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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT ESA WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
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OET (OET-LV) For/Because_ why _reason the apprentices/followers of_you are_breaking_from the tradition of_the elders?
For/Because they_are_ not _washing their hands whenever they_may_be_eating bread.
OET (OET-RV) “Why do your followers break the traditions handed down by our elders? They’re not practicing the washing hands ceremony before eating.”
Over the years, Jewish religious leaders added many oral rules to God’s written laws. The Pharisees and teachers of the law considered these oral rules (also called traditions) to be as important as God’s written laws. One of their rules was that a person must wash his hands a certain way before he ate food. If a Jew did not follow this rule before he ate, they considered him ceremonially “unclean.” This meant that they did not allow him to worship God in public for a certain amount of time. Jesus made it clear that there was something far more important than how a person washed his hands. The important thing was the condition of his heart.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus Challenges the Pharisees’ Traditions (GW)
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity/Cleanliness
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 7:1–23 and Luke 11:37–39.
(reordered) Your disciples do not wash their hands before they eat. Why do they break the tradition of the elders like that?
Before you translate 15:2, think about the most natural order for 2a and 2b. In some languages, it may be more natural to put 2b first. For example:
2bYour disciples do not wash their hands before they eat! 2aWhy do they break the tradition of the elders like that?
“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
“Why do your disciples not follow/obey the traditions/teachings of our(incl) ancestors?
“Your disciples do not do what our ancestors taught us to do. Why?
“Your disciples break/disobey the customs of our forefathers.
Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders?: This is a rhetorical question. It is a rebuke. The Pharisees and scribes who came to Jesus rebuked/scolded him because they believed that his disciples broke the tradition of the elders.
Here are some other ways to translate this rebuke:
As a rhetorical question. For example:
Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
Your disciples break the tradition of the elders. Why?
As a statement. For example:
Your disciples break the tradition of the elders!
Your disciples should not break the tradition of the elders!
Translate this rebuke in a way that is natural in your language.
break: The Greek word that the BSB translates as break also means “disobey.” Use a verb in your language that refers to not following a tradition or custom.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
do not keep/follow
do not obey
the tradition of the elders: This phrase refers to the oral laws/rules that Jewish elders had added to the written law of Moses. These oral laws had been added and taught over a period of centuries. The Pharisees believed that it was as important to keep these oral laws as it was to keep the written law of Moses.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
the traditions of our ancestors (GW)
the laws/rules that come from our forefathers
the customs/teachings of our fathers
what our ancestors taught us to do (CEV)
the elders: Here the word elders refers to Jewish religious leaders of earlier generations. These religious leaders passed down their teachings to the Jews of later generations.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
ancestors (GNT)
forefathers
They do not wash their hands before they eat.”
We ask/say this because they do not wash their hands before they eat.”
They do not wash their hands according to our customs before they eat.”
Before they eat, they do not wash their hands in the proper/correct way.”
The Greek begins this clause with a conjunction that is often translated as “For.” It indicates that 15:2b is the reason for the question in 15:2a.
Here is another way to introduce this reason:
We ask this because
In some languages, it may be more natural to leave this conjunction untranslated. This is what the BSB and NIV do.
They do not wash their hands before they eat: This sentence means that the disciples did not follow the elders’ rules. They did not wash/rinse their hands before they ate in the way that their ancestors said that they should. One of the teachings of the elders was to ceremonially rinse their hands before meals. They poured water over each hand in a certain way. Then they considered their hands to be ceremonially clean. That way, the food would remain ceremonially clean when they touched it and ate it.
The law of Moses did not require people to wash their hands in this way. This was one of the traditions that the elders added to the law.
Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:
They don’t wash their hands in the proper way before they eat! (GNT)
Before they eat, they do not follow the correct way to wash their hands.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
διὰ τί οἱ μαθηταί σου παραβαίνουσιν τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί οἱ μαθηταί σοῦ παραβαίνουσιν τήν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οὒ Γάρ νίπτονται τάς χεῖρας ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν)
The Pharisees are using the question form to rebuke Jesus for what his disciples are doing. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [Your disciples should not transgress the tradition of the elders!] or [We are shocked that your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders.]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular
σου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί οἱ μαθηταί σοῦ παραβαίνουσιν τήν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οὒ Γάρ νίπτονται τάς χεῖρας ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν)
Here, the word your is singular since the Pharisees and scribes are speaking to Jesus.
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί οἱ μαθηταί σοῦ παραβαίνουσιν τήν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οὒ Γάρ νίπτονται τάς χεῖρας ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν)
Here, the scribes and Pharisees are using the possessive form to describe a tradition that came from the elders. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the tradition given to us by the elders] or [the tradition handed down to us by the elders]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί οἱ μαθηταί σοῦ παραβαίνουσιν τήν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οὒ Γάρ νίπτονται τάς χεῖρας ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of tradition, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [what the elders taught us]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τῶν πρεσβυτέρων
˱of˲_the elders
Here, the word elders refers to respected ancestors whose teaching is trusted. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [of the ancestral teachers] or [of our respected forefathers]
Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
γὰρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί οἱ μαθηταί σοῦ παραβαίνουσιν τήν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οὒ Γάρ νίπτονται τάς χεῖρας ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν)
Here, the word For introduces an explanation of how the disciples are transgressing the tradition. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces an explanation, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [They do that when] or [Here is how they do that:]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
οὐ & νίπτονται τὰς χεῖρας
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Διά τί οἱ μαθηταί σοῦ παραβαίνουσιν τήν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οὒ Γάρ νίπτονται τάς χεῖρας ὅταν ἄρτον ἐσθίωσιν)
Here the scribes and Pharisees are referring to how they would wash their hands with water to make them ritually or ceremonially clean. See the chapter introduction for more information about this kind of washing. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [they do not ceremonially wash their hands with water]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche
ἄρτον
bread
The scribes and Pharisees are using bread to represent any food. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [food] or [anything]
OET (OET-LV) For/Because_ why _reason the apprentices/followers of_you are_breaking_from the tradition of_the elders?
For/Because they_are_ not _washing their hands whenever they_may_be_eating bread.
OET (OET-RV) “Why do your followers break the traditions handed down by our elders? They’re not practicing the washing hands ceremony before eating.”
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.