Mark 7:6 Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites,...

Spoken to: 

The Pharisees

Asked by Pharisees why followers eat with unwashed hands, violating tradition.

KJV: 

Mark 7:6 Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

NIV : 

Mark 7:6 Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

LISTENERS HEARD: 

Correctly Isaiah was divinely inspired about you. These actors!  As it has been written: this one, this group with these lips honors me. however, that heart of theirs? Too far it keeps away from me. 

MY TAKE: 

We cannot pretend a closeness to the divine.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

GREEK ORDER: 

Καλῶς     ἐπροφήτευσεν            Ἠσαίας περὶ   ὑμῶν          τῶν   ὑποκριτῶν,
Correctly was divinely inspired Isaiah   about  you  about these actors!

ὡς γέγραπται               ὅτιΟὗτος         λαὸς          τοῖς   χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ,
As it has been written that  this one, this group with these lips        me honors .

    δὲ            καρδία      αὐτῶν  πόρρω   ἀπέχει            ἀπ᾽   ἐμοῦ:
that however, heart     of theirs? Too far it keeps away from me. 

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

Jesus  begins the verse with one of his favorite wordplay words, "hypocrites," which is an word  adopted from Greek that means "actors,"  English translation makes it look like a name that he is calling his accusers, but it doesn't address them because it isn't in the form of address.  It is more like an aside the others there, 

There is a difference in how we read the word  "prophesied" and how the people of Jesus's time understood it. We use the untranslated Greek words because of what these Greek words in English came to mean "foretell the future" in the 2,000 years after Jesus, but that was not their meaning at the time. The word "prophet" meant "shining light" or "luminary." Read this article for more information. The word translated as "prophesy" meant "to be possessed by a divine spirit," which is how one becomes a "luminary" or "shining light."

The verse is a reference to Isaiah 29:13. However, that verse in Isaiah starts with a contrast, a line saying "they come close to me" to contrast with the "are far from me."   Jesus doesn't use this in his quote, which is unusual given his love of wordplay, but he clearly didn't think that the Pharisees were close to the Divine.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

11
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "of" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/these" before "hypocrites" is not shown in the English translation.
  • UW --Untranslated Word -- The word "hypocrites" means "actor." It is an untranslated Greek word adopted into English.
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "is" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that was comleted in the past.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "that" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "people" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "people" is not the common word usually translated as "people." 
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "their" should be something more like "the."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "heart" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "too far" is not shown in the English translation.

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

13
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "was" doesn't exist in the source.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "when" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/these" before "hypocrites" is not shown in the English translation.
  • UW --Untranslated Word -- The word "hypocrites" means "actor." It is an untranslated Greek word adopted into English.
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "is" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that was completed in the past.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "that" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WN - This word is not plural but singular.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "people" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "people" is not the common word usually translated as "people." 
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "their" should be something more like "the."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "heart" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WN - This word, "heart," is not plural but singular.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "too far" is not shown in the English translation.

EACH WORD of KJV : 

Well  -The word translated as "well" means, as an adverb, "well", "rightly",  "happily",  "thoroughly", "altogether", and "deservedly".  

hath -- (WT) This helping verb "has" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

Esaias This is  from the Greek rendering of the name for the prophet Isaiah.

prophesied -- The word translated as "prophesy" doesn't actually means to make prophesies, but "to be a prophet." This has a broader meaning in the original Greek than in English. In English, it is limited to foreseeing the future, but in Greek it means "being an interpreter for the gods," and, not surprisingly, "being a quack doctor."

of -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "of" means "around" when referring to a place, but in referring to a subject, it means "about," "concerning," "on account of," and "in regard to." This is the way Jesus usually uses it. It is not the word form usually translated as "of."

you  - The word translated as "you" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners.

missing "the/these"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

hypocrites, -- (UW) The Greek for "the hypocrites" is a great example of a word that has taken its English meaning from how it is used in the Bible rather than the original Greek. The primary meaning during Christ's era was "an actor." See this article on the word and its wordplay.  Interestingly enough, it also means "interpreter," which is another separation between what is said and reality. Its literal meaning is "beneath separation," which describes the separation between fact and fiction, real action versus pretended action.

as -- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translating as "how", "when", "where", "just as", "like," and related words.

it  - This comes from the singular form of the following verb.

is  --  (WT) This helping verb "is" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English. The verb is the present tense. This is not the tense of the verb here.

written,  "Written" is the Greek verb that  means "to mark", "to express by written characters", "to write a letter", "to write down [a law]", and so on. 

missing "that"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore." Jesus usually uses this word to mean "because."

