Matthew 15:17–20
Jesus: what makes a person unclean comes out of the heart
Study it word by word17Do you not see that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine?
18But the things that come out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those defile the person.
19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.
20These are what defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”
In its context
15And Peter answered and said to him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16And he said, “Are you also still without understanding?
…
21And going out from there, Jesus withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22And look, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is badly demon-possessed.”
Its words in the original
- νοεῖτεnoeite· understand
Understand, perceive.
- εἰσπορευόμενονeisporeuomenon· go in, enter
Go in, enter.
- στόμαstoma· mouth
Mouth.
- κοιλίανkoilian· belly, womb
Belly; womb.
- χωρεῖchōrei· make room, go
Go, make one's way; also have room for, hold.
- ἀφεδρῶναaphedrōna· latrine
Latrine, drain.
- ἐκβάλλεταιekballetai· throw out, drive out
Throw out, put out, drive out.
- ἐκπορευόμεναekporeuomena· go out, proceed
Go out; also proceed from someone.
- καρδίαςkardias· heart
Heart: the center of the person, where one thinks, feels and decides.
- ἐξέρχεταιexerchetai· go out
Go out, come out.
- κἀκεῖναkakeina· and that one
And that one, he too; and that.
- κοινοῖkoinoi· defile, make unclean
Make unclean, defile; treat as common what is holy.
- ἄνθρωπονanthrōpon· human being, man
Human being, person, man (without distinguishing male or female).
- διαλογισμοὶdialogismoi· thought, argument
Thought, reasoning; also a dispute, doubt.
- πονηροίponēroi· evil, wicked
Bad, wicked. "The evil one": the devil.
- φόνοιphonoi· murder
Murder.
- μοιχεῖαιmoicheiai· adultery
Adultery.
- πορνεῖαιporneiai· sexual immorality
Sexual immorality: any sexual relationship outside marriage.
- κλοπαίklopai· theft
Theft.
- ψευδομαρτυρίαιpseudomartyriai· false testimony
False testimony, lying witness.
- βλασφημίαιblasphēmiai· blasphemy
Blasphemy: speech against God; also slander against someone.
- ἐστινestin· be
Be, exist.
- ἀνίπτοιςaniptois· unwashed
Unwashed.
- χερσὶνchersin· hand
Hand.
- φαγεῖνphagein· eat
Eat.