COMPANION BIBLE. APPENDIX 143.  

"HAVE YE NOT READ?" 
(Matt. 12:3, &c.).


This question was asked by our Lord on six different occasions.  Six books of the O.T. were referred to, and seven separate passages thus received the imprimatur of Him Who spoke, not His own words, but only the words given to Him to speak by the Father (John 7:16; 8:28,46, 47; 12:49; 14:10, 24; 17:8).  Cp. Deut. 18:18, 19.

1. Matt. 12:3 (Mark 2:25.  Luke 6:3).  "What David did", covering 1Sam. 21:6 :  "the Shewbread" (v. 4) covering Lev. 24:6-9 :  "not lawful for him to eat ... but only for the priests", covering Lev. 24:9.
   
   
2. Matt. 12:5.  "In the temple the priests profane the sabbath", covering Num. 28:9, 10 (cp. John 7:22, 23).
   
   
3. Matt. 19:4.  Creation.  "At the beginning He made them male and female", covering Gen. 1:27 (cp. 5:2), and thus effectually shutting out the modern idea of "evolution".
   
   
4. Matt. 21:16.  "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings", &c., covering Psalm 8:2.
   
   
5. Matt. 21:42.  (Mark 12:10.  Luke 20:17).  "The stone which the builders refused", &c., covering Psalm 118:22.  (Cp. Isa. 28:16.  Acts 4:11.  1Pet. 2:6, 7.)
   
   
6. Matt. 22:31, 32 (Mark 12:26.  Luke 20:37).  Resurrection, covering Ex. 3:6.

The six books of the O.T. covered by the Lord's question are four books of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers), with 1Samuel and the Psalms.

The seven distinct passages referred to are as follows, omitting the parallel passages in the other Gospels, viz. :--