This   -- "This" is translated from a Greek adjective that means "this," "that," "the nearer." Without a noun, it has the sense of "this one" or "that one." It is in the form of a subject.

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

people -- (CW) "People" is an uncommon Greek word for Jesus. It means "men (of the army), ""the common men", "subjects (of a ruler)", "work people", "people assembled", "the multitude", "a specific group or tribe of people," and "a people." Jesus uses it because it was the word used to translate Isaiah in the Septuagint. This is not the word usually translated as "people."

honoureth   - "Honour" is the Greek verb which means "to revere," "to honor," and "to value." This word is the one used in the commandment, "honor your father and mother." In the original Hebrew, it is from kabad, which means "to be heavy," "to be rich," and "to be honored."Though the Greek word doesn't have the same sense of "weight" as the Hebrew word that this quote is taken from, weight is often connected in Greek with value. In a commodity-based society, value and weight were the same. We say that we give "weight" to arguments in the same sense that the ancients would give "weight" to the rules of a leader or a God.

me  - "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek.

with  -  The form of the word "lips" requires that addition of a preposition in English to capture its meaning, a "to" as an indirect object, a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "as" for purposes, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, and an "in" for area of effect.

their -- (WW) The word translated as "their" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. 

lips, -- "Lips" is an uncommon noun for Jesus to use that means a "lip," for birds, "bill", "beak," and is a metaph. the "edge", "brink," and "rim." It is only uses in this verse and the parallel verse in Matthew.

but -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but", "however", and "on the other hand". It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.  

their --The word translated as "their" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

heart -- "Heart" is the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. However, this phrase can be read as defining the "heart" and both the "soul" and "the mind".

missing "too far"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  adverb that means "forwards", "onwards," generally with a notion of motion, of distance, "far off", "too far," of time, "forward," of place, "further into." This is also an uncommon word for Jesus.

is far -- The verb translated as "is far" is a verb that means "to keep off or away from", "to abstain or desist from it", "to be far from," and "to receive payment in full." The Hebrew is rachaq , which means "to be or become distant."

from -- The word translated as "from" means "from" in both locations and when referring to a source.

me. -- "Me" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun.   As a genitive object of a preposition, as here, it means a movement away from something or a position away from something else.

EACH WORD of NIV : 

Isaiah -  This is  from the Greek rendering of the name for the prophet Isaiah.

was -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "was" in the Greek source

right -- The word translated as "good means "good", "beautiful", "noble," or "of good quality."  See this article on the real Greek meaning of the terms translated as "good" and "evil."  The word translated as "well" means, as an adverb, "well", "rightly",  "happily",  "thoroughly", "altogether", and "deservedly".  

when -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "when" in the Greek source

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

prophesied -- The word translated as "prophesy" doesn't actually means to make prophesies, but "to be a prophet." This has a broader meaning in the original Greek than in English. In English, it is limited to foreseeing the future, but in Greek it means "being an interpreter for the gods," and, not surprisingly, "being a quack doctor."

about -- The Greek word translated as "about" means means "around" when referring to a place, but, in this context, it means "about", "concerning", "on account of," and "in regard to." This is the way Jesus usually uses it.

you  - The word translated as "you" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners.

missing "the/these"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

hypocrites, -- (UW) The Greek for "the hypocrites" is a great example of a word that has taken its English meaning from how it is used in the Bible rather than the original Greek. The primary meaning during Christ's era was "an actor." See this article on the word and its wordplay.  Interestingly enough, it also means "interpreter," which is another separation between what is said and reality. Its literal meaning is "beneath separation," which describes the separation between fact and fiction, real action versus pretended action.

as -- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translating as "how", "when", "where", "just as", "like," and related words.

is  --  (WT) This helping verb "is" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English. The verb is the present tense. This is not the tense of the verb here.

written,  "Written" is the Greek verb that  means "to mark", "to express by written characters", "to write a letter", "to write down [a law]", and so on. 

missing "that"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore." Jesus usually uses this word to mean "because."

