Mark 2 · Verse 27

Mark 2:27

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Mark 2:27, King James Version

Mark 2:27 in other translations

BSB	Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
WEB	He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
ASV	And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
YLT	And he said to them, ‘The sabbath for man was made, not man for the sabbath,
DARBY	And he said to them, The sabbath was made on account of man, not man on account of the sabbath;
BBE	And he said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;
Webster	And he said to them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

What does Mark 2:27 mean?

Barnes' Notes

Verse 27. The sabbath was made for man. For his rest from toil, his rest from the cares and anxieties of the world, to give an opportunity to call off his attention from earthly concerns, and to direct it to the affairs of eternity. It was a kind provision for man that he might refresh his body by relaxing his labours; that he might have undisturbed time to seek the consolations of religion to cheer him in the anxieties and sorrows of a troubled world; and that he might render to God that homage which is most justly due to him as the Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, and Redeemer of the world. And it is easily capable of proof, that no institution has been more signally blessed to man's welfare than the Christian Sabbath. To that we owe, more than to anything else, the peace and older of a civilized community. Where there is no Sabbath, there is ignorance, vice, disorder, and crime. On that holy day, the poor, and the ignorant, as well as the learned, have undisturbed time to learn the requirements of religion, the nature of morals, the law of God, and the way of salvation. On that day, man may offer his praises to the Great Giver of all good, and in the sanctuary seek the blessing of him whose favour is life. Where that day is observed in any manner as it should be, order prevails, morals are promoted, the poor are elevated in their condition, vice flies away, and the community puts on the appearance of neatness, industry, morality, and religion. The Sabbath was, therefore, pre-eminently intended for man's welfare, and the best interests of mankind demand that it should be sacredly regarded as an appointment of merciful heaven, intended for our best good; and, where improved aright, infallibly resulting in our temporal and eternal peace.

Not man for the sabbath. Man was made first, and then the Sabbath was appointed for his welfare, Gen 2:1-3. The Sabbath was not first made or contemplated, and then the man made with reference to that. Since, therefore, the Sabbath was intended for man's real good, the law respecting it must not be interpreted so as to oppose his real welfare. It must be explained in consistency with a proper attention to the duties of mercy to the poor and the sick, and to those in peril. It must be, however, in accordance with man's real good on the whole, and with the law of God. The law of God contemplate man's real good on the whole; and we have no right, under the plea that the Sabbath was made for man, to do anything contrary to what the law of God admits. It would not be for our real good, but for our real and eternal injury, to devote the Sabbath to vice, to labour, or to amusement.

(x) "for man" Neh 9:14, Isa 58:13, Eze 20:12,20 (y) "Therefore" Col 2:16

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 27 The Sabbath was made for man - That he might have the seventh part of his whole time to devote to the purposes of bodily rest and spiritual exercises. And in these respects it is of infinite use to mankind. Where no Sabbath is observed, there disease, poverty, and profligacy, generally prevail. Had we no Sabbath, we should soon have no religion. This whole verse is wanting in the Codex Bezae, and in five of the Itala.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Mark 2:23-28

The sabbath is a sacred and Divine institution; a privilege and benefit, not a task and drudgery. God never designed it to be a burden to us, therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. The sabbath was instituted for the good of mankind, as living in society, having many wants and troubles, preparing for a state of happiness or misery. Man was not made for the sabbath, as if his keeping it could be of service to…

Read the full comment on Mark 2:23-28 →

Mark 2:27 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532

ἔλεγενelegenHe was sayingG3004

αὐτοῖς·autoisto them;G846

τὸtoTheG3588

σάββατονsabbatonSabbathG4521

διὰdiaon account ofG1223

τὸνtontheG3588

ἄνθρωπονanthrōponmanG444

ἐγένετο,egenetowas made,G1096

οὐχouchnotG3756

ὁhotheG3588

ἄνθρωποςanthrōposmanG444

διὰdiaon account ofG1223

τὸtotheG3588

σάββατον.sabbatonSabbath.G4521

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Mark 2:27

Colossians 2:16
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Luke 6:9
Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
Deuteronomy 5:14
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Ezekiel 20:12
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.
Isaiah 58:13
If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Ezekiel 20:20
And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.
Exodus 23:12
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
John 7:23
If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
Nehemiah 9:13-14
Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
2 Corinthians 4:15
For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 3:21-22
Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Ex 23:12; De 5:14; Ne 9:13,14; Isa 58:13; Eze 20:12,20; Lu 6:9
Joh 7:23; 1Co 3:21,22; 2Co 4:15; Col 2:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Mark 2:26
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?
Mark 2:27
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Mark 2:28
Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Read all of Mark 2

Mark 2:27 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	También les dijo: El sábado por causa del hombre es hecho; no el hombre por causa del sábado.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et il leur dit: Le sabbat a été fait pour l’homme, non pas l’homme pour le sabbat;
German Elberfelder 1871	Und er sprach zu ihnen: Der Sabbath ward um des Menschen willen, nicht der Mensch um des Sabbaths willen;
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et dicebat eis: Sabbatum propter hominem factum est, et non homo propter sabbatum.