SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:4
Y les dice: ¿Es lícito hacer bien en sábados, o hacer mal? ¿Salvar la persona, o matarla? Mas ellos callaban.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Mark 3:4
Verse 4. To do good-or-evil? to save life, or to kill?] It was a maxim with the Jews, as it should be with all men, that he who neglected to preserve life when it was in his power, was to be reputed a murderer. Every principle of sound justice requires that he should be considered in this light. But, if this be the case, how many murderers are there against whom there is no law but the law of God! To kill-but instead of apokteinai, several MSS. and versions have apolesai to destroy. Wetstein and Griesbach quote Theophylact for this reading; but it is not in my copy. Paris edit. 1635.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 4. And he saith unto them , etc..] Either to the whole multitude, to all the assembly in the synagogue; and so the Persic version renders it, “again he said to the multitude”; or rather, to the Scribes and Pharisees, who were watching him, and had put a question to him, which he answers by another: is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil, to save life, or to kill ? The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions read, or “to destroy”, as in ( Luke 6:9), To do evil, kill, or destroy, are not lawful at any time; and to do good, and to save life, must be right at all times: our Lord has a particular view to the Scribes and Pharisees, and the question is put home to their own consciences; whose hearts and thoughts, designs and views, were all open to Christ; and who were now watching to do evil to him, and even to destroy and take away his life: for the violation of the sabbath was death by the law, and this was what they sought to accuse him of: now he puts the question to them, and makes them judges which must appear most right and just in the sight of God and men, for him to heal this poor man of his withered hand, though on the sabbath day; which would be doing a good and beneficent action to him, whereby his life would be saved, and preserved with comfort and usefulness, and he would be in a capacity of getting his livelihood; or for them to cherish an evil intention against him, to seek to bring mischief on him; and not only destroy his character and usefulness as much as in them lay, but even take away his very life also: he leaves it with them to consider of which was most agreeable to the law of God, the nature of a sabbath, and the good of mankind; but they held their peace ; or “were silent”, not being able to return an answer, but what must have been in his favour, and to their own confusion, and therefore chose to say nothing.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-5 - This man's case was piteous; he had a withered hand, which disabled his from working for his living; and those that are so, are the most prope objects of charity. Let those be helped that cannot help themselves But stubborn infidels, when they can say nothing against the truth, ye will not yield. We hear what is said amiss, and see what is done amiss but Christ looks at the root of bitterness in the heart, the blindnes and hardness of that, and is grieved. Let hard-hearted sinners trembl to think of the anger with which he will look upon them shortly, when the day of his wrath comes. The great healing day now is the sabbath and the healing place the house of prayer; but the healing power is of Christ. The gospel command is like that recorded here: though our hand are withered, yet, if we will not stretch them out, it is our own faul that we are not healed. But if we are healed, Christ, his power an grace, must have all the glory.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ λεγει 3004 5719 V-PAI-3S αυτοις 846 P-DPM εξεστιν 1832 5904 V-PQI-3S τοις 3588 T-DPN σαββασιν 4521 N-DPN αγαθοποιησαι 15 5658 V-AAN η 2228 PRT κακοποιησαι 2554 5658 V-AAN ψυχην 5590 N-ASF σωσαι 4982 5658 V-AAN η 2228 PRT αποκτειναι 615 5658 V-AAN οι 3588 T-NPM δε 1161 CONJ εσιωπων 4623 5707 V-IAI-3P
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:4 {But they held their peace} (hoi de esiwpwn). Imperfect tense. In sullen silence and helplessness before the merciless questions of Jesus as the poor man stood there before them all. Jesus by his pitiless alternatives between doing good (agaqopoiew, late Greek word in LXX and N.T.) and doing evil (kakopoiew, ancient Greek word), to this man, for instance, {to save a life or to kill} (yucen swsai e apokteinai), as in this case. It was a terrible exposure.
