Texts in Conversation
Mark draws on Leviticus which is rarely used in the gospels or Acts and pairs it with Deuteronomy in a legal debate between Jesus and Pharisees. The quote is unusual because it does not match the Greek translation of Leviticus.
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Deuteronomy 5:16
Hebrew Bible
15 Recall that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there by strength and power. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. 16 “Honor your father and your mother just as the Lord your God has commanded you to do, so that your days may be extended and that it may go well with you in the land that he is about to give you. 17 “You must not murder.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Leviticus 20:9
Hebrew Bible
7 “‘You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 8 You must be sure to obey my statutes. I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9 “‘If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his blood guilt is on himself. 10 If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Mark 7:10
New Testament
9 He also said to them, “You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you would have received from me is corban’ (that is, a gift for God), 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother.
Date: 60-75 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Despite the fact that the book of Leviticus is not frequently quoted among those from the Pentateuch by Mark, Matthew and the Lukan writings, at least one clear allusion and five explicit quotations from Leviticus are to be found in the Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles ... Besides the quotation of the 5th commandment from LXX Deuteronomy 5:16 in Mark 7:10, the author of Mark’s gospel links it with καί to a second quotation in Mark 7:10. The gospel of Matthew utilizes the same Markan material and links the quotation of the 5th commandment from LXX Exodus 20:12 / Deuteronomy 5:16 in Matthew 15:4 to Mark’s second quotation in Matthew 15:4. Whereas the first quotation is a statement which expresses a positive command (τίμα), the second quotation is a statement which expresses a negative command and contains the punishment when the first is not executed or violated (θανάτῳ τελευτάτω). But the textual origin of this second quotation which “Moses said” (Mark 7:10; Matt 15:4), is unclear. There seem, however, to be two possibilities that closely resemble the wording of the quotation in Mark and Matthew, namely Exodus 21:15 / Leviticus 20:9, 56 on the one hand, and Exodus 21:16, on the other hand. The last possibility seems to be more likely and matches the wording the closest. Especially three striking differences between the versions of LXX Leviticus 20:9 / Exodus 21:15 and 21:16 are pointing in this direction ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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