NT Text: Matthew 15:4b
OT Source(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Direct Quotation
Connection Method(s): Redemptive-Historical Progression + Contrast
Significance: In Matthew 15:4b Jesus quotes Exodus 21:17 (parallel to Leviticus 20:9): "Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death" (mot yumat). This citation is the second of two OT commands Jesus invokes to expose the hypocrisy of the Pharisees' corban tradition. The fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12, cited in 15:4a) positively requires honoring parents; Exodus 21:17 negatively reinforces that requirement with the most severe sanction — death for those who treat parents with contempt. By citing this capital sanction, Jesus demonstrates that God's law regards filial duty as a matter of the highest seriousness, not a technicality to be circumvented by dedicating resources to the temple. The Pharisees' corban practice, which allowed individuals to declare property "dedicated to God" thereby avoiding support of aging parents, directly violated the spirit of this text. Jesus shows that their tradition nullified the word of God rather than interpreting it.