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 they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” 10Then he called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth; it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person.” 12Then the disciples came to him and said, “Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?” 13And he replied, “Every plant that 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

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 7:15There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him.”
• Luke 11:38The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his hands before the meal.
• Acts 10:14But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!”
• Acts 11:8But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!’
• Romans 14:14I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean.
• 1 Timothy 4:4For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
• Hebrews 13:9Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, which have never benefited those who participated in them.
• Matthew 15:18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person.
• Matthew 12:34Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.
• Psalms 10:7His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; his tongue injures and destroys.
• Psalms 12:2People lie to one another; they flatter and deceive.
• Psalms 52:2Your tongue carries out your destructive plans; it is as effective as a sharp razor, O deceiver.
• Psalms 58:3The wicked turn aside from birth; liars go astray as soon as they are born.
• Isaiah 37:23Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at? At whom have you shouted and looked so arrogantly? At the Holy One of Israel!
• Isaiah 59:3For your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with sin; your lips speak lies, your tongue utters malicious words.
• Jeremiah 9:3The Lord says, “These people are like soldiers who have readied their bows. Their tongues are always ready to shoot out lies. They have become powerful in the land, but they have not done so by honest means. Indeed, they do one evil thing after another and do not pay attention to me.

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