The Life of Jesus in Harmony | Index

Corban

CORBAN (kor'ban; Gk. korban, an "offering").

A name common to any sacred gift; the term in general use to denote sacrifice, its equivalent (Ex 28:38) being "holy gifts."

All things or persons consecrated (or vowed) for religious purposes became corban and fell to the sanctuary.

The Pharisees taught that "if a man says to his father or his mother, anything of mine you might have been helped by is Corban [i.e., devoted]" (Mk 7:11), he thereby consecrated all to God and was relieved from using it for his parents. This Jesus declared to be contradictory of the command that taught children to honor their parents.