Mark 2:23
New International Version
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.

New Living Translation
One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat.

English Standard Version
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.

Berean Standard Bible
One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along.

Berean Literal Bible
And it came to pass, He is passing through the grainfields on the Sabbaths, and His disciples began to make their way, plucking the heads of grain.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.

New American Standard Bible
And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.

NASB 1995
And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.

NASB 1977
And it came about that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.

Amplified Bible
One Sabbath He was walking along [with His disciples] through the grainfields, and as they went along, His disciples began picking the heads of grain.

Christian Standard Bible
On the Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way, picking some heads of grain.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
On the Sabbath He was going through the grainfields, and His disciples began to make their way picking some heads of grain.

American Standard Version
And it came to pass, that he was going on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears.

Contemporary English Version
One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields. His disciples were picking grains of wheat as they went along.

English Revised Version
And it came to pass, that he was going on the sabbath day through the cornfields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Once on a day of worship Jesus was going through the grainfields. As the disciples walked along, they began to pick the heads of grain.

Good News Translation
Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. As his disciples walked along with him, they began to pick the heads of wheat.

International Standard Version
Jesus happened to be going through the grain fields on a Sabbath. As they made their way, his disciples began picking the heads of grain.

Majority Standard Bible
One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along.

NET Bible
Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples began to pick some heads of wheat as they made their way.

New Heart English Bible
And it happened that he was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields, and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, that he went through the corn-fields on the sabbath; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

Weymouth New Testament
One Sabbath He was walking through the wheatfields when His disciples began to pluck the ears of wheat as they went.

World English Bible
He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And it came to pass—He is going along on the Sabbaths through the grainfields—and His disciples began to make a way, plucking the ears,

Berean Literal Bible
And it came to pass, He is passing through the grainfields on the Sabbaths, and His disciples began to make their way, plucking the heads of grain.

Young's Literal Translation
And it came to pass -- he is going along on the sabbaths through the corn-fields -- and his disciples began to make a way, plucking the ears,

Smith's Literal Translation
And it was he passed by through the standing corn in the sabbaths: and his disciples began to make the way, picking out the ears of corn.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And it came to pass again, as the Lord walked through the corn fields on the sabbath, that his disciples began to go forward, and to pluck the ears of corn.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And again, while the Lord was walking through the ripe grain on the Sabbath, his disciples, as they advanced, began to separate the ears of grains.

New American Bible
As he was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.

New Revised Standard Version
One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And it happened that while Jesus was going through the wheat fields on the sabbath, his disciples walked and pulled up the ears of wheat.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And so it was that when Yeshua went out on the Sabbath to a grain field, his disciples were walking and picking the ears of wheat.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And it came to pass, that he was going on the sabbath day through the fields of grain: and his disciples began, as they went, to pull the ears of grain.

Godbey New Testament
And it came to pass, that He was traveling through the corn-fields on the Sabbath-day; and His disciples began to make the journey plucking the ears.

Haweis New Testament
And he was walking through the cornfields on the sabbath; and his disciples as they went on the road plucked the ears of corn.

Mace New Testament
Another time, as he was going through the corn-fields on the sabbath-day, his disciples as they pass'd along began to pluck the ears of corn.

Weymouth New Testament
One Sabbath He was walking through the wheatfields when His disciples began to pluck the ears of wheat as they went.

Worrell New Testament
And it came to pass that He was going on the sabbath through the grainfields; and His disciples began to make a way, plucking the heads of grain.

Worsley New Testament
And as He was going thro' the corn-fields on the sabbath-day, his disciples began as they went along to pluck the ears of corn.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Lord of the Sabbath
22And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into new wineskins.” 23 One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along. 24So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”…

Cross References
Matthew 12:1-8
At 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. / When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” / Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ...

Luke 6:1-5
One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them. / But some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” / Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ...

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. ...

1 Samuel 21:1-6
Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” / “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission on which I am sending you. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place. / Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” ...

Genesis 2:2-3
And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. / Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

Exodus 16:23-30
He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’” / So they set it aside until morning as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell or contain any maggots. / “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you will not find anything in the field. ...

Leviticus 24:5-9
You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, / and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD. / And you are to place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, a food offering to the LORD. ...

Numbers 28:9-10
On the Sabbath day, present two unblemished year-old male lambs, accompanied by a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, as well as a drink offering. / This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.

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.

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? ...

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

Matthew 9:13
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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.

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

that.

Matthew 12:1-8
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat…

Luke 6:1-5
And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands…

to pluck.

Deuteronomy 23:24,25
When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel…

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Corn Cornfields Corn-Fields Disciples Ears Fields Grain Grainfields Grain-Fields Jesus Passing Pick Picking Pluck Plucking Sabbath Walk Walked Walking Way Wheat Wheatfields
Mark 2
1. Jesus followed by multitudes,
3. heals a paralytic;
13. calls Matthew;
15. eats with tax collectors and sinners;
18. excuses his disciples for not fasting;
23. and for picking the heads of grain on the Sabbath day.














