A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

MATTHEW 12:35KJV
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Matthew 12:35 (KJV)

What does Matthew 12:35 mean?

Matthew 12:35 says that the kind of person someone is on the inside—whether good or evil—determines what comes out of their life, just like a treasure chest only holds what has been put into it. The verse teaches that good people naturally produce good things, while evil people produce evil things, because of what fills their hearts.

Jesus is speaking to a crowd, including religious leaders who have just accused Him of working by evil power. He uses this saying to explain that a person’s words and actions reveal what is truly inside them. The “good treasure” and “evil treasure” are pictures of the heart’s inner storehouse, showing that what fills a person’s heart will eventually come out in their behavior.

The Greek behind Matthew 12:35

  • The word for "good" is ἀγαθός (agathos), which means morally upright or beneficial. This highlights that the goodness Jesus talks about is not just about actions but about a person’s inner character.
  • The word for "treasure" is θησαυρός (thēsauros), meaning a storehouse or a place where valuables are kept. This helps us see that the heart is pictured as a storage place, and whatever is stored up there will be what a person brings out.
  • The word for "heart" is καρδία (kardia), which in Greek thinking refers not just to feelings, but to the center of a person’s thoughts, desires, and will. This means Jesus is talking about the whole inner life, not just emotions.
  • The word for "bringeth forth" is ἐκβάλλω (ekballō), which means to cast out or produce. This emphasizes that what is inside will inevitably come out into words and actions.

Why Matthew 12:35 matters

  • Matthew 12:35 clears up the idea that actions or words are accidental or separate from a person’s true self; Jesus teaches that they flow from the heart’s true condition.
  • The verse connects to the wider passage, where Jesus is responding to accusations from the Pharisees, showing that their words against Him reveal their own hearts.
  • This verse helps explain why Jesus places so much importance on the heart throughout His teaching, not just on outward behavior.

Where else these words appear

“treasure” Greek G2344 · used in 16 verses

  • Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
  • Matthew 13:52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
  • Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

“evil” Greek G4190 · used in 71 verses

  • Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
  • Mark 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
  • 1 Corinthians 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

“forth” Greek G1544 · used in 76 verses

  • Matthew 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
  • Mark 1:34 And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
  • Luke 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

“good” Greek G18 · used in 90 verses

  • Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
  • Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
  • Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: