Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

MATTHEW 15:11KJV
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Matthew 15:11 (KJV)

What does Matthew 15:11 mean?

Matthew 15:11 says that what a person eats does not make them spiritually unclean, but rather, it is the words that come out of a person’s mouth that can truly make them unclean. Jesus is teaching that inner attitudes and speech matter more than external rituals or dietary rules.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to a crowd after the Pharisees questioned his disciples for not following traditional hand-washing rituals. He shifts the focus from outward religious practices to the importance of what comes from within a person. Jesus is challenging the common belief of his time that ritual purity comes from following food laws, emphasizing instead that moral and spiritual purity is about the heart and what a person says.

The Greek behind Matthew 15:11

  • στόμα (stoma, "mouth"): This word appears twice and highlights the shift from physical eating to spoken words, stressing that speech reveals the heart’s condition.
  • κοινόω (koinoō, "defileth"): This Greek word means to make something common or unclean, especially in a ritual or religious sense. Jesus uses it to redefine what truly makes someone impure, moving the idea from external actions to internal realities.
  • ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos, "man"): This word refers to a human being in general, showing that Jesus’ teaching applies to everyone, not just a specific group.

Why Matthew 15:11 matters

  • Matthew 15:11 clears up the misunderstanding that following food laws or rituals alone can make someone right with God, pointing instead to the deeper issue of the heart and speech.
  • This verse marks a turning point in Jesus’ teaching, where he challenges traditional interpretations of the law and emphasizes personal responsibility for one’s words and attitudes.
  • Matthew 15:11 connects to the wider passage by setting up Jesus’ later explanation to his disciples about the source of true defilement, helping readers see the difference between outward religion and inward transformation.

Where else these words appear

“defileth” Greek G2840 · used in 12 verses

  • Matthew 15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
  • Mark 7:18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
  • Acts 11:9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

“cometh” Greek G1607 · used in 34 verses

  • Matthew 3:5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
  • Mark 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
  • Acts 25:4 But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither.

“mouth” Greek G4750 · used in 72 verses

  • Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
  • Acts 4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
  • James 3:3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.