2 Chronicles 30:18-20

30:18 The majority of the many people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially unclean, yet they ate the Passover in violation of what is prescribed in the law. ¹  For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying: “May the Lord, who is good, forgive ²  30:19 everyone who has determined to follow God, ³  the Lord God of his ancestors, even if he is not ceremonially clean according to the standards of the temple.” ⁴  30:20 The Lord responded favorably ⁵  to Hezekiah and forgave ⁶  the people.

Zechariah 7:8-9

7:8 Again the word of the Lord came to Zechariah: 7:9 “The Lord who rules over all said, ‘Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other.

Matthew 12:3-7

12:3 He ⁷  said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry – 12:4 how he entered the house of God and they ate ⁸  the sacred bread, ⁹  which was against the law ¹⁰  for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? ¹¹  12:5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 12:6 I ¹²  tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 12:7 If ¹³  you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ ¹⁴  you would not have condemned the innocent.

Matthew 12:20

12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,

until he brings justice to victory.

¹ tn Heb “without what is written.”

² tn Heb “make atonement for.”

³ tn Heb “everyone [who] has prepared his heart to seek God.”

⁴ tn Heb “and not according to the purification of the holy place.”

⁵ tn Heb “listened.”

⁶ tn Heb “healed.”

⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁸ tc The Greek verb ἔφαγεν (efagen, “he ate”) is found in a majority of witnesses (Ì⁷⁰ C D L W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt sy co) in place of ἔφαγον (efagon, “they ate”), the wording found in א B pc. ἔφαγεν is most likely motivated by the parallels in Mark and Luke (both of which have the singular).

⁹ tn Grk “the bread of presentation.”

¹⁰ sn Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was against the law is one of analogy: “If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.” Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.

¹¹ sn See 1 Sam 21:1-6.

¹² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁴ sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 9:13).