Mark 7:23
What does Mark 7:23 mean?
A plain-English look at Mark 7:23 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Mark 7:23 means
Jesus concludes: all these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. This summing statement ties the catalogue together and reasserts the theological conclusion—moral corruption is internal, not external. The emphasis calls for inward repentance and spiritual renewal, highlighting that true holiness addresses desires, thoughts, and intentions. Jesus reorients religious attention from ritual observance to moral formation of the heart as the locus of true purity before God.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man.
KJV
King James Version · 1611All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949All these evil things come from inside, and make the man unclean.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862all these evils do come forth from within, and they defile the man.'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752All these evil things come from within and defile a man.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890all these wicked things go forth from within and defile the man.
Context
This verse wraps up Jesus’ teaching on purity, concluding the chapter’s first major section. Having exposed religious hypocrisy and clarified the nature of defilement, the narrative now shifts geographically and thematically as Jesus moves into Gentile territory, demonstrating mercy and power in the healing episodes that follow.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Mark 7:18
And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever from without goeth into the man, it cannot defile him;
- 1 Corinthians 3:17
If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye.
- Titus 1:15
To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
- Jude 1:8
Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities.
- Mark 7:15
there is nothing from without the man, that going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile the man.
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