Devine Scripture

Matthew 15:18

What does Matthew 15:18 mean?

A plain-English look at Matthew 15:18 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Matthew 15:18 means

Jesus emphatically declares that the things which truly defile a person are those that originate from the heart and then proceed out of the mouth, primarily through words and actions. This verse powerfully reaffirms the spiritual principle that inner character, not external rituals or foods, determines a person's purity or defilement. It emphasizes the heart as the root of all human behavior and the source of true spiritual contamination, contrasting sharply with the Pharisees' external focus.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

But the things which come out of the mouth come from the heart; and they make a man unclean.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

but the things coming forth from the mouth from the heart do come forth, and these defile the man;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

But the things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart, and those things defile a man.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

but the things which go forth out of the mouth come out of the heart, and those defile man.

Context

Having explained in verse 17 why external things don't defile, Jesus now completes His teaching from verse 11 by pinpointing the *true* source of defilement. This verse presents the crucial counterpoint, emphasizing the heart as the wellspring of impurity, which will be further elaborated in the subsequent verse through specific examples. It's a key verse for understanding Jesus's radical redefinition of purity.

v.17Perceive ye not, that whatsoever goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

v.18This passage

v.19For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings:

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Revelation 13:5

    and there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to him authority to continue forty and two months.

  • James 3:6

    And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell.

  • Psalms 36:3

    The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: He hath ceased to be wise and to do good.

  • Matthew 15:11

    Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man.

  • 1 Samuel 24:13

    As saith the proverb of the ancients, Out of the wicked cometh forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be upon thee.

  • Matthew 12:34

    Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

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