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

9And in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” 10After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand! It is not what enters the mouth that defiles the person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles the person.” 12Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” 13But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not 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

• not whatὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• entersεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
• the mouthστόμαstoma · mouthG4750
• defilesκοινόωkoinoō · to profaneG2840
• the personἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• comesἐκπορεύωekporeuomai · to departG1607
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778

Cross-references for Matthew 15:11

• Mark 7:15there is nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which come out of the person are what defile the person.”
• Luke 11:38When the Pharisee saw this, he was surprised that Jesus had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.
• Acts 10:14But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.”
• Acts 11:8But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
• Romans 14:14I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to the one who thinks something is unclean, to that person it is unclean.
• 1 Timothy 4:4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
• Hebrews 13:9Do not be misled by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
• Matthew 15:18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person.
• Matthew 12:34You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart.
• Psalms 10:7His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression; Under his tongue is harm and injustice.
• Psalms 12:2They speak lies to one another; They speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
• Psalms 52:2Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
• Psalms 58:3The wicked have turned away from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.
• Isaiah 37:23Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? And against whom have you raised your voice And haughtily raised your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!
• Isaiah 59:3For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with wrongdoing; Your lips have spoken deceit, Your tongue mutters wickedness.
• Jeremiah 9:3“They bend their tongues like their bows; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” declares the Lord.

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