Matthew 12:2
New International Version
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

New Living Translation
But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.”

English Standard Version
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

Berean Standard Bible
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

Berean Literal Bible
And the Pharisees, having seen, said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples are doing what it is not lawful to do on Sabbath."

King James Bible
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

New King James Version
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

New American Standard Bible
Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!”

NASB 1995
But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”

NASB 1977
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”

Amplified Bible
But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

Christian Standard Bible
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

American Standard Version
But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath.

Contemporary English Version
Some Pharisees noticed this and said to Jesus, "Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do this!"

English Revised Version
But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing something that is not right to do on the day of worship."

Good News Translation
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, "Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do this on the Sabbath!"

International Standard Version
When the Pharisees saw this, they told him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"

Majority Standard Bible
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, ?Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.?

NET Bible
But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath."

New Heart English Bible
But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, "Look, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath."

Webster's Bible Translation
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath.

Weymouth New Testament
But the Pharisees saw it and said to Him, "Look! your disciples are doing what the Law forbids them to do on the Sabbath."

World English Bible
But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, “Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and the Pharisees having seen, said to Him, “Behold, Your disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”

Berean Literal Bible
And the Pharisees, having seen, said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples are doing what it is not lawful to do on Sabbath."

Young's Literal Translation
and the Pharisees having seen, said to him, 'Lo, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on a sabbath.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the Pharisees, seeing, said to him, Behold, thy disciples do what is not lawful to do in the sabbath.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Pharisees seeing them, said to him: Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then the Pharisees, seeing this, said to him, “Behold, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbaths.”

New American Bible
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”

New Revised Standard Version
When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But when the Pharisees saw them, they said to him, Behold, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But when the Pharisees saw them, they were saying to him, “Behold, your disciples are doing something that is illegal to do on the Sabbath.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him: Behold, your disciples are doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.

Godbey New Testament
And the Pharisees, seeing, said to Him, Behold thy disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.

Haweis New Testament
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, Behold, thy disciples do a thing that it is not lawful to do on the sabbath.

Mace New Testament
the Pharisees seeing that, said to him, see, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath-day.

Weymouth New Testament
But the Pharisees saw it and said to Him, "Look! your disciples are doing what the Law forbids them to do on the Sabbath."

Worrell New Testament
But the Pharisees, seeing it, said to Him, "Behold, Thy disciples are doing that which it is not lawful to do on a sabbath."

Worsley New Testament
And when the pharisees saw it they said to Him, See, thy disciples are doing what is not lawful for them to do on the sabbath.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Lord of the Sabbath
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 3Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?…

Cross References
Mark 2:24
So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

Luke 6:2
But some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. / Six days you shall labor and do all your work, / but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. ...

Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. / Six days you shall labor and do all your work, / but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do. ...

Leviticus 23:3
For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

Exodus 31:13-17
“Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. / Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people. / For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. ...

Nehemiah 13:15-22
In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them against selling food on that day. / Additionally, men of Tyre who lived there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem. / Then I rebuked the nobles of Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the Sabbath day? ...

Isaiah 58:13-14
If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, / then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Jeremiah 17:21-27
This is what the LORD says: Take heed for yourselves; do not carry a load or bring it through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. / You must not carry a load out of your houses or do any work on the Sabbath day, but you must keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your forefathers. / Yet they would not listen or incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and would not listen or receive My discipline. ...

Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Mark 3:4
And He asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” But they were silent.

Luke 13:14-16
But the synagogue leader was indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those days and not on the Sabbath.” / “You hypocrites!” the Lord replied. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it to water? / Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”

Luke 14:3-5
So Jesus asked the experts in the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” / But they remained silent. Then Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. / And He asked them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”

John 5:9-10
Immediately the man was made well, and he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the Sabbath day, / so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry your mat.”


Treasury of Scripture

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, Behold, your disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath day.

Behold.

Matthew 12:10
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

Exodus 20:9-11
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: …

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.

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Matthew 12
1. Jesus reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath,
3. by scripture,
9. by reason,
13. and by a miracle.
22. He heals a man possessed that was blind and mute;
24. and confronting the absurd charge of casting out demons by Beelzebub,
32. he shows that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.
36. Account shall be made of idle words.
38. He rebukes the unfaithful, who seek after a sign,
46. and shows who is his brother, sister, and mother.














