαπόλεως.independent — the roundabout itinerary — north via Sidon, then down through Gentile Decapolis: the geography of the mission widening
32
καὶ φέρουσιν αὐτῷ κωφὸν καὶ μογιλάλον,independent — historic present — μογιλάλος, virtually only here and Isa 35:6 LXX: the Isaianic sign walks in
καὶ παρακαλοῦσιν αὐτὸνindependent — historic present — the intercessors, as at 2:3; 8:22
ἵνα ἐπιθῇ αὐτῷ τὴν χεῖρα.content — ἵνα of content — the expected healing gesture requested
33
καὶ ἀπολαβόμενος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου κατ’ ἰδίανparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἔβαλεν; the cure withdrawn from spectacle
ἔβαλεν τοὺς δακτύλους αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦindependent — the first narrative aorist — touch addressed to the deaf ears themselves
καὶ πτύσαςparticipial — preposed aorist participle — leans on ἥψατο; saliva as popular healing medium
ἥψατο τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ,independent — ἥψατο — the touch again (1:41), now on the bound tongue
34
καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸνparticipial — preposed circumstantial — leans on ἐστέναξεν; the heavenward look, an implicit prayer (cf. 6:41)
ἐστέναξεν,independent — στενάζω — the sigh: compassion, or the groan over a broken creation
καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ·independent — historic present — the word of power framed
Εφφαθα,content — the Aramaic preserved — the very syllables Jesus spoke (cf. ταλιθα κουμ, 5:41)
ὅ ἐστιν Διανοίχθητι.phrase modifier — Mark's translation gloss — the chapter's third aside for Greek readers (vv. 2, 11, 34)
35
καὶ εὐθέως ἠνοίγησαν αὐτοῦ αἱ ἀκοαί,independent — divine passive — the command 'be opened' answered verbatim
καὶ ἐλύθη ὁ δεσμὸς τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ,independent — δεσμός — the tongue's fetter: the impediment pictured as a binding undone
καὶ ἐλάλει ὀρθῶς.independent — inceptive imperfect — the loosed tongue keeps talking; ὀρθῶς, clear at once
vv. 36–37 — silence charged, proclamation redoubled
36
καὶ διεστείλατο αὐτοῖςindependent — διαστέλλομαι — the messianic-secret injunction
ἵνα μηδενὶ λέγωσιν·content — the content of the charge — the silence commanded
ὅσον δὲ αὐτοῖς διεστέλλετο,conditional — correlative ὅσον … μᾶλλον (typed cnd; no correlative key) — iterative imperfect: the repeated charge, leaning on ἐκήρυσσον
αὐτοὶ μᾶλλον περισσότερον ἐκήρυσσον.independent — piled comparatives μᾶλλον περισσότερον — the leper's disobedience (1:45) now a chorus
37
καὶ ὑπερπερισσῶς ἐξεπλήσσοντοindependent — ὑπερπερισσῶς — a NT hapax, the double-compound outdoing even περισσότερον
λέγοντες·participial — pleonastic speech-participle — the frame for the acclamation
Καλῶς πάντα πεποίηκεν·content — the third Καλῶς — no longer irony: the Gen 1:31 echo ('God saw all that he had made, and it was very good'); consummative perfect
καὶ τοὺς κωφοὺς ποιεῖ ἀκούειν καὶ τοὺς ἀλάλους λαλεῖν.content — Isa 35:5–6 — the messianic-age signs; the plurals generalize the one cure into the new creation
Analysis. Mark 7 keeps the narrative shape of Mark 1 — flush-left purple main clauses, preposed circumstantial participles leaning anchor-less on the verb below (Ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἀναστάς, καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς οἰκίαν, ἀπολαβόμενος, ἀναβλέψας), all speech hanging blue beneath its verb of saying — but its first half is dispute, so the column fills with argument. The unwashed-hands observation of v. 2 is left as Mark leaves it, an anacoluthon: ἰδόντες leans forward across the narrator's two-verse parenthesis (vv. 3–4, flush-left cau lines tagged as the aside for Gentile readers, with the notoriously obscure πυγμῇ, 'with a fist,' rendered literally) until ἐπερωτῶσιν in v. 5 finally supplies the verb. Jesus' reply nests the Isa 29:13 LXX quotation under γέγραπται, sets Μωϋσῆς γὰρ εἶπεν against ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε, and runs the Korban case as a protasis chain inside quoted speech — Ἐὰν εἴπῃ leaning forward, the vow-word Κορβᾶν hanging under εἴπῃ with Mark's ὅ ἐστιν δῶρον gloss as a relative beneath it, and the apodosis οὐκέτι ἀφίετε landing two levels up. Cruxes named honestly: at v. 19 καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα is the layout's biggest interpretive act — the masculine nominative participle is taken as Mark's editorial verdict reaching back over Jesus' whole sentence to the subject of λέγει (v. 18), 'thus he declared all foods clean' (cf. Acts 10:15), not as Jesus' own syntax, though the tag concedes the rival construals (the Byzantine neuter καθαρίζον smooths the grammar and hands the words to Jesus); v. 16 does not exist in this text — the critical editions omit the ears-to-hear refrain as a harmonization to 4:9, 23, and the numbering jumps 15 → 17; in the Syrophoenician scene the dogs-saying keeps its edge — κυνάριον is the house-dog diminutive and πρῶτον holds a 'then' open for the Gentiles, but neither softens the insult away, and it is her λόγος (v. 29), the only riposte Jesus ever concedes in Mark, that wins the exorcism-at-a-distance; the vice catalogue stands as two verbless mod lines under οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοί, six plurals of deed then six singulars of disposition; and the Ephphatha of v. 34 keeps the Aramaic on the line with Mark's translation gloss hung beneath it, the ὅσον … μᾶλλον correlative of v. 36 leans forward on the defiant ἐκήρυσσον, and the crowd's Καλῶς πάντα πεποίηκεν closes the chapter on Gen 1:31 and Isa 35:5–6 at once.