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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,

Responding to Peter's request to explain Matthew 15:11 That which goes into the mouth

Spoken to
Apostles

Matthew 15:19 ἐκ γὰρ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχονται διαλογισμοὶ πονηροί, φόνοι, μοιχεῖαι, πορνεῖαι, κλοπαί, ψευδομαρτυρίαι, βλασφημίαι.

KJV Verse

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

 

NIV Verse:

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

What His Listeners Heard:

Because from the heart they come out by themselves: arguments, worthless ones, killings, adulteries, immoralities, thefts, perjuries, slanders.

Lost In Translation:

See this article on the word translated as "heart." The verb here is either passive or a voice where the subject acts on itself. so "they are brought out" or "they being themselves out." The word translated as "thoughts" means arguments, which are not all bad, which is why they are qualified by the "evil,"  but the word translated as "evil" is closer in meaning to "worthless." Notice that Christ's list of seven worthless acts is different than the traditional seven deadly sins. In Jesus's view, humans err on in their actions, not  the thoughts hand feelings themselves such as "envy." Many of these same worthless acts are addressed in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus is "filling up" the law. The word "blasphemy" did not mean what it does today in Jesus's time but "slander." All these sins are in plural words, but in the NIV are changed to the singular.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

For out of the heart proceed(WV) evil(CW) thoughts(CW), murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness(WN), blasphemies(UW):

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.