EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Matthew 12:7
7You should understand what the Bible teaches. God says there, “I want people to be kind to each other. I do not just want them to offer sacrifices to me.” If you had understood this, then you would not have said to me, “Your disciples are doing something wrong.”
Matthew 12:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
- New International Version (NIV)If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
Context of Matthew 12:7
5Also, you certainly know what God's Law says about the priests. They work in the temple, even on the day of rest. They have not obeyed the Law about the day of rest. But God's Law tells us that they have not done anything that is wrong. 6But I tell you this. There is someone here now who has greater authority even than the temple. You should understand what the Bible teaches. God says there, “I want people to be kind to each other. I do not just want them to offer sacrifices to me.” If you had understood this, then you would not have said to me, “Your disciples are doing something wrong.” 8The Son of Man has authority over the Law about the day of rest.’ 9Then Jesus left that place. He went into the Jewish meeting place.
Read all of Matthew 12Matthew 12:7 word by word
εἰ δὲ ἐγνώκειτε τί ἐστιν· ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν, οὐκ ἂν κατεδικάσατε τοὺς ἀναιτίους.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- ifεἰei · ifG1487
- ye had knownγινώσκωginōskō · to knowG1097
- whatτίςtis · which?G5101
- meanethεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- I will haveθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
- mercyἔλεοςeleos · mercyG1656
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- notοὐou · noG3756
- sacrificeθυσίαthusia · sacrificeG2378
- yeκαταδικάζωkatadikazō · to condemnG2613
- wouldἄνan · ifG302
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the guiltlessἀναίτιοςanaitios · innocentG338
Cross-references for Matthew 12:7
- Matthew 9:13Go and study what it says in the Bible. God says there, “I want people to be kind to each other. I do not want them only to offer sacrifices to me.” Some people think that they always obey God. I did not come to help people like that. Some people know that they have done wrong things. I am asking those people to come to me for help.’
- Matthew 22:29Jesus said to the Sadducees, ‘You are wrong. This is because you do not know the Bible. And you do not know how powerful God is.
- Acts 13:27The people who were living in Jerusalem, and their leaders, did not understand about Jesus. They did not know that he was God's special man. Every Jewish day of rest, someone reads aloud the messages of God's prophets. But the people in Jerusalem did not understand. Instead, they said that Jesus had done bad things. They said that he should die. In that way, they caused the message of the prophets to become true.
- Isaiah 1:11The Lord says, ‘All your sacrifices are not important to me. I have received too many sacrifices that you have burned as gifts to me. I have received too many sheep and fat animals. I do not want any more blood from bulls, goats and lambs that you have offered to me as sacrifices. They do not give me any pleasure.
- Hosea 6:6It is faithful love that makes me happy. That would be better than your sacrifices to me. You should know me as your God. That would be better than your burnt offerings.
- Micah 6:6‘I come to meet with the Lord,’ you say. ‘I must know what to bring when I come. I bend down to worship him. I must know what to offer when I bend down. He is God and he is greater than everything. Perhaps he would like it if I burn young cows one year old for him.
- Job 32:3Elihu was also angry with Job's three friends. They had not been able to find an answer to Job's problem. But they still said that Job was guilty.
- Psalms 94:21They join together to work against good people. They say that people are guilty who have done nothing wrong. They say that they must die.
- Psalms 109:31He stands beside poor people, and he is ready to help them. When cruel people accuse a weak person, the Lord saves that person's life. So I will praise the Lord.
- Proverbs 17:15If a judge says that a guilty person is not guilty, the Lord hates it. If a judge punishes someone who is not guilty, the Lord hates that too.
- James 5:6You say that a righteous person is guilty. You have even killed him and he could not stop you.
Commentaries on Matthew 12:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7I will have mercy, etc. - See this explained, Matthew 9:13. There are four ways in which positive laws may cease to oblige. First, by the natural law of necessity. Secondly, by a particular law, which is superior. Thirdly, by the law of charity and mercy. Fourthly, by the dispensation and authority of the Lawgiver. These cases are all exemplified from Matthew 12:4-8.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7The Pharisees misunderstood the meaning of the Sabbath. Their view went against Scripture because it ignored the greater principle of mercy.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice--(Ho 6:6; Mi 6:6-8, &c.). See on Mt 9:13. ye would not have condemned the guiltless--that is, Had ye understood the great principle of all religion, which the Scripture everywhere recognizes--that ceremonial observances must give way before moral duties, and particularly the necessities of nature--ye would have refrained from these captious complaints against men who in this…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 12:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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