Mark 7:20
New International Version
He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them.

New Living Translation
And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you.

English Standard Version
And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.

Berean Standard Bible
He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him.

Berean Literal Bible
And He was saying, "That going forth out of the man, that defiles the man.

King James Bible
And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

New King James Version
And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.

New American Standard Bible
And He was saying, “That which comes out of the person, that is what defiles the person.

NASB 1995
And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.

NASB 1977
And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.

Legacy Standard Bible
And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.

Amplified Bible
And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and dishonors him.

Christian Standard Bible
And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then He said, “What comes out of a person—that defiles him.

American Standard Version
And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man.

Contemporary English Version
Then Jesus said: What comes from your heart is what makes you unclean.

English Revised Version
And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He continued, "It's what comes out of a person that makes him unclean.

Good News Translation
And he went on to say, "It is what comes out of you that makes you unclean.

International Standard Version
Then he continued, "It's what comes out of a person that makes a person unclean,

Majority Standard Bible
He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him.

NET Bible
He said, "What comes out of a person defiles him.

New Heart English Bible
He said, "That which proceeds out of the person, that defiles the person.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

Weymouth New Testament
"What comes out of a man," He added, "that it is which makes him unclean.

World English Bible
He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And He said, “That which is coming out from the man, that defiles the man;

Berean Literal Bible
And He was saying, "That going forth out of the man, that defiles the man.

Young's Literal Translation
And he said -- 'That which is coming out from the man, that doth defile the man;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he said, That going out of a man, that pollutes a man.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But he said that the things which come out from a man, they defile a man.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“But,” he said “the things which go out from a man, these pollute a man.

New American Bible
“But what comes out of a person, that is what defiles.

New Revised Standard Version
And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
It is what goes out of man which defiles the man.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“But the thing that proceeds from a man, that defiles the man.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And he said: What comes out of the man, is that which defiles the man.

Godbey New Testament
And He said, Everything proceeding out from the man, that defiles the man.

Haweis New Testament
But, said he, what cometh out of a man, that makes a man unclean.

Mace New Testament
but, said he, that which proceeds from a man, is what defiles him:

Weymouth New Testament
"What comes out of a man," He added, "that it is which makes him unclean.

Worrell New Testament
And He said, "That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man.

Worsley New Testament
But said He, What cometh out of a man, that defileth the man;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
What Defiles a Man
19because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.) 20 He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. 21For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,…

Cross References
Matthew 15:18-20
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. / For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. / These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

James 3:6-10
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. ...

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.

Matthew 12:34-35
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. / The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

Romans 3:13-14
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.” / “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

Colossians 3:8
But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

1 Peter 2:1
Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.

Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

Romans 1:29-31
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. / They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.


Treasury of Scripture

And he said, That which comes out of the man, that defiles the man.

Mark 7:15
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.

Psalm 41:6
And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

Hebrews 7:6
But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

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Mark 7
1. The Pharisees find fault with the disciples for eating with unwashed hands.
8. They break the commandment of God by the traditions of men.
14. Food defiles not the man.
24. He heals the Syrophenician woman's daughter of an unclean spirit;
31. and one that was deaf, and stammered in his speech.














He continued
This phrase indicates that Jesus is persisting in His teaching, emphasizing the importance of His message. The Greek word used here, "λέγει" (legei), suggests a continuous action, showing that Jesus is not merely making a passing comment but is deeply engaged in instructing His listeners. This persistence underscores the significance of the teaching that follows, as Jesus seeks to correct misunderstandings about purity and defilement.

What comes out of a man
This phrase shifts the focus from external actions and rituals to the internal state of a person. In the Jewish context of Jesus' time, there was a strong emphasis on ceremonial cleanliness and dietary laws. However, Jesus is redirecting attention to the moral and spiritual condition of the heart. The Greek word "ἐκπορεύεται" (ekporeuetai) means "to go out" or "to proceed," indicating that the true source of defilement is not external but originates from within a person.

that is what defiles him
The term "defiles" is translated from the Greek word "κοινοῖ" (koinoi), which means to make common or unclean. In the Jewish tradition, defilement was often associated with breaking dietary laws or coming into contact with unclean things. However, Jesus is redefining defilement as a matter of the heart and moral character. This teaching aligns with the broader biblical narrative that emphasizes inner purity over external compliance. It challenges believers to examine their hearts and actions, recognizing that true holiness is a matter of internal transformation rather than mere outward observance.

Verses 20-23. - From within, out of the heart of men; that is, from the reason and the will, of which the heart is the symbol and the labouratory. For the heart ministers the vital fore to the intellect to enable it to understand, and to the will to enable it to live, although the seat of the intellect is in the brain. St. Mark's enumeration of evil things is in a somewhat different order from that of St. Matthew; and he adds to St. Matthew's list (ἀφροσύνη), foolishness, showing how all evil terminates in the loss of all moral and intellectual illumination. All these evil things proceed from within: and defile the man. Dr. Morison, in his admirable commentary on St. Mark, well observes here that "these things have an inward origin, and are vomited forth from the crater of the heart or soul;" and further on he says, "In a little sphere of things, and as regards acts, though not as regards substances or essences, men may be spoken of as creators. Men, that is to say, are the efficient causes of their own choices. If they were not, they would not be really free. If it was not so, there would be no real responsibility." St. Matthew (Matthew 15:20) adds here, "But to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man." This is the end and scope of the parable, which is to show that unwashen hands and unclean meats defile not a man, but only an impure and depraved will. It seems almost needless to observe that our Lord does not condemn the washing of the hands before meats as a thing in itself in any way wrong. All nations approve of ablutions as tending to cleanliness and health.

"Dant famuli manibus lymphas, Cereremque canistris
Expediunt, tousisque ferunt mantelia villis."


(Virgil, 'Aeneid,' 1:701, 702.) It was thought sordid and mean to sit down to meals with unwashen hands. Whence not the clergy only, but the people, washed their hands before prayer. The moral of all is this, how carefully is the heart to be guarded, instructed, and adorned, seeing that it is the instrument and labouratory of all evil and all good, of all vice and all virtue! "Keep thy heart with all diligent," so that nothing may enter therein and nothing go out therefore and you not be conscious of it, and your reason may not approve; "for out of it are the issues of life."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
He continued:
Ἔλεγεν (Elegen)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“What
Τὸ (To)
Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: 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
Strong's 1607: From ek and poreuomai; to depart, be discharged, proceed, project.

out of
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

a
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

man,
ἀνθρώπου (anthrōpou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

that [is what]
ἐκεῖνο (ekeino)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1565: That, that one there, yonder. From ekei; that one (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed.

defiles
κοινοῖ (koinoi)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2840: To make unclean, pollute, desecrate, mid: I regard (treat) as unclean. From koinos; to make profane.

[him].
ἄνθρωπον (anthrōpon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.


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Mark 7:19
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