Corban

Biblical Text

Corban appears in Mark 7:1–13. In this passage the Pharisees and scribes object that Jesus' disciples eat without washing their hands according to "the tradition of the elders." Jesus answers by quoting Isaiah 29:13, saying that they lay aside the commandment of God in order to keep the tradition of men. As an example he cites Corban. According to Jesus, they taught that if a person simply said to his father or mother, "It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me," he was no longer obligated to help his parents (Mark 7:11–12). Jesus says that this practice makes of none effect the commandment of the Ten Commandments, "Honour thy father and thy mother" (Exodus 20:12).

The parallel account of the same event in Matthew 15:3–9 does not use the word "Corban" and records only "It is a gift."

Meaning and Background of the Word

The Hebrew qorban derives from a root meaning "to draw near, to bring near." In Leviticus and Numbers it is frequently used for offerings presented to God (Leviticus 1:2 and elsewhere). This usage is treated in the article Old Testament sacrifices. For readers unfamiliar with Jewish customs, Mark transliterates the word and adds a gloss explaining that it means a gift dedicated to God.

In the Jewish society of Jesus' day, Corban was also used as a vow formula declaring an object dedicated to God. Such a declaration could be used to keep a particular person from receiving or using the object. The Jewish historian Josephus is also reported to have mentioned Corban as a form of Jewish oath. The Mishnah, a later rabbinic work, contains a separate tractate dealing with such vows.

The word "treasury" (the temple treasury) in Matthew 27:6 translates a Greek word of the same origin. In that scene the chief priests say that the silver returned by Judas Iscariot may not be put into the treasury.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Old Testament, qorban was an act of worship by which one drew near to God. In Mark it appears as an instance in which that pious form was used as a means of evading the duty to care for one's parents. The New Testament does not use this passage to reject offerings and vows as such. Rather, it emphasizes that offerings and vows cannot take precedence over God's commandments and love of neighbor. First Timothy 5:8, which treats caring for one's family as a matter of faith, is often read alongside this passage in the same light.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Tradition and Scripture: Protestant denominations in the Reformation tradition frequently cite this passage in support of the authority of Scripture over human tradition. The Catholic Church does not regard the passage as a rejection of tradition as a whole but reads it as a critique of human traditions that contradict God's commandments.
• Actual practice at the time: Sermons commonly explain that a person who declared his property Corban did not actually give it to the temple but continued to use it himself, withholding it only from his parents. The text, however, does not specify how the practice worked, and this explanation rests on scholarly reconstructions of the vow customs of the period.
• Relationship to Jewish tradition: Later rabbinic literature is reported to contain discussions of whether such vows could be annulled for the sake of honoring one's parents. For this reason, some hold that Jesus' criticism was directed not at the Judaism of his day as a whole but at a particular teaching or practice.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, this passage is often cited in sermons stressing that offerings and service cannot substitute for responsibility toward one's family. It is also used in sermons warning against formalistic faith.