14Calling the crowd to him again he said to them: Hear me, all of you, and understand. [7:15] There is nothing from outside a person that entering into him can make him common; but the things going out of the person are what make the person common. [7:17] When he had entered the house away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. [7:18] He said to them: Are you also without understanding in this way? Do you not perceive that everything from outside that enters into the person cannot make him common, [7:19] because it does not enter into the heart but into the belly, and goes out into the sewer — thus declaring all foods clean? [7:20] He said: What comes out of the person, that makes the person common. [7:21] For from within, out of the heart of people, come evil reasonings, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, [7:22] acts of greediness, malicious deeds, deceit, shameless conduct, an evil eye, blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness. [7:23] All these evil things come out from within and make the person common.
MRK 7:14-23
What Defiles a Man
In the world it was spoken into
In 1st-century Jewish culture, purity laws were central to daily life, governing what could be eaten, touched, or encountered without incurring ritual defilement. The term (to defile) carried heavy religious and social weight, marking someone as unclean and thus excluded from communal worship or interaction. Jesus’ statement that defilement comes from within, not from external sources, directly challenged these deeply ingrained practices. His audience, steeped in Torah observance, would have understood this as a radical redefinition of purity. The mention of (latrine) underscores the bodily processes that were considered unclean, yet Jesus shifts the focus to moral and spiritual corruption. The term (evil) emphasizes active malice, pointing to the heart as the source of defilement. This teaching would have been jarring, as it dismantled the external markers of piety and redirected attention to internal character.
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How other translations render this
MRK 7:14
- KJV
- And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
- BSB
- Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand:
- Koinōnos
- Calling the crowd to him again he said to them: Hear me, all of you, and understand.
MRK 7:15
- KJV
- 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.
- BSB
- Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.”
- Koinōnos
- There is nothing from outside a person that entering into him can make him common; but the things going out of the person are what make the person common.
MRK 7:17
- KJV
- And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
- BSB
- After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.
- Koinōnos
- When he had entered the house away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable.
MRK 7:18
- KJV
- And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
- BSB
- “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him,
- Koinōnos
- He said to them: Are you also without understanding in this way? Do you not perceive that everything from outside that enters into the person cannot make him common,
MRK 7:19
- KJV
- Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
- BSB
- because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)
- Koinōnos
- because it does not enter into the heart but into the belly, and goes out into the sewer — thus declaring all foods clean?
MRK 7:20
- KJV
- And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
- BSB
- He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him.
- Koinōnos
- He said: What comes out of the person, that makes the person common.
MRK 7:21
- KJV
- For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
- BSB
- For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
- Koinōnos
- For from within, out of the heart of people, come evil reasonings, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries,
MRK 7:22
- KJV
- Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
- BSB
- greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.
- Koinōnos
- acts of greediness, malicious deeds, deceit, shameless conduct, an evil eye, blasphemy, arrogance, foolishness.
MRK 7:23
- KJV
- All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
- BSB
- All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”
- Koinōnos
- All these evil things come out from within and make the person common.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
MRK 7:15
- to defile:The word translated 'to defile' referred to making something common or profane, rendering it unfit for sacred use or ritual purity. It implies a loss of special status or holiness.
MRK 7:18
- without understanding:The term used here for 'without understanding' describes someone lacking the ability to comprehend or reason, often implying foolishness or a lack of moral insight.
MRK 7:19
- sewer:The word translated 'sewer' specifically referred to a latrine or privy, a place for bodily waste, emphasizing its unclean and discarded nature.
MRK 7:22
- evil,:The word translated 'evil' often carried a sense of being actively harmful, malicious, or morally corrupt, not just generally bad or unfortunate.