But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given 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;
- BSB 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,’
- NKJV But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift 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, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’
- Acts 5:29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
- Matt 23:16–18“Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’
- Amos 7:15–17and Yahweh took me from following the flock, and Yahweh said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
- Lev 27:9–34“‘If it is an animal, of which men offer an offering to Yahweh, all that any man gives of such to Yahweh becomes holy.
- Acts 4:19But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, judge for yourselves,
- Prov 20:25It is a snare to a man to make a rash dedication, then later to consider 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.