The Meaning of Mark 7:6 Explained

Mark 7:6

KJV: He answered and said unto them, 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.

YLT: and he answering said to them -- 'Well did Isaiah prophesy concerning you, hypocrites, as it hath been written, This people with the lips doth honour Me, and their heart is far from Me;

Darby: But he answering said to them, Well did Esaias prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.

ASV: And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He answered  and  said  unto them,  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. 

What does Mark 7:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Mark 7:1-23 - Breaking The Bonds Of Tradition
The Pharisees laid great stress on ritual. They followed endless rules, both intricate and troublesome, as to ablutions and outward ceremonials. So long as their devotees were careful in the minor observances, they were permitted a wide license so far as the weightier matters of the Law were concerned. This is a natural tendency of the human heart. It is glad to be able to reduce its religious life to an outward and literal obedience, if only its thoughts may be unhampered. In the life of true holiness everything depends on the control of the thoughts. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." With infinite wisdom the wise man said, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life," and Jesus put "evil-thoughts" first in the black category of the contents of the evil heart. A gang of thieves sometimes put a very small boy through a tiny window that he may unlock the front door. So one evil thought will often admit an entire crew of evil. Heart of mine, hast thou learned this lesson? Art thou careful enough of thy cleanliness? That the hands should be often washed, that vessels of household use should be kept cleansed, that there should be decorum and neatness in the outward life, all these customs are good. But it becomes thee to inquire whether thou art not more eager for the outward than the inward cleanliness. "Create in me a clean heart," should be thy constant prayer. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 7

1  The Pharisees find fault with the disciples for eating with unwashed hands
8  They break the commandment of God by the traditions of men
14  Food defiles not the man
24  He heals the Syrophenician woman's daughter of an unclean spirit;
31  and one that was deaf, and stammered in his speech

Greek Commentary for Mark 7:6

Well [καλως]
Appositely here, but ironical sarcasm in Mark 7:9. Note here “you hypocrites” (υμων των υποκριτων — humōn tōn hupokritōn). [source]
Well [καλῶς]
Finely, beautifully. Ironical. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 7:6

John 8:48 Say we not well []
Indicating a current reproach. Well ( καλῶς ) is literally, finely, beautifully. Sometimes ironical, as Mark 7:6. [source]
Acts 28:25 They departed [ειποντος του Παυλου ρημα εν]
Imperfect middle (direct) indicative, “They loosed themselves from Paul.” Graphic close. After that Paul had spoken one word (καλως — eipontos tou Paulou rhēma hen). Genitive absolute. One last word (like a preacher) after the all day exposition. Well Cf. Matthew 14:7; Mark 7:6, Mark 7:9 (irony). Here strong indignation in the very position of the word (Page). To your fathers (ημων — pros tous pateras humōn). So Aleph A B instead of hēmōn (our) like Stephen in Acts 7:52 whose words Paul had heard. By mentioning the Holy Spirit Paul shows (Knowling) that they are resisting God (Acts 7:52). [source]
Acts 28:25 Well [προς τους πατερας υμων]
Cf. Matthew 14:7; Mark 7:6, Mark 7:9 (irony). Here strong indignation in the very position of the word (Page). To your fathers (ημων — pros tous pateras humōn). So Aleph A B instead of hēmōn (our) like Stephen in Acts 7:52 whose words Paul had heard. By mentioning the Holy Spirit Paul shows (Knowling) that they are resisting God (Acts 7:52). [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 7:6 mean?

- And He said to them Rightly prophesied Isaiah concerning you - hypocrites as it has been written - This people with the lips Me honors - but the heart of them far away is kept from Me
δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν Ἠσαΐας περὶ ὑμῶν τῶν ὑποκριτῶν ὡς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὗτος λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ

  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Καλῶς  Rightly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: καλῶς  
Sense: beautifully, finely, excellently, well.
ἐπροφήτευσεν  prophesied 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προφητεύω  
Sense: to prophesy, to be a prophet, speak forth by divine inspirations, to predict.
Ἠσαΐας  Isaiah 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἠσαί̈ας  
Sense: a famous Hebrew prophet who prophesied in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
περὶ  concerning 
Parse: Preposition
Root: περί 
Sense: about, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near.
τῶν  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ὑποκριτῶν  hypocrites 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ὑποκριτής  
Sense: one who answers, an interpreter.
γέγραπται  it  has  been  written 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γράφω 
Sense: to write, with reference to the form of the letters.
ὅτι  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
Οὗτος  This 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
λαὸς  people 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λαός  
Sense: a people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language.
τοῖς  with  the 
Parse: Article, Dative Neuter Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
χείλεσίν  lips 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: χεῖλος  
Sense: a lip, of the speaking mouth.
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
τιμᾷ  honors 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: τιμάω  
Sense: to estimate, fix the value.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
καρδία  the  heart 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: καρδία  
Sense: the heart.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
πόρρω  far  away 
Parse: Adverb
Root: πόρρω  
Sense: far, at a distance, a great way off.
ἀπέχει  is  kept 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀπέχω  
Sense: have.
ἐμοῦ  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.