But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Parallel translations
- WEB But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of 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.
- 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 studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
- Matt 12:34O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
- Matt 15:11Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
- Jas 3:6–10And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
- Prov 15:2The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
- Prov 10:32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.
- Prov 6:12A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
- Luke 19:22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
- 1 Sam 24:13As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
- Ps 36:3The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
- Rev 13:5–6And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two 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.