He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Parallel translations
- KJV And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
- BSB Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
- NKJV And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
- NASB Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
- NLT Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus declares that the Sabbath was given as a gift to serve human flourishing, not as a burden under which people exist. It matters because it reframes God's command as gracious provision rather than oppressive ritual.
Overview
Against a legalism that had multiplied restrictions, Jesus restores the Sabbath to its created purpose: rest and refreshment for humanity. The day was instituted at creation for human good, so works of mercy and necessity honor rather than violate it. This reveals God's heart of generosity behind his law, anticipating the deeper rest Christ himself offers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Col 2:16Let no one therefore judge you in eating, or in drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day,
- Luke 6:9Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you something: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?”
- Deut 5:14but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God, in which you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
- Ezek 20:12Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.
- Isa 58:13“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of Yahweh honorable; and shall honor it, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words:
- Ezek 20:20and make my Sabbaths holy; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God. ’
- Exod 23:12“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed.
- John 7:23If a boy receives circumcision on the Sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me, because I made a man completely healthy on the Sabbath?
- Neh 9:13–14“You also came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments,
- 2 Cor 4:15For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
- 1 Cor 3:21–22Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 2:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.