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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Matthew 15:11 A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it."</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/matthew/15-11.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/12/40_Mat_15_11.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Matthew 15:11 - What Defiles a Man" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” <a href="/esv/matthew/15.htm">English Standard Version</a> it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” <a href="/bsb/matthew/15.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a> A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.” <a href="/blb/matthew/15.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a> It is not what is entering into the mouth that defiles the man; but that going forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man." <a href="/kjv/matthew/15.htm">King James Bible</a> Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. <a href="/nkjv/matthew/15.htm">New King James Version</a> Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” <a href="/nasb_/matthew/15.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.” <a href="/nasb/matthew/15.htm">NASB 1995</a> &#8220It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.&#8221 <a href="/nasb77/matthew/15.htm">NASB 1977 </a> “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” <a href="/lsb/matthew/15.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” <a href="/amp/matthew/15.htm">Amplified Bible</a> It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that defiles and dishonors him, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles and dishonors him.” <a href="/csb/matthew/15.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth—this defiles a person.” <a href="/hcsb/matthew/15.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> It&#8217s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.&#8221 <a href="/asv/matthew/15.htm">American Standard Version</a> Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man. <a href="/cev/matthew/15.htm">Contemporary English Version</a> The food you put into your mouth doesn't make you unclean and unfit to worship God. The bad words that come out of your mouth are what make you unclean." <a href="/erv/matthew/15.htm">English Revised Version</a> Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man. <a href="/gwt/matthew/15.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> What goes into a person's mouth doesn't make him unclean. It's what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean." <a href="/gnt/matthew/15.htm">Good News Translation</a> It is not what goes into your mouth that makes you ritually unclean; rather, what comes out of it makes you unclean." <a href="/isv/matthew/15.htm">International Standard Version</a> It is not what goes into the mouth that makes a person unclean. It is what comes out of the mouth that makes a person unclean." <a href="/net/matthew/15.htm">NET Bible</a> What defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth; it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person." <a href="/nheb/matthew/15.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> That which enters into the mouth does not defile the person; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the person." <a href="/wbt/matthew/15.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. <a href="/wey/matthew/15.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a> It is not what goes into a man's mouth that defiles him; but it is what comes out of his mouth--*that* defiles a man."<div class="vheading2">Majority Text Translations</div><a href="/msb/matthew/15.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.” <a href="/web/matthew/15.htm">World English Bible</a> That which enters into the mouth doesn’t defile the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/matthew/15.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> [it is] not that which is coming into the mouth [that] defiles the man, but that which is coming forth from the mouth, this defiles the man.” <a href="/blb/matthew/15.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a> It is not what is entering into the mouth that defiles the man; but that going forth out of the mouth, this defiles the man." <a href="/ylt/matthew/15.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> not that which is coming into the mouth doth defile the man, but that which is coming forth from the mouth, this defileth the man.' <a href="/slt/matthew/15.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> Not that coming into the mouth pollutes the man; but that going forth out of the mouth, this pollutes the man.<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/matthew/15.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man: but what cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. <a href="/cpdv/matthew/15.