But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

MATTHEW 15:18KJV
Know the Bible

Matthew 15:18 (KJV)

What does Matthew 15:18 mean?

Matthew 15:18 teaches that the words a person speaks come from what is truly in their heart, and these words are what can make a person spiritually unclean. According to this verse, it is not external things that defile someone, but the inner thoughts and attitudes revealed through speech.

In this passage, Jesus is speaking to a crowd, responding to criticism from religious leaders about ritual handwashing. Jesus shifts the focus from outward religious practices to the inner moral state, explaining that what comes out of a person’s mouth—reflecting their heart—shows their true character and can lead to spiritual impurity.

The Greek behind Matthew 15:18

  • καρδία (kardia, "heart"): In Greek, this word refers not just to emotions but to the inner self, including thoughts, intentions, and desires. Jesus is pointing to the heart as the true source of a person's words and actions.
  • ἐκπορεύεται (ekporeuetai, "proceed"): This verb means to come out from or originate. The emphasis is on the origin of defiling things being inside a person, not outside.
  • κοινοῖ (koinoi, "defile"): This word means to make common or unclean, especially in a religious sense. Jesus uses it to challenge the idea that external things (like unwashed hands) make someone unclean before God.

Why Matthew 15:18 matters

  • Matthew 15:18 clarifies that spiritual defilement is an internal matter, not something caused by failing to follow external rituals or traditions.
  • This verse challenges common misunderstandings about purity, especially among Jesus’ original audience who were focused on ceremonial laws.
  • Matthew 15:18 connects to the wider teaching of Jesus that true righteousness is about the heart and intentions, not just outward behavior.

Where else these words appear

“defile” Greek G2840 · used in 12 verses

  • Matthew 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a 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.

“they” Greek G2548 · used in 23 verses

  • Matthew 20:4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
  • Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
  • John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

“proceed” 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.