But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

MATTHEW 12:7KJV
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Matthew 12:7 (KJV)

What does Matthew 12:7 mean?

Matthew 12:7 means that Jesus is telling the religious leaders they have misunderstood what God truly wants—God values mercy (kindness and compassion) more than ritual sacrifices. If they had understood this, they would not have wrongly accused innocent people.

In this scene, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, who were criticizing His disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath. Jesus quotes a line from the Old Testament (Hosea 6:6) to show that God cares more about showing mercy than about strict religious rituals. Jesus is challenging the Pharisees’ priorities and defending His disciples against unfair judgment.

The Greek behind Matthew 12:7

  • ἔλεος (eleos, "mercy"): This word means compassion or kindness shown to others. Jesus uses it to highlight that God’s heart is for people to show love and care, not just follow rules.
  • θυσία (thysia, "sacrifice"): This refers to ritual offerings made to God. Here, Jesus contrasts outward religious acts with the deeper value of mercy.
  • καταδικάζω (katadikazō, "condemned"): This word means to judge or pronounce someone guilty. Jesus points out that the Pharisees have wrongly judged the "guiltless"—His disciples—because they missed the point of God’s law.

Why Matthew 12:7 matters

  • Matthew 12:7 clears up the common misunderstanding that God is most pleased by religious rituals; instead, Jesus teaches that God’s priority is mercy and compassion.
  • This verse reveals the heart of Jesus’ teaching: He challenges legalism and defends those who are wrongly accused by religious authorities.
  • Matthew 12:7 connects to the wider passage by showing Jesus’ authority to interpret the law and His concern for human need over ritual observance.

Where else these words appear

“guiltless” Greek G338 · used in 2 verses

  • Matthew 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

“condemned” Greek G2613 · used in 4 verses

  • Matthew 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
  • Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
  • James 5:6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

“mercy” Greek G1656 · used in 27 verses

  • Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
  • Romans 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
  • Titus 1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.

“sacrifice” Greek G2378 · used in 29 verses

  • Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
  • Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
  • Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.