Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which you have delivered: and many such like things do you.
Alternative: Canceling God's word by your transmission of orders that you teach and things such as this that you do.

Continuing Christ's theme that religious leaders can cancel God's intent by how they interpret it, the point of this verse is that leaders teach both in word and deed. It is not just their teaching, but, in this case, how people see them serving their own self-interest. Christ often repeats statements to emphasize the three overlapping realms--physical, mental, and emotional--in which we live. In this case, he touches on all three: "words" are the mental realm, but transmission of orders is the emotional (social) realm, and "doing" is the physical realm.

The general sense here is that people torture logic, that is, God's logos, to justify what they want in terms of social power and physical gratification.

"Making...of none effect" is from akuroô (akuroo), which means "to cancel," "to set aside," and "render powerless."


"Tradition" is from paradosis (paradosis), which means "handing down," "transmission," "that which is handed down," and "the transmission of orders." This specifically includes legends, traditions, and doctrines but it is not specific about the quality of what is handed down, only that it has been passed down.

"You have delivered" is from paradidômi (paradidomi), which means "to give over to another," "to transmit," "to hand down," "to grant," "to teach," and "to bestow."

"Many" is from polus, which means "many (in number)," "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)." As an adverb is means "far," "very much," "a great way," and "long."

"Such" is from toioutos (toioutos), which means "such as this," "so great a thing," ""such a condition," "such a reason," "and suchlike."

"Like things" is from paromoios (paromoios), which means "closely resembling," and "nearly equal."


"Do you" is from poieô ( poieo), which means "to make," "to produce," "to create," "to bring into existence," "to bring about," "to cause," "to render," "to consider," "to prepare," "to make ready," and "to do."