Section 11 of 772:23-28Mark

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King James VersionMark 2:23-28

And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

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?

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

Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Mark 2:23-28

Human Need and the Son of Man Frame Sabbath

Sabbath is gift; hunger is not a crime

On the Sabbath the disciples pluck heads of grain. Pharisees object. Jesus answers from Scripture: David, in need, ate the bread of the Presence and gave it to those with him. The appeal is an internal Jewish reading of Torah, not Jesus against a uniquely legalistic people. Human need is allowed to interpret the command. The story does not portray Jews or Pharisees as the world's special hypocrites.

Then come the two claims that frame Sabbath: the Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath, and the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath. Sabbath remains a gift of rest. "Made for man" protects people; it does not abolish Jewish Sabbath keeping, and it does not hand employers a religious excuse to erase rest. Lordship over Sabbath is Jesus' authority inside Israel's holy time, not contempt for those who keep it.

How this should shape us

Defend rest as a gift for human bodies, including your own and your workers', without sneering at Jewish Sabbath. Let real hunger and need interpret zeal for rules, and do not use this controversy to paint Pharisees or Jews as a legalistic race.

Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do careful interpreters differ?

Best judgment: The dispute is an internal Jewish interpretation of Torah, not Jesus versus a legalistic Judaism. 'Made for man' protects Sabbath's gift; it does not abolish rest, communal practice, or Jewish observance.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

Mark 2:23-28, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and material variants checked independently of the KJV.

Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Mark.txt, 2:23-28

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Matthew–Acts data, rows for 2:23-28

NET Bible — Mark with translators' and textual notes

Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, older-English clarification, variants, background, and alternatives.

NET Bible Mark PDF, printed pp. 1868–1901, 2:23-28 and attached translator/textual notes

Mark, Second Edition

Supports: Narrative boundaries, plot, characterization, kingdom, Christology, discipleship, conflict, Passion, and ending.

Broadhead, Mark, printed pp. 15–30, Mark 1.21–3.7a; subsection covering 2:23-28

Mark course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Supports: Authorship/date limits, whole-book movement, secrecy, disciple failure, Passion, Sonship, and reader-first context.

Enter the Bible Mark course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and related passage index; applied to 2:23-28

Mark

Supports: A complete confessional evangelical interpretation used as one traditioned voice, not consensus.

McKinley, “Mark,” Introduction and commentary heading covering Mark 2:23-28

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

Exact location: Mark 2:23-28, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and material variants checked independently of the KJV.

Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Mark.txt, 2:23-28

Open the Mark Greek text file ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges; context controls sense.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Matthew–Acts data, rows for 2:23-28

Open source ↗

Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — Mark with translators' and textual notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition

Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, older-English clarification, variants, background, and alternatives.

Exact location: NET Bible Mark PDF, printed pp. 1868–1901, 2:23-28 and attached translator/textual notes

Open the official NET Mark PDF ↗

modern scholarly narrative commentary

Mark, Second Edition

Edwin K. Broadhead

Sheffield Phoenix Press; distributed online by the Society of Biblical Literature, 2009

Supports: Narrative boundaries, plot, characterization, kingdom, Christology, discipleship, conflict, Passion, and ending.

Exact location: Broadhead, Mark, printed pp. 15–30, Mark 1.21–3.7a; subsection covering 2:23-28

Open Broadhead's complete Mark commentary ↗

modern scholarly book introduction

Mark course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Paul S. Berge; revised by Kristofer Phan Coffman

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2023 revision; current online course inspected 2026

Supports: Authorship/date limits, whole-book movement, secrecy, disciple failure, Passion, Sonship, and reader-first context.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Mark course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and related passage index; applied to 2:23-28

Open the Enter the Bible Mark course ↗

modern open confessional commentary

Mark

Mike McKinley

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023 online edition

Supports: A complete confessional evangelical interpretation used as one traditioned voice, not consensus.

Exact location: McKinley, “Mark,” Introduction and commentary heading covering Mark 2:23-28

Open McKinley's Mark commentary ↗