Mark 7 : 9

The Peshitta omits the conjunction καί / Et that opens the Greek and Latin witnesses. This is a common Syriac stylistic preference, avoiding redundant connectives where context sufficiently links discourse units.

Greek uses the imperfect ἔλεγεν ('he was saying'), Latin the imperfect dicebat, while Peshitta employs the perfect ܐܡܪ ('he said'). The aspectual difference is minor; Syriac often neutralizes Greek imperfective nuances in narrative discourse.

The Vulgate inserts a colon after illis to mark direct speech, a Latin scribal convention not reflected in Greek or Syriac manuscript traditions. The pronoun forms (αὐτοῖς / ܠܗܘܢ / illis) are semantically equivalent.

Greek uses the articular construction τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ('the commandment of God'); Latin follows with præceptum Dei (no article, genitive); Syriac employs the construct chain ܦܘܩܕܢܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ('commandment of God'). The lexical choices (ἐντολή / præceptum / ܦܘܩܕܢܐ) are standard equivalents; the structural variation reflects each language's nominal syntax.

Greek ἵνα introduces a purpose clause ('in order that'); Latin ut mirrors this; Peshitta uses the prefix ܕ- on the verb ܕܬܩܝܡܘܢ, a standard Syriac subordinating construction. The semantic function (purpose/result) is identical across all three traditions.

Greek places the possessive pronoun after the noun (τὴν παράδοσιν ὑμῶν, 'the tradition of-you'); Latin mirrors this order (traditionem vestram); Syriac uses a pronominal suffix on the noun (ܡܫܠܡܢܘܬܟܘܢ, 'your-tradition'), a morphological rather than syntactic encoding of possession.

Greek στήσητε ('you may establish/maintain') and Syriac ܕܬܩܝܡܘܢ ('that you may establish') share the root sense of 'stand/establish'; Latin servetis ('you may keep/preserve') shifts the metaphor slightly toward conservation rather than erection, though the pragmatic meaning (upholding tradition) remains equivalent.