Matthew 12:7

“And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”
Matthew 12:7 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

Andδὲifεἰyou had knownἐγνώκειτεwhatτίthis means,ἐστιν‘I desireθέλωmercy,Ἔλεοςandκαὶnotοὐsacrifice,’θυσίανyou would notοὐκ ἂνhave condemnedκατεδικάσατεthe innocent.τοὺς ἀναιτίους

Quotation · Hosea 6:6

Go to Hosea 6:6

Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 again, as in Matthew 9:13.

Formula: εἰ δὲ ἐγνώκειτε τί ἐστιν “if you had known what this means” (Matthew 12:7)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: εἰ δὲ ἐγνώκειτε τί ἐστιν Ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν οὐκ ἂν κατεδικάσατε τοὺς ἀναιτίους

Hebrew (Masoretic text): כִּי חֶסֶד חָפַצְתִּי וְלֹא זָבַח וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים מֵעֹלוֹת

Septuagint (Hosea 6:6 in the Septuagint numbering): διότι ἔλεος θέλω ἡ θυσίαν, καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ ἢ ὁλοκαυτώματα.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 2 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Matthew 12:7, word by word

you had knownἐγνώκειτεegnōkeite

know

To be truly acquainted with someone, or grasp something fully.

Where else “egnōkeite” appears

this meansἐστινestin

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “estin” appears

‘I desireθέλωthelō

delight in

To be ready, or to delight in: "mercy is what I want".

Where else “thelō” appears

mercyἜλεοςEleos

mercy

Mercy: compassion that acts.

Where else “Eleos” appears

sacrifice,’θυσίανthysian

sacrifice

What was offered to God on the altar.

Where else “thysian” appears

have condemnedκατεδικάσατεkatedikasate

condemn

Condemn, pronounce guilty.

Where else “katedikasate” appears

the innocentἀναιτίουςanaitious

guiltless, innocent

Guiltless, innocent.

Where else “anaitious” appears

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.”

Quotation · Hosea 6:6

Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 again, as in Matthew 9:13.

See them side by side

Matthew 12:7

⁷And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Hosea 6:6

⁶For I desire loyal love and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of Elohim more than burnt offerings.

The context

6And I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.

7 · This verse (above)

8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

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