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> A man is not defiled by what enters into the mouth, but by what proceeds from the mouth. This is what defiles a man.” <a href="/nabre/matthew/15.htm">New American Bible</a> It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” <a href="/nrsvce/matthew/15.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/matthew/15.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> It is not what enters into the mouth which defiles man; but what goes out of the mouth, that is what defiles man. <a href="/aramaic-plain-english/matthew/15.htm">Aramaic Bible in Plain English</a> “It is not the thing that enters the mouth that defiles a man, but the thing that proceeds from the mouth that defiles a man.”<div class="vheading2">NT Translations</div><a href="/anderson/matthew/15.htm">Anderson New Testament</a> That which enters the mouth does not defile the man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles the man.<CM> <a href="/godbey/matthew/15.htm">Godbey New Testament</a> <FR>That if which cometh into the mouth does not defile the man; but that which cometh out from the mouth, that defiles the man.<Fr> <a href="/haweis/matthew/15.htm">Haweis New Testament</a> not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but what cometh out of the mouth, that defileth the man.<CM> <a href="/mace/matthew/15.htm">Mace New Testament</a> that which entereth by the mouth is not what defiles a man: but what defiles the man is that which is discharged by the mouth. <a href="/wey/matthew/15.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a> It is not what goes into a man's mouth that defiles him; but it is what comes out of his mouth--*that* defiles a man." <a href="/worrell/matthew/15.htm">Worrell New Testament</a> <FR>Not that which enters into the mouth defiles the man; but that which proceeds out of the mouth?this defiles the man."<Fr> <a href="/worsley/matthew/15.htm">Worsley New Testament</a> <FR>not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this polluteth the man.<Fr> <a href="/parallel/matthew/15-11.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hriiyJYqzvc?start=4304" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/matthew/15.htm">What Defiles a Man</a> 10Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand. 11<a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: ton (Art-AMS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">A</a> <a href="/greek/444.htm" title="444: anthrōpon (N-AMS) -- A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.">man</a> <a href="/greek/2840.htm" title="2840: koinoi (V-PIA-3S) -- To make unclean, pollute, desecrate, mid: I regard (treat) as unclean. From koinos; to make profane.">is not defiled</a> <a href="/greek/3756.htm" title="3756: ou (Adv) -- No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not."></a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: to (Art-NNS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">by what</a> <a href="/greek/1525.htm" title="1525: eiserchomenon (V-PPM/P-NNS) -- To go in, come in, enter. From eis and erchomai; to enter.">enters</a> <a href="/greek/1519.htm" title="1519: eis (Prep) -- A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases."></a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: to (Art-ANS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">his</a> <a href="/greek/4750.htm" title="4750: stoma (N-ANS) -- The mouth, speech, eloquence in speech, the point of a sword. ">mouth,</a> <a href="/greek/235.htm" title="235: alla (Conj) -- But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.">but</a> <a href="/greek/3778.htm" title="3778: touto (DPro-NNS) -- This; he, she, it. "></a> <a href="/greek/2840.htm" title="2840: koinoi (V-PIA-3S) -- To make unclean, pollute, desecrate, mid: I regard (treat) as unclean. From koinos; to make profane."></a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: ton (Art-AMS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the."></a> <a href="/greek/444.htm" title="444: anthrōpon (N-AMS) -- A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being."></a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: to (Art-NNS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">by what</a> <a href="/greek/1607.htm" title="1607: ekporeuomenon (V-PPM/P-NNS) -- From ek and poreuomai; to depart, be discharged, proceed, project.">comes</a> <a href="/greek/1537.htm" title="1537: ek (Prep) -- From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.">out of</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tou (Art-GNS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the."