These -- (WN)  "This" is translated from a Greek adjective that means "this," "that," "the nearer." Without a noun, it has the sense of "this one" or "that one." It is in the form of a subject. This word is not plural but singular.

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

people -- (CW) "People" is an uncommon Greek word for Jesus. It means "men (of the army), ""the common men", "subjects (of a ruler)", "work people", "people assembled", "the multitude", "a specific group or tribe of people," and "a people." Jesus uses it because it was the word used to translate Isaiah in the Septuagint. This is not the word usually translated as "people."

honor  - "Honour" is the Greek verb which means "to revere," "to honor," and "to value." This word is the one used in the commandment, "honor your father and mother." In the original Hebrew, it is from kabad, which means "to be heavy," "to be rich," and "to be honored."Though the Greek word doesn't have the same sense of "weight" as the Hebrew word that this quote is taken from, weight is often connected in Greek with value. In a commodity-based society, value and weight were the same. We say that we give "weight" to arguments in the same sense that the ancients would give "weight" to the rules of a leader or a God.

me  - "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek.

with  -  The form of the word "lips" requires that addition of a preposition in English to capture its meaning, a "to" as an indirect object, a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "as" for purposes, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, and an "in" for area of effect.

their -- (WW) The word translated as "their" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. 

lips, -- "Lips" is an uncommon noun for Jesus to use that means a "lip," for birds, "bill", "beak," and is a metaph. the "edge", "brink," and "rim." It is only uses in this verse and the parallel verse in Matthew.

but -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but", "however", and "on the other hand". It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.  

their -- The word translated as "their" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

hearts -- (WN) "Hearts" is the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. However, this phrase can be read as defining the "heart" and both the "soul" and "the mind". This word is not plural but singular.

missing "too far"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  adverb that means "forwards", "onwards," generally with a notion of motion, of distance, "far off", "too far," of time, "forward," of place, "further into." This is also an uncommon word for Jesus.

is far -- The verb translated as "is far" is a verb that means "to keep off or away from", "to abstain or desist from it", "to be far from," and "to receive payment in full." The Hebrew is rachaq , which means "to be or become distant."

from -- The word translated as "from" means "from" in both locations and when referring to a source.

me. -- "Me" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun.   As a genitive object of a preposition, as here, it means a movement away from something or a position away from something else.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

Καλῶς [48 verses](adv) "Well" is kalos, which means "beautiful", "good", "of fine quality", "noble," and "honorable." It is most often translated as "good" juxtaposed with "evil" in the New Testament, but the two ideas are closer to "wonderful" and "worthless", "noble" and "base."As an adverb,the word translated as "well" means, "well," "rightly,"  "happily,"  "thoroughly," "altogether," and "deservedly." 

ἐπροφήτευσεν [5 verses] (verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "Did...prophesy" is propheteuo, which means "to be an interpreter of the gods", "to be an intermediary in asking", "to be one with oracular power", "to hold the office of prophet", "to be a quack doctor," and "to have a spiritual impulse to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort others."

Ἠσαίας [3 verses](proper name) "Elias" is from  Esaias, which is the Hebrew name  Isaiah spelled in a Greek manner.

περὶ [73 verses](prep) "Of" is peri, which means "round about (Place)", "around", "about", "concerning", "on account of", "in regard to", "before", "above", "beyond," and "all around."

ὑμῶν [168 verses] (pron 2nd pl gen) "You" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you." It is either a possessive pronoun or the object of a preposition.

