Texts in Conversation
Matthew shows Jesus making an argument similar to Rabbinic teaching that the Torah and Prophets place mercy above other requirements when necessary. By interpreting Hosea 6 this way, he shows this priority was already established in Jewish tradition.
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Hosea 6:6
Hebrew Bible
4 What am I going to do with you, O Ephraim? What am I going to do with you, O Judah? For your faithfulness is as fleeting as the morning mist; it disappears as quickly as dawn’s dew. 5 Therefore, I will certainly cut you into pieces at the hands of the prophets; I will certainly kill you in fulfillment of my oracles of judgment, for my judgment will come forth like the light of the dawn. 6 For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings. 7 At Adam they broke the covenant; Oh how they were unfaithful to me! 8 Gilead is a city full of evildoers; its streets are stained with bloody footprints!
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Matthew 12:7
New Testament
3 He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry— 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the sacred bread, which was against the law for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” 9 Then Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue.
Date: 70-90 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The key point is that what was done appeared to violate the Law and yet went unpunished by God. So when Jesus asks if they have not read this, he is pointing to an example from Scripture that suggests the Law was not followed without exception, perhaps because another factor other than merely keeping the Law was more significant (... The parallel in Matthew 12:7 that has Jesus argue that God desires mercy and not sacrifice points more explicitly in this direction. Matthew’s account has the most detailed response of the parallels to this event) ..."
* 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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