The Meaning of Mark 2:26 Explained

Mark 2:26

KJV: How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

YLT: how he went into the house of God, (at 'Abiathar the chief priest,') and the loaves of the presentation did eat, which it is not lawful to eat, except to the priests, and he gave also to those who were with him?'

Darby: how he entered into the house of God, in the section of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the shew-bread, which it is not lawful unless for the priests to eat, and gave even to those that were with him?

ASV: How he entered into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the showbread, which it is not lawful to eat save for the priests, and gave also to them that were with him?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

How  he went  into  the house  of God  in the days  of Abiathar  the high priest,  and  did eat  the shewbread,  which  is  not  lawful  to eat  but for  the priests,  and  gave  also  to them which were  with  him? 

What does Mark 2:26 Mean?

Study Notes

shewbread
Showbread, type of Christ, the Bread of God, nourisher of the Christian's life as a believer-priest 1 Peter 2:9 ; Revelation 1:6 . In John 6:33-58 our Lord has more in mind the manna, that food which "came down"; but all typical meanings of "bread" are there gathered into His words. The manna is the life-giving Christ; the showbread, the life-sustaining Christ. The showbread typifies Christ as the "corn of wheat" John 12:24 ground in the mill of suffering John 12:27 and brought into the fire of judgment John 12:31-33 . We, as priests, by faith feed upon Him as having undergone that in our stead and for our sakes. It is meditation upon Christ, as in Hebrews 12:2 ; Hebrews 12:3 .

Context Summary

Mark 2:23-28 - The Lord Of The Sabbath
The ritualist demands the outward, the conventional, the ancient usage of the past. Christ says, "Be natural." The needs of man, whether of body or of soul, are greater than ceremonial restriction. Ceremonies are only expressions of life, and where life is wanting, they are meaningless and void.
The withered hand, Mark 3:1-6. Through long disuse of powers which God has given, but which we have refrained from exercising, degeneration may have set in; Christ, however, bids us exert them again. In so far as we dare to obey, we shall find ourselves able. Dare to speak, or pray, or work, not at the impulse of your nature, but at His bidding, and you will suddenly find yourself given power.
The Apostolate, Mark 2:7-19. On three occasions Christ used the boat as His pulpit, Mark 4:1; Luke 5:3. We must be disciples (learners), before we can be apostles (those sent). As the Father sent the Master, so the Master sends us. Our mission is threefold-to bear Him company, to perform His errands, and to cast out devils. What infinite variety in the apostolic band! The Boanergic group of four; the group of questioners who were sometimes doubters; and the group of practical men, whose business capacity was a snare at least to one. If there was a traitor even amid the Twelve, who can expect to find his fields free from tares? [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 2

1  Jesus followed by multitudes,
3  heals a paralytic;
13  calls Matthew;
15  eats with tax collectors and sinners;
18  excuses his disciples for not fasting;
23  and for picking the heads of grain on the Sabbath day

Greek Commentary for Mark 2:26

The house of God [τον οικον του τεου]
The tent or tabernacle at Nob, not the temple in Jerusalem built by Solomon. [source]
When Abiathar was high priest [επι Αβιαταρ αρχιερεως]
Neat Greek idiom, in the time of Abiathar as high priest. There was confusion in the Massoretic text and in the lxx about the difference between Ahimelech (Abimelech) and Abiathar (2 Samuel 8:17), Ahimelech‘s son and successor (1 Samuel 21:2; 1 Samuel 22:20). Apparently Ahimelech, not Abiathar was high priest at this time. It is possible that both father and son bore both names (1 Samuel 22:20; 2 Samuel 8:17; 1 Chronicles 18:16), Abiathar mentioned though both involved. Επι — Epi may so mean in the passage about Abiathar. Or we may leave it unexplained. They had the most elaborate rules for the preparation of the shewbread (τους αρτους της προτεσεως — tous artous tēs protheseōs), the loaves of presentation, the loaves of the face or presence of God. It was renewed on the commencement of the sabbath and the old bread deposited on the golden table in the porch of the Sanctuary. This old bread was eaten by the priests as they came and went. This is what David ate. [source]
The shewbread [τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως]
Lit., the loaves of proposition, i.e., the loaves which were set forth before the Lord. The Jews called them the loaves of the face, i.e., of the presence of God. The bread was made of the finest wheaten flour that had been passed through eleven sieves. There were twelve loaves, or cakes, according to the number of tribes, ranged in two piles of six each. Each cake was made of about five pints of wheat. They were anointed in the middle with oil, in the form of a cross. According to tradition, each cake was five hand-breadths broad and ten long, but turned up at either end, two hand-breadths on each side, to resemble in outline the ark of the covenant. The shewbread was prepared on Friday, unless that day happened to be a feast-day that required sabbatical rest; in which case it was prepared on Thursday afternoon. The renewal of the shewbread was the first of the priestly functions on the commencement of the Sabbath. The bread which was taken off was deposited on the golden table in the porch of the sanctuary, and distributed among the outgoing and incoming courses of priests (compare save for the priests )It was eaten during the Sabbath, and in the temple itself, but only by such priests as were Levitically pure. This old bread, removed on the Sabbath morning, was that which David ate. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 2:26

