Matthew 15:20
New International Version
These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

New Living Translation
These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”

English Standard Version
These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Berean Standard Bible
These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

Berean Literal Bible
These are the things defiling the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

King James Bible
These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

New King James Version
These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

New American Standard Bible
These are the things that defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person.”

NASB 1995
“These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

NASB 1977
“These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Legacy Standard Bible
These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Amplified Bible
These are the things which defile and dishonor the man; but eating with [ceremonially] unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Christian Standard Bible
These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
These are the things that defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

American Standard Version
these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man.

Contemporary English Version
These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

English Revised Version
these are the things which defile the man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
These are the things that make a person unclean. But eating without washing one's hands doesn't make a person unclean."

Good News Translation
These are the things that make you unclean. But to eat without washing your hands as they say you should--this doesn't make you unclean."

International Standard Version
These are the things that make a person unclean. But eating with unwashed hands doesn't make a person unclean."

Majority Standard Bible
These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”

NET Bible
These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person."

New Heart English Bible
These are the things which defile the person; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the person."

Webster's Bible Translation
These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Weymouth New Testament
These are the things which defile the man; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile."

World English Bible
These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
these are the things defiling the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Berean Literal Bible
These are the things defiling the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

Young's Literal Translation
these are the things defiling the man; but to eat with unwashen hands doth not defile the man.'

Smith's Literal Translation
These are the things polluting a man: but to eat with unwashed hands pollutes not a man.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
These are the things that defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands doth not defile a man.

Catholic Public Domain Version
These are the things that defile a man. But to eat without washing hands does not defile a man.”

New American Bible
These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

New Revised Standard Version
These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
It is these that defile man; but if a man should eat when his hands are unwashed, he will not be defiled.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“These things are those that defile a man, but if a man will eat after not washing his hands, he is not defiled.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
These are the things that defile the man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.

Godbey New Testament
These are the things which defile the man: but to eat bread with unwashed hands does not defile the man.

Haweis New Testament
these are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands doth not defile a man.

Mace New Testament
these are the things which defile a man: but to eat without washing one's hands, that does not defile a man.

Weymouth New Testament
These are the things which defile the man; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile."

Worrell New Testament
these are the things which defile the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

Worsley New Testament
these defile a man, but to eat without washing the hands doth not defile him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
What Defiles a Man
19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. 20These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.” 21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.…

Cross References
Mark 7:20-23
He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. / For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, / greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. ...

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. ...

Romans 14:14
I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

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.

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 5:3-5
But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. / Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. / For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Colossians 3:5-8
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. / When you lived among them, you also used to walk in these ways. ...

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

Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”

Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: / haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, / a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, ...

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

Ezekiel 36:25-27
I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. / 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. / And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

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

Isaiah 1:16-17
Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! / Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”


Treasury of Scripture

These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defiles not a man.

which.

1 Corinthians 3:16,17
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? …

1 Corinthians 6:9-11,18-20
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, …

Ephesians 5:3-6
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; …

but.

Matthew 15:2
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

Matthew 23:25,26
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess…

Mark 7:3,4
For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders…

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Matthew 15
1. Jesus reproves the Scribes and Pharisees
7. for transgressing God's commandments through their own traditions;
10. teaches how that which goes into the mouth does not defile a man.
21. He heals the daughter of the woman of Canaan,
29. and other great multitudes;
32. and with seven loaves and a few small fish feeds four thousand men














These are what defile a man
The phrase "These are what defile a man" refers to the preceding list of sins and moral impurities that Jesus mentions in Matthew 15:19, such as evil thoughts, murder, adultery, and theft. The Greek word for "defile" is "κοινοῦν" (koinoun), which means to make common or unclean. In the Jewish context, defilement was a serious concern, often associated with ritual impurity. Jesus is emphasizing that true defilement is not about external rituals but the internal moral and spiritual state of a person. This teaching challenges the Pharisaic focus on ceremonial cleanliness, redirecting attention to the heart's condition.

but eating with unwashed hands
The phrase "but eating with unwashed hands" addresses the specific criticism Jesus and His disciples faced from the Pharisees and scribes. The Greek word for "unwashed" is "ἀνίπτοις" (aniptois), which literally means not washed. In Jewish tradition, handwashing was a ritual act of purification, not merely for hygiene but as a symbol of spiritual cleanliness. Jesus uses this example to illustrate that such traditions, while culturally significant, do not hold the power to defile a person spiritually. This statement underscores the distinction between human traditions and God's commandments.

does not defile him
The concluding phrase "does not defile him" reinforces the central message of the verse. The Greek word "κοινοῖ" (koinoi) is again used here, emphasizing that external actions, such as eating with unwashed hands, do not have the power to make a person spiritually unclean. Jesus is teaching that spiritual purity is a matter of the heart and intentions, not merely external observance. This teaching would have been revolutionary to His audience, challenging them to reconsider the essence of true holiness and righteousness. It calls believers to focus on inner transformation and alignment with God's will, rather than mere adherence to human traditions.

Verse 20. - Thus Jesus sums up what has been said, and recalls the circumstance which led to the discourse, emphatically repeating his judgment on the Pharisaical gloss.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
These
ταῦτά (tauta)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

are
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

what
τὰ (ta)
Article - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

defile
κοινοῦντα (koinounta)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2840: To make unclean, pollute, desecrate, mid: I regard (treat) as unclean. From koinos; to make profane.

a
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative 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,
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.

but
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

eating
φαγεῖν (phagein)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 5315: A primary verb; to eat.

with unwashed
ἀνίπτοις (aniptois)
Adjective - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 449: Unwashed, ceremonially unclean. Without ablution.

hands
χερσὶν (chersin)
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 5495: A hand.

does not defile
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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