Bible Strands
Matthew 15:11
A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the crowd after summoning them to listen and understand, and later speaks to his disciples when they ask about the Pharisees' offense.
The words — The text states that physical intake does not defile a person, but verbal output does. The Greek word κοινοῖ (koinoi) literally means "defiles," while εἰσερχόμενον (eiserchomenon) means "is entering."
The thread — This teaching runs in Mark 7:15 with identical emphasis on external defilement, and Matthew 15:18 immediately grounds the "things that come out" in the heart. James 3:5 parallels the concept by highlighting the tongue's capacity to set a life ablaze.
Why it lands — Readers must examine their own speech and thoughts rather than relying on external ritual compliance to determine moral cleanliness.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Cross-references
- Mark 7:15 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.”
- Matthew 15:18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
- James 3:5 In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.
- Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
- 1 Timothy 4:4 For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
- Acts 10:14 “No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
- Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
- Psalms 12:2 They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
- Luke 11:38 But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
- Isaiah 59:13 rebelling and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.