></a> <a href="/greek/4750.htm" title="4750: stomatos (N-GNS) -- The mouth, speech, eloquence in speech, the point of a sword. ">it.” </a> 12Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/mark/7-15.htm">Mark 7:15</a> Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.” <a href="/acts/10-15.htm">Acts 10:15</a> The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” <a href="/romans/14-14.htm">Romans 14:14</a> I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. <a href="/1_corinthians/8-8.htm">1 Corinthians 8:8</a> But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. <a href="/1_timothy/4-4.htm">1 Timothy 4:4</a> For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, <a href="/james/3-6.htm">James 3:6-10</a> The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. / All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, / but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ... <a href="/proverbs/4-23.htm">Proverbs 4:23</a> Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life. <a href="/isaiah/29-13.htm">Isaiah 29:13</a> Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men. <a href="/ezekiel/33-31.htm">Ezekiel 33:31</a> So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. <a href="/psalms/51-10.htm">Psalm 51:10</a> Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. <a href="/jeremiah/17-9.htm">Jeremiah 17:9</a> The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? <a href="/genesis/6-5.htm">Genesis 6:5</a> Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. <a href="/leviticus/11-44.htm">Leviticus 11:44-47</a> For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground. / For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. / This is the law regarding animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and all creatures that crawl along the ground. ... <a href="/deuteronomy/14-3.htm">Deuteronomy 14:3-21</a> You must not eat any detestable thing. / These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat, / the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. ... <a href="/isaiah/1-11.htm">Isaiah 1:11-17</a> “What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. / When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts? / Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly. ...</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.that which goeth.<a href="/mark/7-15.htm">Mark 7:15</a> There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.<a href="/luke/11-38.htm">Luke 11:38-41</a> And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner… <a href="/acts/10-14.htm">Acts 10:14,15</a> But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean… but.<a href="/matthew/15-18.htm">Matthew 15:18-20</a> But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man… <a href="/matthew/12-34.htm">Matthew 12:34-37</a> O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh… <a href="/psalms/10-7.htm">Psalm 10:7</a> His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.<div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/daniel/1-8.htm">Defile</a> <a href="/ezekiel/33-26.htm">Defiles</a> <a href="/numbers/35-33.htm">Defileth</a> <a href="/habakkuk/3-16.htm">Entereth</a> <a href="/habakkuk/3-16.htm">Enters</a> <a href="/matthew/14-35.htm">Forth</a> <a href="/matthew/13-46.htm">Goes</a> <a href="/mark/7-20.htm">Him'unclean</a> <a href="/matthew/12-26.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/matthew/15-8.htm">Mouth</a> <a href="/matthew/4-4.htm">Proceedeth</a> <a href="/matthew/4-4.htm">Proceeds</a> <a href="/matthew/12-43.htm">Unclean</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/matthew/15-18.htm">Defile</a> <a href="/matthew/15-18.htm">Defiles</a> <a href="/matthew/15-20.htm">Defileth</a> <a href="/matthew/15-17.htm">Entereth</a> <a href="/matthew/15-17.htm">Enters</a> <a href="/matthew/15-18.htm">Forth</a> <a href="/matthew/15-17.htm">Goes</a> <a href="/mark/7-15.htm">Him'unclean</a> <a href="/matthew/17-1.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/matthew/15-17.htm">Mouth</a> <a href="/mark/7-20.htm">Proceedeth</a> <a href="/matthew/15-18.htm">Proceeds</a> <a href="/matthew/15-18.htm">Unclean</a><div class="vheading2">Matthew 15</div>1. <a href="/matthew/15-1.htm">Jesus reproves the Scribes and Pharisees </a> 7. <a href="/matthew/15-7.htm">for transgressing God's commandments through their own traditions;</a> 10. <a href="/matthew/15-10.htm">teaches how that which goes into the mouth does not defile a man.</a> 21. <a href="/matthew/15-21.htm">He heals the daughter of the woman of Canaan,</a> 29. <a href="/matthew/15-29.htm">and other great multitudes;</a> 32. <a href="/matthew/15-32.htm">and with seven loaves and a few small fish feeds four thousand men</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/matthew/15.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/matthew/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/matthew/15.