10And calling the crowd to him, Jesus said to them: Hear and understand. [15:11] It is not what enters the mouth that makes a person unfit for sacred use — but what comes out of the mouth, that is what makes a person unfit. [15:12] Then the disciples came and said to him: Do you know that the Pharisees were caused to stumble when they heard this statement? [15:13] Jesus answered and said: Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. [15:14] Leave them — they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit. [15:15] But Peter answered and said to him: Explain this parable to us. [15:16] Jesus said: Are you also still without understanding? [15:17] Do you not grasp that everything entering the mouth goes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine? [15:18] But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and that is what makes a person unfit. [15:19] For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. [15:20] These are the things that make a person unfit for sacred use; but eating with unwashed hands does not make a person unfit.
MAT 15:10-20
What Defiles a Man
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Jewish society, purity laws were central to daily life, governing food, ritual cleanliness, and social interactions. The Pharisees, as guardians of these traditions, emphasized external adherence to purity codes, such as handwashing before meals, to maintain holiness. Jesus’ statement that what enters the mouth does not defile a person directly challenges this framework. Instead, He shifts the focus to internal moral corruption—evil thoughts, slander, and deceit—that emerge from the heart. This would have been provocative, as it redefined defilement in terms of moral integrity rather than ritual observance. The Pharisees’ offense reflects their commitment to traditional purity norms, while Jesus’ rebuke of them as 'blind guides' underscores their failure to grasp the deeper ethical dimensions of holiness. The disciples’ confusion highlights the radical nature of this teaching, which reoriented the concept of purity away from external rituals toward internal righteousness.
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How other translations render this
MAT 15:10
- KJV
- And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:
- BSB
- Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.
- Koinōnos
- And calling the crowd to him, Jesus said to them: Hear and understand.
MAT 15:11
- KJV
- Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
- BSB
- A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
- Koinōnos
- It is not what enters the mouth that makes a person unfit for sacred use — but what comes out of the mouth, that is what makes a person unfit.
MAT 15:12
- KJV
- Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
- BSB
- Then the disciples came to Him and said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”
- Koinōnos
- Then the disciples came and said to him: Do you know that the Pharisees were caused to stumble when they heard this statement?
MAT 15:13
- KJV
- But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
- BSB
- But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.
- Koinōnos
- Jesus answered and said: Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.
MAT 15:14
- KJV
- Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
- BSB
- Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
- Koinōnos
- Leave them — they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.
MAT 15:15
- KJV
- Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.
- BSB
- Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
- Koinōnos
- But Peter answered and said to him: Explain this parable to us.
MAT 15:16
- KJV
- And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
- BSB
- “Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked.
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said: Are you also still without understanding?
MAT 15:17
- KJV
- Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
- BSB
- “Do you not yet realize that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is eliminated?
- Koinōnos
- Do you not grasp that everything entering the mouth goes into the stomach and is expelled into the latrine?
MAT 15:18
- KJV
- But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
- BSB
- But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
- Koinōnos
- But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and that is what makes a person unfit.
MAT 15:19
- KJV
- For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
- BSB
- For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.
- Koinōnos
- For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
MAT 15:20
- KJV
- These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
- BSB
- These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
- Koinōnos
- These are the things that make a person unfit for sacred use; but eating with unwashed hands does not make a person unfit.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 18.1.2
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 18.1.2
“The Jews had for a great while had three sects of philosophy peculiar to themselves; the sect of the Essens, and the sect of the Sadducees, and the third sort of opinions was that of those called Pharisees”
Cited to ground: The Pharisees, as guardians of these traditions, emphasized external adherence to purity codes, such as handwashing before meals, to maintain holiness.
Translator's notes
MAT 15:11
- defiles:The word translated 'defiles' refers to making something common or unclean, rendering it unfit for sacred use or religious purity, rather than simply making it dirty.
MAT 15:12
- saying:The word translated 'saying' here carries the sense of causing someone to stumble or fall into sin, or to take offense, rather than just speaking words.
MAT 15:16
- you yourselves:The phrase 'you yourselves' is used to translate a word that means 'senseless' or 'without understanding,' highlighting a lack of moral or spiritual insight, not just intellectual dullness.
MAT 15:17
- [the] sewer:The word translated '[the] sewer' specifically refers to a latrine or toilet, emphasizing the body's waste disposal system.