τῶν [821 verses](article pl masc gen)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").  -

ὑποκριτῶν [18 verses]( article pl masc gen) "Hypocrites" is hypokrites, which means "an interpreter", "an actor", "a stage player," and "a dissembler."

ὡς (167 verses]( (adv/conj) "As" is hos, an adverb which means to "thus", "as", "how", "when", "where", "like", "just as", "so far as", "as much as can be", "that", "in order that", "nearly (with numbers)," and "know that."

γέγραπται [34 verses] (verb 3rd sg perf ind mp) "It is written" is grapho which means "to mark", "to express by written characters", "to write a letter", "to write down [a law]", "to proscribe", "to ordain", "to write for oneself", "to enroll oneself", "to draw signs", "to describe a figure" "to brand," and "to indict." --

ὅτι (adv/conj) Untranslated is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that", "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what", "because", "since," and "wherefore."

Οὗτος [83 verses](adj sg masc nom) "This" is houtos, which as an adjective means "this," "that," "the nearer."

[821 verses](article sg masc nom)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").  -

λαὸς [4 verses](noun sg masc nom) "People" is from the Greek laos, which means "men (of the army), ""the common men", "subjects (of a ruler)", "work people", "people assembled", "the multitude", "a specific group or tribe of people," and "a people."

τοῖς [821 verses](article pl neut dat) "Their" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

χείλεσίν [2 verses](noun pl neut dat) "Lips" is from cheilos, which means a "lip," for birds, "bill", "beak," and is a metaph. the "edge", "brink," and "rim."

με  [49 verses] (pron 1st sg masc/fem acc) "Me" is from eme, which means "I", "me", and "my".

τιμᾷ [12 verses] (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Honoureth" is timao , which means "to revere," "to honor," and "to value." This word is the one used in the commandment, "honor your father and mother." In the original Hebrew, it is from kabad, which means "to be heavy," "to be rich," and "to be honored."

  [821 verses]( article sg fem nom) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").  - missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.

δὲ [446 verses](conj) "But" is de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of indirect cause ("so"). In an  "if" (εἰ ) clause or temporal "when" (ὅταν) clause the sense is "if/when... then." In a series begun by men, its means "on the other hand." In a series begun by men, its means "on the other hand." In a listing, the sense is "then" or "yet." After an interruption, "so then."

καρδία  [37 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Heart" is from kardia, which means "heart (the physical organ)", "the seat of emotions (especially passion, rage, and anger)", "inclination", "desire," "purpose", "mind", "the pith (in wood), and "the deep (of the sea)."

αὐτῶν [86 verses](pron/adj pl masc/fem/neut gen) "Their" is autos, is the genitive case of the third-person, plural adjective that is used as a pronoun. The word also means "the same,""one's true self," and "the soul" as opposed to the body. It also means "of one's own accord."

πόρρω [3 verses](adv) Untranslated is porro, which is an adverb that means "forwards," "onwards," generally with a notion of motion, of Distance, "far off," "too far," of Time, "forward," of Place, "further into."  - 

ἀπέχει [8 verses](verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Is far" is from apecho, which means "to keep off or away from", "to hold one's hands off or away from", "to hold oneself off a thing", "to abstain or desist from it, ""to project", "to extend", "to be far from," and "to receive payment in full."

ἀπ᾽ [190 verses]​(prep)"From" is from apo, a preposition of separation which means "from" or "away from" from when referring to place or motion, "from" or "after" when referring to time, "from" as an origin or cause.

ἐμοῦ[239 verses] (adj sg masc gen) "Me" is from mou (emou), which means "me," and "mine." As a genitive object means movement away from something or a position away from something else.-

Septuagint version:

ἐγγίζει μοι ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν τιμῶσίν με ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ 

ἐγγίζει (verb verb 3rd sg pres ind act) This is eggizo, which means "to bring near", "to join one things to another," to draw near," and "to approach." This word does not appear in ancient Greek literature except in the Bible. It comes from an adverb ἐγγύς, keggus, which means 1) (of place) "near", "nigh", "at hand," 2) (of time) "nigh at hand" 3) (of numbers) "nearly", "almost", "coming near," and 4) (of relationship) "akin to."