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div>A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth This phrase challenges the traditional Jewish dietary laws that were central to the religious practices of the time. In the context of first-century Judaism, dietary laws were seen as a means of maintaining ritual purity. <a href="/leviticus/11.htm">Leviticus 11</a> outlines these laws, which were strictly observed by the Pharisees and other Jewish groups. Jesus' statement here shifts the focus from external observance to internal purity, emphasizing the heart's condition over ritual compliance. This teaching aligns with the prophetic tradition found in passages like <a href="/isaiah/29-13.htm">Isaiah 29:13</a>, where God criticizes those who honor Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him.but by what comes out of it. This part of the verse highlights the importance of one's words and actions as true indicators of spiritual purity. In <a href="/matthew/12-34.htm">Matthew 12:34</a>, Jesus similarly teaches that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks," indicating that words reflect the inner moral and spiritual state. This teaching is consistent with the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, such as <a href="/proverbs/4-23.htm">Proverbs 4:23</a>, which advises guarding one's heart as the wellspring of life. The emphasis on internal purity over external ritual is a recurring theme in Jesus' ministry, pointing to the new covenant's focus on transformation from within, as prophesied in <a href="/jeremiah/31-33.htm">Jeremiah 31:33</a>, where God promises to write His law on the hearts of His people.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/j/jesus_christ.htm">Jesus Christ</a> The central figure in this passage, Jesus is teaching His disciples and the crowd about the true nature of defilement. 2. <a href="/topical/p/pharisees_and_scribes.htm">Pharisees and Scribes</a> Religious leaders who challenged Jesus, concerned with ritual purity and dietary laws. 3. <a href="/topical/d/disciples.htm">Disciples</a> Followers of Jesus who are learning from His teachings and observing His interactions with the Pharisees. 4. <a href="/topical/c/crowd.htm">Crowd</a> The general public who were present during Jesus' teaching, representing a broader audience for His message. 5. <a href="/topical/g/gennesaret.htm">Gennesaret</a> The region where this teaching takes place, following Jesus' healing of many people.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/t/true_defilement.htm">True Defilement</a> Jesus redefines purity, focusing on the heart and words rather than external rituals. Believers should prioritize internal transformation over mere outward compliance. <a href="/topical/g/guarding_the_heart.htm">Guarding the Heart</a> The heart is the wellspring of life; what we harbor within will eventually manifest outwardly. Regular self-examination and repentance are crucial for maintaining spiritual purity. <a href="/topical/p/power_of_words.htm">Power of Words</a> Our words reflect our inner state and can either build up or tear down. Christians are called to speak life, truth, and encouragement, aligning their speech with the character of Christ. <a href="/topical/c/challenge_of_tradition.htm">Challenge of Tradition</a> Jesus challenges the Pharisees' adherence to tradition over God's commandments. Believers must discern between human traditions and biblical truth, ensuring their practices honor God. <a href="/topical/h/holistic_righteousness.htm">Holistic Righteousness</a> Righteousness involves both heart and action, requiring a holistic approach to faith. Spiritual disciplines, such as prayer and scripture meditation, help align the heart with God's will.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_matthew_15.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Matthew 15</a> <a href="/q/how_do_words_defile_a_person.htm">How do words defile a person?</a> <a href="/q/what_do_the_fig_baskets_symbolize.htm">How do words defile a person?</a> <a href="/q/why_ignore_diet_laws_but_condemn_sex_sins.htm">Why do Christians often ignore biblical dietary laws but still condemn sexual sins?</a> <a href="/q/does_jesus_contradict_jewish_laws_in_matt._15.htm">Is Jesus contradicting established Jewish laws by declaring that eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person (Matthew 15:1–11)? </a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/matthew/15.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(11) Not that which goeth into the mouth.--Up to this time the question had been debated indirectly. The scribes had been convicted of unfitness to speak with authority on moral questions. Now a great broad principle is asserted, which not only cut at the root of Pharisaism, but, in its ultimate tendency. swept away the whole Levitical system of ceremonial purity--the distinction between clean and unclean meats and the like. It went, as the amazement of the disciples showed, far beyond their grasp as yet. Even after the day of Pentecost, Peter still prided himself on the observance of the Law which was thus annulled, and boasted that he had never "eaten anything common or unclean" (<a href="/acts/10-14.htm" title="But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.">Acts 10:14</a>). So slow were even those who had sat at the feet of Jesus to take in the thought that purity was inward and not outward, a spiritual and not a physical quality.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/matthew/15.