Bible Strands
Matthew 15:9
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus quotes Isaiah 29:13 against the Pharisees, who have just rejected his teaching in favor of their own traditions. The crowd is then called to listen (v. 10), marking a pivot from confrontation to instruction.
The words — matēn (in vain) carries the verdict: the worship is not merely imperfect but void. The pairing of didaskontes (teaching) with didaskalias (doctrines) exposes the mechanism — human precepts are elevated to the status of divine instruction.
The thread — The verse is a direct quotation of Isaiah 29:13 and appears nearly verbatim in Mark 7:7. The same tension between human speculation and God's work recurs in 1 Timothy 1:4.
Why it lands — The verse forces a distinction between what one has inherited as "the way things are done" and what God actually commands, and it treats the confusion of the two as a form of empty worship.
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
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
- Mark 7:7 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’
- 1 Timothy 1:4 or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith.
- Titus 1:14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.
- Colossians 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind.
- 1 Timothy 4:6 By pointing out these things to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of faith and sound instruction that you have followed.
- Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace and not by foods of no value to those devoted to them.
- Isaiah 58:1 “Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.
- James 2:20 O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?
- Deuteronomy 12:32 See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.