μοι (pron 1st sing dat) This is moi, which means to "I", "me", and "my".  The form of this word requires that addition of a preposition in English to capture its meaning, a "to" as an indirect object is the most common, a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "as" for purposes, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, and an "in" for area of effect.

The rest of this verse uses the same vocabulary as Jesus's quote of it with a slightly different word order.

(article sg masc nom) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. 

λαὸς [uncommon](noun sg masc nom) "People" is from the Greek laos, which means "men (of the army), ""the common men", "subjects (of a ruler)", "work people", "people assembled", "the multitude", "a specific group or tribe of people," and "a people."

οὗτος (adj sg masc nom) "This" is hos, which means "this", "that", "he", "she", "which", "what", "who", "whosoever", "where", "for which reason," and many similar meanings. -- The word translated as "this" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun ("the one that), especially a connective pronoun ("the one that") introducing a dependent clause.

τοῖς (article pl neut dat) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. 

χείλεσίν (noun pl neut dat) "Lips" is from cheilos, which means a "lip," for birds, "bill", "beak," and is a metaph. the "edge", "brink," and "rim."

αὐτῶν (adj pl fem gen) "Their" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

τιμᾷ( verb 3rd pl pres ind act) "Honoureth" is from the Greek timaô , (timao) which means "to revere", "to honor," and "to value."

με (pron 1st sg masc/fem acc) "Me" is from eme, which means "I", "me", and "my".

( article sg fem nom) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun, but which is separated from its noun here by the conjunction.

δὲ "But" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be a weak connective ("and") and explanation of cause ("so").

καρδία (noun sg fem nom) "Heart" is from kardia, which means "heart (the physical organ)", "the seat of emotions (especially passion, rage, and anger)", "inclination", "desire, ""purpose", "mind", "the pith (in wood), and "the deep (of the sea)."

αὐτῶν (adj pl fem gen) "Their" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

πόρρω Untranslated is porro, which is an adverb that means "forwards", "onwards," generally with a notion of motion, of Distance, "far off", "too far," of Time, "forward," of Place, "further into."

ἀπέχει (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Is far" is from apecho, which means "to keep off or away from", "to hold one's hands off or away from", "to hold oneself off a thing", "to abstain or desist from it, ""to project", "to extend", "to be far from," and "to receive payment in full."

ἀπ᾽ "From" is from apo, a preposition of separation which means "from" or "away from" from when referring to place or motion, "from" or "after" when referring to time, "from" as an origin or cause.

ἐμοῦ: (adj sg masc gen) "Me" is from emou, which means "me", and "mine".

Wordplay: 

The use of the word "hypocrites" is always a play on words, making fun of the Pharisee idea of "holiness." See this article on the word. 

Related Verses: 

Possible Symbolic Meaning: 

Jesus's symbols refer to three aspects of our temporal lives: the physical, mental, and emotional. Hearing and lips represent the mental . Hearts represent the emotion. This follows from the idea that language and ideas form Jesus sees all three aspect of our temporal existence as important, but he describes life as a process that starts with the physical, moves to the mental, goes to the emotional, which ends at the spiritual.

Jesus describes the problem of life as getting stuck in one of these areas, creating an imbalance in our lives and a lack of progress. Our lives become worth less when we get so attached to life's physical aspects (physical pleasure) or its mental aspects (conceptual ideas) or its emotional aspects (social praise) that we cannot move on another aspect of life. Of course, the idea is to prepare for the bigger transition from the temporal to the spiritual.

However, there is also the sense in Christ's words that our personal emotional relationships are closer to our relationship to God. We cannot really understand God with our minds. He is too far beyond us. However, we can understand God through our relationships. This is why Christ teaches the the "pure of heart" will see God.

This is the same idea using the same symbol of the heart for relationships. Of course, both Greek and Hebrew use the heart symbolically as the seat of emotions, though in Greek, it is specifically the seat of the feelings (courage, love), while the belly is the seat of the lower, more base desires (sex, food).

Front Page Date: 

Apr 23 2023