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div>Verse 11. - Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man. The word rendered "defileth" (κοινοῖ) means "renders common," in opposition to ἁγιάζειν, "to separate" for God's use; hence the verb, ethically applied, signifies "to contract guilt." The rabbis taught that certain meats of themselves polluted the soul, made it abominable in God's sight. This was a perversion of the law respecting clean and unclean food. The pollution or guilt arose, not from the nature of the meat, but from the eating of it in contravention of a positive command. It was the disobedience, not the food, which affected the soul. It is remarkable that these distinctions of meats still obtain among half the civilized inhabitants of the world - Buddhists, Hindoos, Mohammedans - and that one of the hardest tasks of Christian missionaries is to make men understand the non-importance of these differences. We do not see that Christ here abrogated the Levitical Law, but he certainly prepared the way for its supersession and transformation. But he made no sudden and violent change in the constituted order of things. Indeed, some distinctions were maintained in apostolical times, as we read in <a href="/acts/10-14.htm">Acts 10:14</a>; <a href="/acts/15-20.htm">Acts 15:20, 29</a>; and it was only gradually, and as circumstances made their observation impossible, that such ceremonial obligations were regarded as obsolete. It is, perhaps, with the view of not shocking inveterate prejudice, that he does not say, "No food whatever defileth," but "That which goeth into the mouth" defileth not, referring especially to the notion above reprehended, that eating with unwashen hands polluted the food taken and the soul of the person who consumed it. Our Lord says nothing of excess, e.g. gluttony and drunkenness, which, of course, has a polluting and deteriorating effect on the moral nature (see <a href="/luke/21-34.htm">Luke 21:34</a>). But that which cometh out of the mouth. In the former sentence the mouth is regarded simply as the instrument for receiving food and preparing it for digestion; in this sentence it is considered as the organ of the heart, that which gives outward expression to inward thoughts and conceptions. Fillion distinguishes them as "la bouche physique, et la bouche morale." Philo has well said, "The mouth is that by which, as Plato puts it, mortal things enter, and whence immortal things issue. For therein pass meat and drink, the perishable food of a perishable body; but from it proceed words, immortal laws of an immortal soul, by which the rational life is directed and governed" ('De Mundi Opif.,' § 40). Defileth a man. Pollutes his soul, not with merely ceremonial defilement, but intrinsically and morally. Of course, our Lord is referring to evil words, etc., as he explains in ver. 19. For the mouth may give utterance to God's praise, words of love, sympathy, edification. But the evil in a man's heart will show itself in his mouth; and the open expression will react on the wicked thought, and make it more substantial, deadly, and operative. <a href="/commentaries/matthew/15-11.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Greek</div>A τὸν (ton) Article - Accusative Masculine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. man ἄνθρωπον (anthrōpon) Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_444.htm">Strong's 444: </a> A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being. is not defiled κοινοῖ (koinoi) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_2840.htm">Strong's 2840: </a> To make unclean, pollute, desecrate, mid: I regard (treat) as unclean. From koinos; to make profane. by what τὸ (to) Article - Nominative Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. enters εἰσερχόμενον (eiserchomenon) Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_1525.htm">Strong's 1525: </a> To go in, come in, enter. From eis and erchomai; to enter. [his] τὸ (to) Article - Accusative Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. mouth, στόμα (stoma) Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_4750.htm">Strong's 4750: </a> The mouth, speech, eloquence in speech, the point of a sword. but ἀλλὰ (alla) Conjunction <a href="/greek/strongs_235.htm">Strong's 235: </a> But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise. by what τὸ (to) Article - Nominative Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. comes ἐκπορευόμενον (ekporeuomenon) Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_1607.htm">Strong's 1607: </a> From ek and poreuomai; to depart, be discharged, proceed, project. out of ἐκ (ek) Preposition <a href="/greek/strongs_1537.htm">Strong's 1537: </a> From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out. [it].” στόματος (stomatos) Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular <a href="/greek/strongs_4750.htm">Strong's 4750: </a> The mouth, speech, eloquence in speech, the point of a sword. <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/matthew/15-11.htm">Matthew 15:11 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/matthew/15-11.htm">NT Gospels: Matthew 15:11 That which enters into the mouth doesn't (Matt. 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