Luke 6:4 The shew-bread []
See on Mark 2:26. [source]
Acts 11:23 Purpose [προθέσει]
Originally, placing in public; setting before. Hence of the shew-bread, the loaves set forth before the Lord (see on Mark 2:26). Something set before one as an object of attainment: a purpose. [source]
Romans 3:25 Set forth [προέθετο]
Publicly, openly ( πρό ); correlated with to declare. He brought Him forth and put Him before the public. Bengel, “placed before the eyes of all;” unlike the ark of the covenant which was veiled and approached only by the high-priest. The word is used by Herodotus of exposing corpses (v. 8); by Thucydides of exposing the bones of the dead (ii. 34). Compare the shew-bread, the loaves of the setting-forth ( τῆς προθεσέως ). See on Mark 2:26. Paul refers not to preaching, but to the work of atonement itself, in which God's righteousness is displayed. Some render purposed or determined, as Romans 1:13; Ephesians 1:9, and according to the usual meaning of πρόθεσις purposein the New Testament. But the meaning adopted here is fixed by to declare. [source]
Hebrews 9:2 The table and the shewbread [ἡ τράπεξα καὶ ἡ πρόθεσις τῶν ἀρτῶν]
See Exodus 25:23-30; Exodus 35:13; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 2 Chronicles 13:11. The table and the loaves are treated as one item. Lit. the table and the setting forth of the loaves, that is, the table with its loaves set forth. See on Mark 2:26; see on Acts 11:23. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 2:26 mean?

How he entered into the house - of God in [the days of] Abiathar the high priest and the loaves of the presentation ate which not it is lawful to eat if not for the priests he gave even to those with him being
πῶς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἀβιαθὰρ ἀρχιερέως καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγεν οὓς οὐκ ἔξεστιν φαγεῖν εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἔδωκεν καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ οὖσιν

πῶς  How 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: πῶς  
Sense: how, in what way.
εἰσῆλθεν  he  entered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰσέρχομαι  
Sense: to go out or come in: to enter.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
οἶκον  house 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: οἶκος  
Sense: a house.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
ἐπὶ  in  [the  days  of] 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
Ἀβιαθὰρ  Abiathar 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἀβιαθάρ  
Sense: the name of a high priest.
ἀρχιερέως  the  high  priest 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἀρχιερεύς  
Sense: chief priest, high priest.
ἄρτους  loaves 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄρτος  
Sense: food composed of flour mixed with water and baked.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
προθέσεως  presentation 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: πρόθεσις 
Sense: a setting forth of a thing, placing of it in view, the shewbread.
ἔφαγεν  ate 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐσθίω  
Sense: to eat.
ἔξεστιν  it  is  lawful 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἔξεστι 
Sense: it is lawful.
φαγεῖν  to  eat 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἐσθίω  
Sense: to eat.
τοὺς  for  the 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἱερεῖς  priests 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἱερεύς  
Sense: a priest, one who offers sacrifices and in general in busied with sacred rites.
ἔδωκεν  he  gave 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.
καὶ  even 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
τοῖς  to  those 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
οὖσιν  being 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.