Matthew 12:7

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

5Or haven’t you read in Moses’ Teachings that on the day of rest—a holy day, the priests in the temple do things they shouldn’t on the day of rest yet remain innocent? 6I can guarantee that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices’ means, you would not have condemned innocent people. 8“The Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.” 9Jesus moved on from there and went into a synagogue.

Matthew 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 9:13Learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices.’ I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have God’s approval.”
• Matthew 22:29Jesus answered, “You’re mistaken because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power.
• Acts 13:27The people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers didn’t know who Jesus was. They didn’t understand the prophets’ messages, which are read every day of rest—a holy day. So they condemned Jesus and fulfilled what the prophets had said.
• Isaiah 1:11The Lord asks, “What do your many animal sacrifices mean to me? I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings of rams and enough fat from your fattened calves. I’m not pleased with the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats.
• Hosea 6:6I want your loyalty, not your sacrifices. I want you to know me, not to give me burnt offerings.
• Micah 6:6What should I bring when I come into the Lord’s presence, when I bow in front of the God of heaven? Should I bring him year-old calves as burnt offerings?
• Job 32:3Elihu was also very angry with Job’s three friends because they had found no answer. They made it look as if God were wrong.
• Psalms 94:21They join forces to take the lives of righteous people. They condemn innocent people to death.
• Psalms 109:31because he stands beside needy people to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
• Proverbs 17:15Whoever approves of wicked people and whoever condemns righteous people is disgusting to the Lord.
• James 5:6You have condemned and murdered people who have God’s approval, even though they didn’t resist 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

• Accusation, False
• Ecclesiasticism
• Formalism
• Jesus, the Christ
• Justice
• Pharisees
• Quotations and Allusions
• Sabbath
• Tradition

In the dictionaries

• Adulterous
• Condemn
• Desolation
• Hosea, Prophecies of
• Idle
• Judgment
• Restore
• Sin
• Wither
• Guiltless

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