Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 15:6

6 And honour not his father or mother, he shall be free, Thus have you made the commandement of God, of none effect by your tradition.

Mark hath much the same, 7. v. 10, 11, 12, 13. Mark saith Moses said, which is the same with God commanded. God commanded by Moses. Mark saith: It is Corban [that is, a Gift] Mark addeth, v. 12. And you suffer him no more to do ought for his Father or Mother, which more fully sheweth their Crime, and expoundeth what Matthew had said more shortly. Mark adds, And many such like Things do you. This is an instance, by which our Saviour justifieth his Charge upon them, that they had made void the Law of God by their Traditions. The Law he instanceth in, is the fifth Commandement, Exod. 20.12. Deut. 5.16. which the Apostle calleth the First Commandement with Promise, Eph. 6.2. which God had fortified with a Iudicial Law, wherein he had commanded, That he who Cursed his Father and Mother should be put to Death, Exod. 21.17. Levit. 20.9. he had also further threatned the Violaters of this Law, Prov. 20.20. By the way our Saviour here al[illegible: 1 letter]o lets us know, that the fifth Commandement obligeth Children to relieve their Parents in their necessity, and this is the Sense of the term, Honour, in other Texts of Scripture. A Law of God, which hath approved it self to the Wisdom almost of all Nations. Liberi Parentes alant aut vinciantur. Let Children relieve their Parents, or be put into Prison, was an old Roman Law. Nor did the Pharisees deny this in terms, but they had made an Exception from it, which in Effect made it of no use, at least such as wicked Children ea[illegible: 1 letter]ily might, and commonly did elude it by: They had taught the People to say to their Parents, Corban: It is a Gift, by whatsoever thou mayst be profited by me: And in that Case, tho they did not give their poor Parents any thing wherewith they might relieve their Necessities, yet they should be Guiltless as to the fifth Commandement. There is a strange Variety of Interpreters as to this Text. Some making the Sense this, That which I should relieve you with, I have dedicated unto God, and therefore I cannot relieve you: Others thus, I have dedicated my Estate to God, and that will be as much Good, and benefit to you, as if I had given it unto you. Others think that Corban was the form of an Oath, from whence they form other Senses. But the most Free, and unconstrained Sense seemeth to be this. The Pharisees were a very Courteous Generation, and had a share in the Gifts, that were brought unto God, for the use of the Temple or otherwise, thence they were very Zealous, and diligent in perswading People to make such Oblations, when any pretended the need that their Parents stood in of their help, they told them, That i[illegible: 1 letter] they told their Parents, it was a Gift that they had vowed, such a Portion of their Estate to a sacred use, that would before God excuse them for not relieving their Parents; so as the Precept of Honouring their Parents, and relieving them in their nece[illegible: 1 letter]sities, obliged them not, if they had first given to God the things by which their Parents might, or ought to have been reliev[illegible: 2 letters]. Thus he tells them, that by their Traditions, under pretence of a more Religion, and expounding the Divine Law, they had indeed destroyed it, and made it of no E[illegible: 1 letter]fect at all.