When the Pharisees saw this
The Pharisees were a prominent religious group in Judaism during the time of Jesus. Known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the oral traditions, they often positioned themselves as the guardians of Jewish religious practices. The Greek word for "saw" (εἶδον, eidon) implies more than just physical sight; it suggests perception and understanding. The Pharisees were not merely observing an action; they were interpreting it through the lens of their legalistic framework. Historically, the Pharisees were influential in shaping Jewish thought and practice, and their interactions with Jesus often highlighted the tension between legalism and the spirit of the law.

they said to Him
The Pharisees' approach to Jesus was often confrontational. The Greek word for "said" (εἶπον, eipon) indicates a declaration or assertion. This was not a casual conversation but a challenge to Jesus' authority and understanding of the law. In the context of the Gospels, the Pharisees frequently questioned Jesus to test Him or to find grounds for accusation. Their dialogue with Jesus often reveals their misunderstanding of His mission and the heart of God's commandments.

Look
The word "Look" (Ἰδοὺ, idou) is an imperative, drawing attention to something significant. It is a call to observe and consider carefully. The Pharisees were emphasizing the perceived transgression of the disciples, highlighting it as a matter of concern. This word sets the stage for the accusation that follows, underscoring the urgency and seriousness with which the Pharisees viewed the situation.

Your disciples are doing
The phrase "Your disciples are doing" points directly to the actions of Jesus' followers, implicating Jesus Himself as their teacher and leader. The Greek word for "doing" (ποιοῦσιν, poiousin) suggests ongoing action. The disciples' behavior was not a one-time event but part of their regular conduct. This highlights the role of discipleship in the Gospels, where the actions of the disciples often reflect the teachings and character of their master, Jesus.

what is unlawful
The term "unlawful" (οὐκ ἔξεστιν, ouk exestin) refers to actions that are not permitted by the law. In this context, the Pharisees were referring to the traditional interpretations of the Sabbath laws. The Sabbath, a day of rest instituted by God in the Ten Commandments, was surrounded by numerous additional regulations developed by Jewish leaders over time. These regulations were intended to prevent any form of work, but they often became burdensome and missed the Sabbath's original intent as a day of rest and worship.

on the Sabbath
The Sabbath (σάββατον, sabbaton) was a sacred day for the Jewish people, observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening. It was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a day set apart for rest and spiritual reflection. The Pharisees' accusation centered on the disciples' actions, which they believed violated the sanctity of this day. Historically, the Sabbath was a cornerstone of Jewish identity, and its observance was a distinguishing mark of faithfulness to God. Jesus' teachings often challenged the prevailing interpretations of the Sabbath, emphasizing mercy and the well-being of individuals over rigid legalism.

(2) When the Pharisees saw it.--In the position in which the narrative stands in the other two Gospels, the Pharisees would appear as belonging to the company that had come down from Jerusalem to watch and accuse the new Teacher (Luke 5:17). He claimed the power to forgive sins, He ate and drank with publicans and sinners. Now they found that He was teaching men to dishonour the Sabbath, as He had already taught them in Jerusalem (John 5:10; John 5:16).

Verse 2. - But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him. The Revised Version (but the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him) retains the simple order of the Greek, which more vividly represents the Pharisees as a party opposed to him. Behold. They suggest that he had not noticed it. Were the disciples behind him (cf. Matthew 8:23)? Thy disciples. Notice that all the accusations brought against the disciples in this Gospel concern food: Matthew 9:14, as regards abstaining from it upon fixed days; Matthew 15:2, as regards eating it without taking extreme precautions against ceremonial pollution; in the present passage, as regards avoiding any profanation of the sabbath for its sake. Do. At this moment. That which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day (ver. 1, note).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
[When]
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

[the] Pharisees
Φαρισαῖοι (Pharisaioi)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5330: Of Hebrew origin; a separatist, i.e. Exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary.

saw [this],
ἰδόντες (idontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

they said
εἶπαν (eipan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

to Him,
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

“Look,
Ἰδοὺ (Idou)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 2400: See! Lo! Behold! Look! Second person singular imperative middle voice of eido; used as imperative lo!

Your
σου (sou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

disciples
μαθηταί (mathētai)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3101: A learner, disciple, pupil. From manthano; a learner, i.e. Pupil.

are doing
ποιοῦσιν (poiousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

what
(ho)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

is unlawful
ἔξεστιν (exestin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1832: It is permitted, lawful, possible.

on
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

[the] Sabbath.”
σαββάτῳ (sabbatō)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4521: The Sabbath, a week.


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