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Corban (A Transliteration of Qorban or Qurban)
Meaning
Corban was a term used in making an offering to the Lord. A person could either bring an offering to the Temple and give it to the Lord, or they could dedicate something they had to the use of the Lord. In either event the gifts given were called “Corban.” Which meant it belonged to God and no one else could have it or use it. Whatever the item was it was now a “gift devoted to God.” These offerings were required of the people. However, these “Corban” offerings did not in God’s eyes exempt a person from meeting their obligations such as taking care of parents.
In the New Testament we see Jesus rebuking the Pharisees and Priests because they were using the legitimate “Corban” offerings for a sinful and illegitimate means. In other words, they developed a tradition whereby donating money and items to the Temple treasury would “exempt” them from taking care of aging parents. And what many were doing is taking any money or items that could go to help aging parents, and instead dedicating them to God as a “Corban” offering. And since it went into the Temple treasury, this usually meant the offering went back out of the treasury and into the pocket of the Pharisee or Priest making the offering. In a sense the religious rulers were using a holy thing from God in a perverted way. Through tradition, they were using God’s commandments in a way which allowed them to launder money back to themselves.
“Now the Lord called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying,’Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering [corban] to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock-of the herd and of the flock.'” (Book of Leviticu 1:1-2)
“He shall bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing iniquity to remembrance.” (Book of Numbers 5:15)
“For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban” (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.'” (Gospel of Mark 7:10-13)