Matthew 12:4

“how he entered into the house of God and they ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, except for the priests alone?”
Matthew 12:4 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

howπῶςhe enteredεἰσῆλθενintoεἰςthe houseτὸν οἶκονof Godτοῦ θεοῦandκαὶthey ateἔφαγονthe breadτοὺς ἄρτουςof the presentation,τῆς προθέσεωςwhichὃit wasἦνnotοὐκlawfulἐξὸνfor himαὐτῷto eat,φαγεῖνnorοὐδὲfor thoseτοῖςwithμετ’him,αὐτοῦexceptεἰ μὴfor the priestsτοῖς ἱερεῦσινalone?μόνοις

Theme · Exodus 25:30

Go to Exodus 25:30

Jesus recalls that David ate the bread of the presence, which only the priests could eat; Exodus 25:30 commands that it be set on the table, before YHWH, always.

The same term appears in both passages.

ἄρτουςartousG740לֶחֶםlejemH3899“bread”

Matthew 12:4, word by word

he enteredεἰσῆλθενeisēlthen

enter

To go into a house, a town or a place.

Where else “eisēlthen” appears

the houseοἶκονoikon

house

The place where one lives; also the temple, God's dwelling.

Where else “oikon” appears

of Godθεοῦtheou

God

The Creator and Lord of all, the one God of Israel.

Where else “theou” appears

they ateἔφαγονephagon

eat

Eat.

Where else “ephagon” appears

the breadἄρτουςartous

bread

A piece of baked bread made from flour: the basic food.

Where else “artous” appears

of the presentationπροθέσεωςprotheseōs

presentation

The bread set before God.

Where else “protheseōs” appears

it wasἦνēn

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “ēn” appears

lawfulἐξὸνexon

it is lawful

It is permitted, it is lawful under the law.

Where else “exon” appears

for the priestsἱερεῦσινhiereusin

priest

Priest: one who offered the sacrifices in the temple.

Where else “hiereusin” appears

aloneμόνοιςmonois

alone

With no one else.

Where else “monois” appears

Translation note

Literally “the loaves of the presentation”: the twelve loaves set before YHWH in the sanctuary (Exodus 25:30; 1 Samuel 21:6).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Grain on the Sabbath

Mark 2:23-28 Luke 6:1-5

See them side by side

Matthew 12:1-8

¹At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pick heads of grain and to eat. ²But the Pharisees, seeing it, said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” ³But he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him, ⁴how he entered into the house of God and they ate the bread of the presentation, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, except for the priests alone? ⁵Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are innocent? ⁶And I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Mark 2:23-28

²³And it happened that on the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, plucking the heads of grain. ²⁴And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing on the Sabbath what is not lawful?” ²⁵And he says to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and was hungry, he and those with him, ²⁶how he entered into the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the presentation, which it is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave it also to those who were with him?” ²⁷And he was saying to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; ²⁸so the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:1-5

¹Now it happened on a Sabbath that he was going through grainfields, and his disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. ²But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ³And answering them, Jesus said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, ⁴how he entered into the house of God and, taking the bread of the presentation, ate and gave it to those with him, which it is not lawful to eat except for the priests alone?” ⁵And he was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

The context

3But he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those with him,

4 · This verse (above)

5Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are innocent?

Read all of Matthew 12

To study Matthew 12 in a group

1. What it says
How did Jesus answer the Pharisees when they criticized his disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath (vv. 3–8)?
2. What it means
What does “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” mean in Jesus' reply (v. 7)?
3. How I live it
Jesus says the mouth speaks from the heart's abundance (v. 34). Which of your words today would you like to guard?

How to use it