And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

and had seen that some of his disciples ate their bread with defiled, that is, unwashen, hands.

And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.

and seeing some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, unwashed, hands,

And when they saw some of his disciples eating bread with defiled (that is to say with unwashed) hands, they found fault.

and having seen certain of his disciples with defiled hands, that is, unwashed, eating bread, they found fault;

And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashed, hands, they found fault.

They had noticed that some of His disciples were eating their food with 'unclean' (that is to say, unwashed)

And had seen that some of his disciples took their bread with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.

Now when they saw that some of his disciples ate bread with defiled, that is, unwashed, hands, they found fault.

And when they had seen certain ones from his disciples eating bread with common hands, that is, with unwashed hands, they disparaged them.

They had noticed that some of his disciples ate their food with their hands 'defiled,' by which they meant unwashed.

Defiled hands - The hands were considered defiled or polluted unless they were washed previous to every meal.

They found fault - This is wanting in ABEHLV, nineteen others, and several versions: Mill and Bengel approve the omission, and Griesbach rejects the word. If the 3d and 4th verses be read in a parenthesis, the 2d and 5th verses will appear to be properly connected, without the above clause.

And when they saw some of his disciples (a) eat bread with (b) defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
(a) Literally, "eat bread": an idiom which the Hebrews use, understanding bread to represent every type of food.
(b) For the Pharisees would not eat their food with unwashed hands, because they thought that their hands were defiled with the common handling of things; (Matthew 15:11-12).

And when they saw some of his disciples,.... An opportunity soon offered of giving them an handle against him: for observing some of his disciples to sit down to meat, they took notice that they
eat bread with defiled (that is to say, with unwashen) hands, and
they found fault; with them, and charged them with the breach of the traditions of the elders, and took an occasion from hence of quarrelling with Christ. The Jews use the same phrase the evangelist here does, and interpret it in just the same manner: so, speaking of things eaten, , "with defiled hands"; that is, says the commentator (i), it is all one as if it was said, , "without washing of hands"; which was esteemed a very great crime, and especially if done in a contemptuous way: for they say (k),
"he that despiseth washing of hands, shall be rooted out of the world; for in it is the secret of the decalogue:''
and particularly to eat with unwashed hands, was unpardonable in a disciple of a wise man; for they looked upon this to be the characteristic of one of the vulgar people, a common and illiterate man: for they ask (l),
"who is one of the people of the earth, or a plebeian? he that does not eat his common food with purity.''
By this also they distinguished a Jew from a Gentile; if he washed his hands, and blessed, he was known to be an Israelite, but if not, a Gentile (m); See Gill on Matthew 15:2.
(i) Bartenora in Misn. Cholin, c. 2. sect. 5. (k) Zoharin Numb fol. 100. 3. (l) T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 61. 1. (m) Bevaidbar Rabba, fol. 228. 4.

Eat bread with defiled hands. Not dirty, but "unwashen." The "tradition of the elders" required them to always wash before eating lest they might have touched something ceremonially unclean.