Matthew 15:11

Matthew 15:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
• New International Version (NIV)What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Context of Matthew 15:11

9They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.” 10Summoning the crowd, he told them, “Listen and understand: It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth — this defiles a person.” 12Then the disciples came up and told him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.

Matthew 15:11 word by word

οὐ τὸ εἰσερχόμενον εἰς τὸ στόμα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ τοῦ στόματος, τοῦτο κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Notοὐou · noG3756
• that which goethεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
• intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the mouthστόμαstoma · mouthG4750
• defilethκοινόωkoinoō · to profaneG2840
• a manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• that which cometh outἐκπορεύωekporeuomai · to departG1607
• ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778

Cross-references for Matthew 15:11

• Mark 7:15Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
• Luke 11:38When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that he did not first perform the ritual washing before dinner.
• Acts 10:14“No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”
• Acts 11:8“‘No, Lord! ’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
• Romans 14:14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.
• 1 Timothy 4:4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
• Hebrews 13:9Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by food regulations, since those who observe them have not benefited.
• Matthew 15:18But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.
• Matthew 12:34Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
• Psalms 10:7Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth; trouble and malice are under his tongue.
• Psalms 12:2They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.
• Psalms 52:2Like a sharpened razor, your tongue devises destruction, working treachery.
• Psalms 58:3The wicked go astray from the womb; liars wander about from birth.
• Isaiah 37:23Who is it you have mocked and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
• Isaiah 59:3For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers, with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongues mutter injustice.
• Jeremiah 9:3They bent their tongues like their bows; lies and not faithfulness prevail in the land, for they proceed from one evil to another, and they do not take me into account. This is the Lord’s declaration.

Commentaries on Matthew 15:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth - This is an answer to the carping question of the Pharisees, mentioned Matthew 15:2, Why do thy disciples eat with unwashed hands? To which our Lord here replies, That what goes into the mouth defiles not the man; i.e. that if, in eating with unwashed hands, any particles of dust, etc., cleaving to the hands, might happen to be taken into the mouth with the food, this did not defile, did not constitute a man a…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10-14Verses 10-14 See also Mark 7:15-17. And he called the multitude - In opposition to the doctrines of the Pharisees, the Saviour took occasion to show them that the great source of pollution was the heart. They supposed that external things chiefly defiled a man. On this all their doctrines about purification were founded. This opinion of the Jews it was of great importance to correct. The Saviour took occasion, therefore, to direct the people to the true…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-20Verses 10-20 Christ shows that the defilement they ought to fear, was not from what entered their mouths as food, but from what came out of their mouths, which showed the wickedness of their hearts. Nothing will last in the soul but the regenerating graces of the Holy Spirit; and nothing should be admitted into the church but what is from above; therefore, whoever is offended by a plain, seasonable declaration of the truth, we should not be troubled at…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11What enters his mouth: Jesus may have been speaking about foods that the law did not allow (such as pork or shellfish) or food made unclean by unwashed hands (Matthew 15:20). What makes a person defiled also makes them unfit to be with God. Jesus moved the focus from outward rules of purity to the true purity of the heart (see 15:18–19; 23:25–26; Acts 10:1–48; Romans 14:14). A person’s words show their true character (see Matthew 15:18–20; James 3:1–12).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man--This is expressed even more emphatically in Mark (Mr 7:15, 16), and it is there added, "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear." As in Mt 13:9, this so oft-repeated saying seems designed to call attention to the fundamental and universal character of the truth it refers to.Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 15:11

• Commandments
• Ecclesiasticism
• Jesus, the Christ
• Sin
• Teachers
• Tradition

In the dictionaries

• Capernaum
• Commandment
• Continue
• Draught
• Fill
• Release
• Sin
• Teach
• Tradition
• Truth

Commentaries on Matthew 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings