Mark 7:3 ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖρας

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Jonathan Robie
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Mark 7:3 ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖρας

Post by Jonathan Robie »

What is the meaning of πυγμῇ, highlighted below?
Mark 7:1-9 wrote:1 Καὶ συνάγονται πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καί τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐλθόντες ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων 2 καὶ ἰδόντες τινὰς τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ὅτι κοιναῖς χερσίν, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀνίπτοις, ἐσθίουσιν τοὺς ἄρτους-

3 οἱ γὰρ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ πάντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι
ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖρας
οὐκ ἐσθίουσιν,
κρατοῦντες τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων,

4 καὶ ἀπ' ἀγορᾶς ἐὰν μὴ βαπτίσωνται οὐκ ἐσθίουσιν, καὶ ἄλλα πολλά ἐστιν ἃ παρέλαβον κρατεῖν, βαπτισμοὺς ποτηρίων καὶ ξεστῶν καὶ χαλκίων καὶ κλινῶν- 5 καὶ ἐπερωτῶσιν αὐτὸν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς· Διὰ τί οὐ περιπατοῦσιν οἱ μαθηταί σου κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ἀλλὰ κοιναῖς χερσὶν ἐσθίουσιν τὸν ἄρτον; 6 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Καλῶς ἐπροφήτευσεν Ἠσαΐας περὶ ὑμῶν τῶν ὑποκριτῶν, ὡς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ, ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· 7 μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με, διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων· 8 ἀφέντες τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ κρατεῖτε τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
The Pharisees and the Jews don't eat unless they have washed their hands "with the fist"? "up to the elbow"? "with gusto?"
ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηποροῦντο, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι;
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Jonathan Robie
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Re: Mark 7:3 ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖρας

Post by Jonathan Robie »

Ah, BDAG is useful here.

It actually could refer to a ceremonial washing with the fist. Or not ...
ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηποροῦντο, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι;
http://jonathanrobie.biblicalhumanities.org/
Stephen Carlson
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Re: Mark 7:3 ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖρας

Post by Stephen Carlson »

Joel Marcus's commentary gives a couple of options (e.g., up to the fist, with a fistful of water, and with the hand cupped in a fist) and then says that nobody really knows.
Stephen C. Carlson, Ph.D.
Melbourne, Australia
cwconrad
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Re: Mark 7:3 ἐὰν μὴ πυγμῇ νίψωνται τὰς χεῖρας

Post by cwconrad »

Jonathan Robie wrote:Ah, BDAG is useful here.

It actually could refer to a ceremonial washing with the fist. Or not ...
I'm reminded of a quip that Lance Berkman had pasted on his locker in his days with the Astros, "One-run games can go either way, and usually do."
οὔτοι ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς πάντα θεοὶ θνητοῖς ὑπέδειξαν,
ἀλλὰ χρόνῳ ζητέοντες ἐφευρίσκουσιν ἄμεινον. (Xenophanes, Fragment 16)

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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