“Thou SAVOREST not the things of God, but those that be of men” Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33
Some King James Bible critics (none of whom believe that any Bible in any language, translated or untranslated, is now or ever was the complete and inerrant words of God) raise a big stink about this expression found only two times in the King James Bible.
It is found in Matthew 16:23 and in Mark 8:33 and both times it is in the same context of when the Lord Jesus tells His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things, and be killed and then be raise the third day. Peter then says to Jesus “Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.”
At this point we read in both gospel accounts: “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for THOU SAVOREST not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”
The underlying Greek word is # 5426 phroneo. This word is variously translated in the King James Bible as “to savour, to think, to regard, to mind, to understand, to set affection on, and to care (about something)”
The word is used in Colossians 3:2 - “SET YOUR AFFECTION on things above, not on things of the earth.”
The problem these bible critics have is not so much with the Greek as it is with understanding what the verb “to savor” means. If I am caring about something, or minded or disposed towards something, or have an affection for it, then I favor, like, relish and delight in these things.
And that is exactly the definition of the English verb “to savor”. Webster’s Dictionary defines “to savor” as “to like; to delight in; to favor, to enjoy with appreciation, to RELISH.”
Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich’s Greek-English lexicon tells us that the Greek word phroneo means “to think or feel a certain way about someone or something; to be concerned about”
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon likewise informs us that the word means “to direct one’s mind to a thing, to seek or strive for”
The word can have an emotional element to it rather than just a “mental assent”. For example, the NASB translates it as “it is only right for me TO FEEL this way about you” in Philippians 1:7 and as “you were CONCERNED (for me) in Philippians 4:10. The NIV also translates it as “feel” and “concerned”
The Greek word can have emotional overtones attached to it, as in “to set one’s affection on something”. And the English word “to savor” simply means to enjoy, to relish or appreciate and be favorably disposed towards something, as in “I plan to savor every moment.”
And that is how the word is used in Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33. Peter was more inclined to direct his mind and affections toward the things of men, than he was to savor the things of God.
Most modern versions translate Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33 as:
“you are not mindful of the things of God” - NKJV
“you think not God’s thoughts but man’s” Jehovah Witness NWT, Catholic New Jerusalem bible
“you are not setting your mind on the things of God” - ESV, NASB
“you do not have in mind the concerns of God” - NIV, Catholic Douay 1950
“for you RELISH NOT the things of God, but the things of men.” - Haweis N.T. 1795, Living Oracles 1835
“You don’t CARE ABOUT the things of God. You CARE ONLY ABOUT things that men think are important.” - International Children’s Bible 2015
“you are not intent on the things of God, but the things of people!” - Lexham Bible 2012
“You don’t CARE ABOUT the things of God, but only about the things people think are important.” - New Century Version 2005
Concordant Version 2006 - “for you are not disposed to that which is of God, but that which is of men."
There is nothing at all wrong with the King James Bible has it, since it conveys the idea that not only was Peter just “thinking” about things in the wrong way, but he was also emotionally drawn towards them and relished them. The English word “to savor” perfectly communicates this idea.
The King James Bible translators were well aware of other translations that read “understand not the things that are of God”. The Geneva Bible and Beza’s N.T. 1599 both read this way, but they rejected them and made the deliberate choice to translate it as “savourest not the things of God”.
Not only does the King James Bible read - “thou SAVOREST NOT the things of God, but those that be of men” but so too do the following Bible translations:
Wycliffe’s Bible 1395, Tyndale 1534, Coverdale 1535, The Great Bible 1540, Matthew’s Bible 1549, the Bishops’ Bible 1568, the Douay-Rheims 1582, the Bill Bible 1671, Whiston’s N.T. 1745, John Wesley’s translation 1755, the Clarke N.T. 1795, The Revised Translation 1815, Webster’s Bible 1833, the Longman Version 1841, the Hussey N.T. 1845, The Morgan N.T. 1848, the Hewett N.T. 1850, The Kenrick N.T. 1862, The Revised New Testament 1862, the Dillard N.T. 1885, the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition, The Clarke N.T. 1913, The Word of Yah 1993, the KJV 21st Century version 1994, God’s First Truth 1999 - “you SAVOUR not godly things, but worldly things.”, The Revised Webster Bible 1995, The Third Millennium Bible 1998, The Bond Slave Version 2009, The Hebraic Transliteration Scripture 2010 - “for you SAVOUREST NOT the things that be of Elohim”, The Work of God’s Children Illustrated Bible 2011 - “you do not SAVOR the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.” and the BRG Bible 2012.
John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes - “Thou savourest not - Dost not RELISH or desire.”
Matthew Henry - “Those that inordinately fear, and industriously decline suffering for Christ, when they are called to it, SAVOUR more of the things of man than of the things of God; they RELISH those things more themselves”
Adam Clarke Commentary - “Thou savourest not - That is, DOST NOT RELISH, ου φρονεις, or, thou dost not understand or discern the things of God - thou art wholly taken up with the vain thought that my kingdom is of this world.”
John Calvin - “Thou art an offense to me; for thou RELISHEST not those things which are of God, but those which are of men.”
Matthew Poole’s Annotations - “For thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men…Though by thy intemperate affection to me thou wouldst hinder the redemption of mankind, this is not in this thing to mind, think on, or SAVOUR the things of God, but to suffer thyself to be seduced by thy carnal affection.”
The King James Bible is always right. Get used to it.
