Matthew 15:4-6
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This verse highlights that "honoring" parents wasn't just about outward respect, but also involved practical support and provision. The severe penalty for cursing a parent underscores that this command carried immense weight, making the Pharisees' tradition that bypassed these duties all the more egregious.
For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is confronting religious leaders who are accusing his disciples of breaking tradition. He turns their accusation back on them, arguing that their human traditions actually cause them to disobey God's clear commands, like the commandment to honor parents. This sets the stage for Jesus to expose their hypocrisy by revealing how their traditions allowed people to neglect their duties to their parents, especially by making claims about "gifts" to God that circumvented their responsibilities.
Jesus confronts the religious leaders by calling them back to the very heart of God's law regarding parents. It wasn't just a suggestion, but a life-and-death matter.
Jesus quotes the fifth commandment, "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), directly from God's own words. This wasn't a suggestion or a suggestion to be twisted by human rules; it was a divine mandate.
Divine Authority: The text emphasizes "For God commanded." This immediately elevates the instruction above any human tradition. It's God's voice, carrying His authority.
Severe Consequence: The accompanying penalty, "Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die," highlights the seriousness of this command. While the New Testament emphasis shifts to mercy and grace, Jesus uses this stark consequence to underscore the foundational importance of respecting parents in God's economy. It signifies that dishonoring parents is a profound offense against the created order and God's design.
How did the religious leaders, who prided themselves on God's law, end up twisting such a clear command about parents?
The Pharisees and scribes had developed intricate human traditions, particularly around ritual purity, which they elevated to the same level as God's commandments. In this passage, their traditions created loopholes that allowed people to neglect their God-given responsibilities to their parents.
The Corban Loophole: Jesus exposes how their tradition of 'Corban' (a sacred offering) was used. A person could declare their assets 'Corban,' essentially dedicating them to God, which then, according to their interpretation, freed them from the obligation to support their needy parents. This meant they could say they had no money for their parents because it was 'given to God,' even if they continued to use the resources themselves.
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Nullifying God's Word: Jesus' accusation is sharp: "And by your tradition you have made void the word of God." Their human rules didn't just add to God's law; they actively undermined and canceled out its core principles, especially the command to care for parents. They prioritized their own religious innovations over clear divine mandates.
Understand the original words
kāḇaḏ · Hebrew Verb
To show proper respect, reverence, and value toward someone. In the context of parents, it implies practical support, care, and high esteem, reflecting one's duty to acknowledge their God-given role.
kakologeō · Greek Verb
To treat with contempt, speak evil of, or curse. It denotes a severe violation of respect and is biblically categorized as a serious offense against God’s moral order.
timao · Greek Verb
To hold in high regard, respect, or treat with the weight and value due to someone, especially parents as commanded by God. In a biblical context, it often involves practical provision and care.
paradosis · Greek Noun
A set of customs, beliefs, or teachings handed down from generation to generation. In this context, it refers to human-invented regulations that were elevated to divine status, often superseding God’s commands.
akuroo · Greek Verb
To render inoperative, abolish, or nullify the effectiveness of something. It implies treating the divine authority of God’s Word as if it no longer holds binding power.
logos tou Theou · Greek Noun
The direct revelation, authoritative communication, or declared will of God to humanity. It is considered infallible and superior to any human reasoning or institutional decree.
Jesus highlights that the commandment to honor parents, with its severe penalty for violation, is directly undermined by the Pharisees' traditions, showing how human rules can obscure divine authority.
c. 1446 BC
The Ten Commandments Given
God gives the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai, including the commandment to honor parents.
c. 1445 BC
Law on Cursing Parents Codified
The Law of Moses, found in Exodus, further specifies that cursing one's parents is punishable by death.
c. 5th Century BC
Development of Oral Traditions
Jewish scribes and Pharisees begin to develop detailed oral traditions and interpretations of the Law, which become increasingly influential.
c. AD 25-30
Jesus' Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, teaching and interacting with various groups including the scribes and Pharisees.
c. AD 30— this verse
Confrontation over Traditions
Jesus confronts the scribes and Pharisees for prioritizing their man-made traditions over God's clear commands, including the commandment to honor parents.
This passage is the direct source of Jesus' first quotation, establishing the foundational commandment from God to honor parents within the Ten Commandments.
Leviticus 20:9This passage provides the severe penalty for dishonoring or cursing parents, underscoring the gravity of the commandment Jesus cites.
Deuteronomy 27:16This passage reiterates the curse upon anyone who dishonors their father or mother, showing this was a widely understood and serious offense in Israel.
Matthew 23:16-22Here, Jesus confronts the Pharisees again for their corrupt interpretations of God's law, showing a pattern of prioritizing human tradition over divine commands, similar to the issue in Matthew 15.
Ephesians 6:1-3This passage echoes the commandment from Exodus, showing its enduring importance by stating that honoring parents is 'right' and will bring blessings, connecting the Old Testament law to New Testament discipleship.
vincentMatthew 15:4: "For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death."
Die the death (θανάτῳ τελευτάτω)The Hebrew idiom is, he shall certainly be executed. The Greek is, lit., let him come to his end by death.
calvinMatthew 15:1-9: "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,"
- Then scribes and Pharisees, who had come from Jerusalem, approach to Jesus, saying, 2. Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3. But he answering said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God on account of [390] your tradition? 4. For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother; and, He that curseth fath…
This verse highlights that "honoring" parents wasn't just about outward respect, but also involved practical support and provision. The severe penalty for cursing a parent underscores that this command carried immense weight, making the Pharisees' tradition that bypassed these duties all the more egregious.
Jesus is confronting religious leaders who are accusing his disciples of breaking tradition. He turns their accusation back on them, arguing that their human traditions actually cause them to disobey God's clear commands, like the commandment to honor parents. This sets the stage for Jesus to expose their hypocrisy by revealing how their traditions allowed people to neglect their duties to their parents, especially by making claims about "gifts" to God that circumvented their responsibilities.
Jesus is confronting religious leaders who are accusing his disciples of breaking tradition. He turns their accusation back on them, arguing that their human traditions actually cause them to disobey God's clear commands, like the commandment to honor parents. This sets the stage for Jesus to expose their hypocrisy by revealing how their traditions allowed people to neglect their duties to their parents, especially by making claims about "gifts" to God that circumvented their responsibilities.
"For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not hono…" — This verse highlights that "honoring" parents wasn't just about outward respect, but also involved practical support and provision. The severe penalty for cursing a parent underscores that this comma…
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Last reviewed October 2026
