Bible Strands
Mark 2:24
So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Pharisees confront Jesus, asking why His disciples are performing an action deemed unlawful on the Sabbath. This occurs immediately after the disciples pluck grain heads while walking through a field on a Sabbath day.
The words — The Greek ἴδε (ide) translates literally as "Behold," functioning as a pointed interjection to highlight the disciples' actions. The verb ποιοῦσιν (poiousin) means "they do," directly questioning the permissibility of the work being performed.
The thread — This confrontation parallels the account in Matthew 12:2 and echoes the foundational Sabbath prohibition in Exodus 20:10. The tension between ritual observance and human need also aligns with the call to endure opposition in Hebrews 12:3.
Why it lands — The text forces a reader to examine how established religious boundaries interact with immediate physical necessity. It demands a clear assessment of whether tradition or necessity holds priority when rules are tested.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
Cross-references
- Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.
- Matthew 12:2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
- Hebrews 12:3 Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
- Exodus 31:15 For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death.
- Exodus 35:2 For six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on that day must be put to death.
- Numbers 15:32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.
- Nehemiah 13:15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day.
- Isaiah 56:2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
- Isaiah 56:4 For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant—
- Isaiah 56:6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants—all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it and who hold fast to My covenant—