Will Kinney
Return to Articles - http://brandplucked.webs.com/kjbarticles.htm
The Greek word used here - # 5426 phroneo - has a variety of meanings. It can mean “to think, exercise the mind, to be mentally disposed, to interest oneself in, to regard, to set the affection on something, to regard, and to savour.
The context of this verse is very important to understanding the sense of what it means “to savour the things of men rather than the things of God.
Matthew 16:21 “ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day
.22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou SAVOUREST not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”
Matthew Henry - “Thou savourest not the things that are of God, but those that are of men. Note, [1.] The things that are of God, that is, the concerns of his will and glory, often clash and interfere with the things that are of men, that is, with our own wealth, pleasure, and reputation. While we mind Christian duty as our way and work, and the divine favour as our end and portion, we savour the things of God; but if these be minded, the flesh must be denied, hazards must be run and hardships borne; and here is the trial which of the two we savour. [2.] Those that inordinately fear, and industriously decline suffering for Christ, when they are called to it, savour more of the things of man than of the things of God; they relish those things more themselves, and make it appear to others that they do so.”
John Gill - “For thou savourest not the things that be of God; meaning his sufferings and death, which were the appointment of God, the counsel of his will, the provision of his covenant;…So, though the blood, righteousness, sacrifice, and death of Christ, are SAVOURY things, things to be SAVOURED, minded, and regarded by believers, and accounted precious; yet being left to themselves, they do not SAVOUR, mind, and regard these things, but carnal things, and human schemes”
John Calvin translated it as - “Thou art an offense to me; for thou RELISHEST NOT not those things which are of God, but those which are of men.”
The English verb “to savour” or “to savour of” something (American spelling - savor) itself has several meanings.
Oxford English Dictionary
Savour - 1. [With Object] to Taste (food or drink) and enjoy it. “Gourmets will want to savor our specialties.”To enjoy or appreciate something. “I wanted to savor every moment.”
2. (No object) - to have a suggestion or trace of (something, especially something bad) “Their genuflections savored of superstition and popery.”
Wiktionary - savour (third-person singular simple present ‘savours’ )
1. (intransitive - does not have a direct object) - to possess a particular taste or smell, or a distinctive quality.
2. (transitive - has a direct object) to appreciate, enjoy or relish something.
Dictionary.com
Among the meanings of the verb we find here are 1. (used without object) = to have savor, taste or odor. To exhibit the peculiar characteristics of, or to smack of. “His business practices savor of greed.”
2. (used with object) to give a savor to, to season or flavor.
3. to give oneself to the enjoyment of something.
When the Lord Jesus said to Peter that he “did not savour the things of God, but the things that are of men” He meant that Peter did not appreciate, nor enjoy nor was he disposed towards the things of God, but of men. Because his thinking was wrong, his “tastes” were therefore carnal as opposed to being spiritual.
Not only does the King James Bible say “thou SAVOUREST NOT the things that be of God” but so also do the Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1534, Coverdale Bible 1535, The Great Bible 1540, Matthew's Bible 1549, the Bishop's Bible 1568, Douai-Rheims 1582, Whiston's N.T. 1745, Wesley's N.T. 1790, Webster's translation 1833, The Word of Yah 1993, the 21st Century KJV 1994, The Third Millennium Bible 1998, God's First Truth 1999, The Evidence Bible 2003, Bond Slave Version 2009 -"you SAVOUR not the things of God", the Hebraic Transliteration Scripture 2010, The Work of God's Children Illustrated Bible 2011 - "you do not SAVOR the things that are of God", and the BRG Bible 2012.
Other translations
Geneva bible, Jubilee bible 2010 - "thou understandeth not the things of God"
Mace's N.T. 1729 "your views are worldly concerning what is divine."
Thomas Haweis N.T. 1795, The Living Oracles 1835 - "you relish not the things of God"
Worsley Version 1770, Sawyer N.T 1858 - "you do not regard the things of God"
Revised Version 1885, Young's 1898 - "thou mindest not the things of God"
Emphatic Diaglott 1864, Rotherham 1902 - "thou art not regarding the things of God"
Twentieth Century N.T. 1904 - "you look at things, not as God does"
Weymouth 1912 - "your thoughts are not God's thoughts"
Goospeed 1923 - "you do not side with God"
Moffatt N.T. - "your outlook is not God's"
Williams N.T. - "this view of yours is not from God"
Revised Standard Version 1952 - "you are not on the side of God"
NKJV 1982 - "you are not mindful of the things of God"
Concordant Version 2006 - "you are not disposed to that which is of God"
Easy to Read Version 2006, Expanded bible 2011 - "you don't care about the same things God does."
The Sacred Scriptures 2009 "you are not behaving according to what is of God"
Lexham English bible 2012 - "you are not intent on the things of God"
International Children's Bible 2015 - "you don't care about the things of God."
The King James Bible's "thou SAVOUREST NOT the things that be of God, but those that be of men." is a perfectly good translation.
In fact, it effectively communicates a couple of different truths by using this specific word, that the other translations fail to express.
Because Peter's thinking was wrong and he did not understand or appreciate the reasons why the Lord Jesus had to be rejected and die and then rise again, and he even went so far as to "rebuke" Jesus, he "SAVOURED" the things of men and not of God. He BOTH enjoyed and relished the things of men, AND, because of this, he also gave off "a taste or odor" and "smacked of" the things of men rather than the things of God.
The King James Bible is right, as always. Don't settle for anything less than God's perfect Book.
Will Kinney
Return to Articles - http://brandplucked.webs.com/kjbarticles.htm