One Sabbath
The term "Sabbath" originates from the Hebrew word "Shabbat," meaning "to cease" or "to rest." The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship, instituted by God in Genesis 2:2-3 and codified in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). In the Jewish tradition, the Sabbath is observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening. This day was set apart for rest and spiritual reflection, a sign of the covenant between God and Israel. In the context of Mark 2:23, the Sabbath serves as a backdrop for a significant teaching moment about the nature of God's law and mercy.

Jesus
The name "Jesus" is derived from the Hebrew name "Yeshua," meaning "Yahweh is salvation." Jesus is central to the Christian faith as the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Savior of humanity. In this passage, Jesus' actions and teachings challenge the prevailing interpretations of the law, emphasizing the spirit rather than the letter of the law. His presence in the grainfields on the Sabbath sets the stage for a deeper understanding of His mission and authority.

was going through the grainfields
The act of "going through the grainfields" suggests a journey or movement, both physically and spiritually. Grainfields were common in the agrarian society of first-century Palestine, representing sustenance and provision. This imagery evokes the idea of Jesus leading His disciples through life's fields, providing for their needs and teaching them along the way. The grainfields also symbolize the harvest, a recurring biblical theme representing the gathering of souls into God's kingdom.

and His disciples
The "disciples" were followers of Jesus, chosen to learn from Him and carry on His teachings. The Greek word "mathētēs" means "learner" or "pupil." The presence of the disciples highlights the communal aspect of Jesus' ministry and the importance of mentorship and discipleship in the Christian faith. Their actions in this passage reflect their reliance on Jesus and their willingness to learn from His example.

began to pick the heads of grain
The act of "picking the heads of grain" was a common practice for travelers in need of sustenance, permitted by the law in Deuteronomy 23:25. However, doing so on the Sabbath was controversial, as it was considered work by the Pharisees. This action sets up a confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders, illustrating the tension between human need and legalistic interpretations of the law. It underscores the theme of mercy over sacrifice, a key aspect of Jesus' teaching.

as they walked along
The phrase "as they walked along" indicates a journey, both literal and metaphorical. Walking is a common biblical metaphor for living one's life or following a particular path. In this context, it suggests the disciples' journey with Jesus, learning from His teachings and actions. It also implies movement and progress, both in their physical journey and in their spiritual understanding. This journey with Jesus is a call to all believers to walk in His ways, learning and growing in faith.

(23-28) And it came to pass.--See Notes on Matthew 12:1-8.

As they went . . .--More literally, they began to make a path (or perhaps, to make their way), plucking the ears of corn.

Verse 23. - If there is a rapid sequence in this part of the narrative, the fasting referred to in the last verses may have taken place the day before. St. Luke (Luke 6:1) here adds to St. Mark's account the words, "and did eat, rubbing them [that is, the ears of corn] in their hands;" an incidental evidence of a simple life, that they did not here eat prepared food, but the simple grains of wheat, which they separated from the chaff by rubbing the ears of corn in their hands. This passage marks with some nicety the time of the year. The corn in that district would be ripening about May. It would, therefore, be not long after the Passover. The difficult expression in St. Luke 6:1, ἐν σαββάτῳ δευτεροπρώτῳ, and which is rendered in the Authorized Version "on the second sabbath after the first," is reduced by the Revisers of 1881 to the simple phrase (ἐν σαββάτῳ), "on a sabbath," there not being sufficient evidence to persuade them to retain the word δευτεροπρώτῳ. But other evidences seem to show that the incident occurred earlier than as recorded by St. Matthew. The Fathers are fond of spiritual applications of this rubbing of the ears of corn. Bede, in remarking upon the fact of the disciples plucking the ears of corn, and rubbing them until they get rid of the husks, and obtain the food itself, says that they do this who meditate upon the Holy Scriptures, and digest them, until they find in them the kernel, the quintessence of delight; and St. Augustine blames those who merely please themselves with the flowers of Holy Scripture, but do not rub out the grain by meditation, until they obtain the real nourishment of virtue.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
One
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.

Sabbath
σάββασιν (sabbasin)
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural
Strong's 4521: The Sabbath, a week.

[Jesus]
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 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.

was going
παραπορεύεσθαι (paraporeuesthai)
Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 3899: To go past, pass by, pass along by. From para and poreuomai; to travel near.

through
διὰ (dia)
Preposition
Strong's 1223: A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through.

the
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

grainfields,
σπορίμων (sporimōn)
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 4702: Sown; neut. plur: sown fields. From sporos; sown, i.e. a planted field.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 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.

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

began
ἤρξαντο (ērxanto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 756: To begin. Middle voice of archo; to commence.

to pick
τίλλοντες (tillontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5089: To pluck, pluck off. Perhaps akin to the alternate of haireomai, and thus to suro; to pull off.

the
τοὺς (tous)
Article - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

heads of grain
στάχυας (stachyas)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4719: A head of grain. From the base of histemi; a head of grain.

[as] they walked along.
ποιεῖν (poiein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
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.


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NT Gospels: Mark 2:23 It happened that he was going (Mar Mk Mr)
Mark 2:22
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