But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
Parallel translations
- WEB But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man.
- KJV But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
- NKJV But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
- NASB But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person.
- NLT But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus teaches that what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. It matters because it locates the source of sin within the human heart.
Overview
In contrast to food, words and the heart behind them reveal a person's true moral state. Defilement is internal and moral, not external and ceremonial. This redirects all concern about purity to the condition of the inner person. It exposes the universal human problem of a corrupt heart, which only Christ can renew.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Prov 15:28The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.
- Matt 12:34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
- Matt 15:11A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
- Jas 3:6–10The 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.
- Prov 15:2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.
- Prov 10:32The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
- Prov 6:12A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,
- Luke 19:22His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
- 1 Sam 24:13As the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand will never be against you.
- Ps 36:3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.
- Rev 13:5–6The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 15:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.