But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’
Parallel translations
- WEB But you say, ‘Whoever may tell his father or his mother, “Whatever help you might otherwise have gotten from me is a gift devoted to God,”
- KJV But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
- NKJV But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God ”—
- NASB But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,”
- NLT But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’
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 describes the loophole by which a person could declare his money 'devoted to God' and so refuse to support his parents. It matters because it shows piety being twisted into an excuse for neglect.
Overview
The 'Corban' tradition (cf. Mark 7:11) allowed a person to dedicate property to the temple in a way that released him from using it to help his aging parents. What looked like religious devotion became a pretext for withholding the support God commanded. Jesus exposes how a human rule can be used to cloak the violation of a divine one. The episode warns that outward religiosity can mask a heart that evades real obedience.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Mark 7:10–13For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’
- Acts 5:29But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
- Matt 23:16–18Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
- Amos 7:15–17But the LORD took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’
- Lev 27:9–34If he vows an animal that may be brought as an offering to the LORD, any such animal given to the LORD shall be holy.
- Acts 4:19But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.
- Prov 20:25It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 15:5 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.