Mark 7:18 Are you so without understanding also?

Spoken to:

Apostles

The apostles ask Jesus to explain the analogy of what makes a person common.

KJV :

Mark 7:18 Are you so without understanding also? Do you not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without enters into the man, it cannot defile him;

NIV :

Mark 7:18 Are you so dull? Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?

Listeners Heard:

That is why you are also yourselves witless. Don't you observe that everything, that entering from the outside into the person, doesn't have the power to make him common?

My Takeaway:

Those without understanding are very common.

Lost in Translation:

Here, Jesus is clearly making a little fun of those with whom he is talking, but he also adds the idea that a lack of wisdom in not thinking about what makes sense. He does not use the most insulting word for "stupid," which is the source of our word that means "moron" but one that simply mean "without wit."

There is a play on words here that is lost in translation. It should be obvious that what goes into a person cannot be made public. The word translated as "defile" means "make common" in the sense of "communicate" and "share." Referring to a person, the sense of "making common" has the sense of making them lowly, part of the lowest classes. Since “make common” also means “make public,” it also means “ to reveal a person.” These verses using the word “make common” are also the only verses where Jesus uses the term “from within.” How does someone reveal what is within? By their actions.

Wordplay:

The word translated as "defile" means "make common" means "make dirty" and "make lowly" and "make public." The verb "make common" also has the meaning of "make public" that is, what "reveals" a person.

Original Word Order:

Οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀσύνετοί ἐστε;
That is why, also yourselves witless. you are

οὐ νοεῖτε ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἔξωθεν εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον
Don't you observe that everything that from the outside entering jnto the person,

οὐ δύναται αὐτὸν κοινῶσαι,
doesn't have the power him to make common.

WORD-BY-WORD COMPARISON OF THE GREEK TO ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS:

Οὕτως [54 verses] (adv) "So" is houtos, which as an adjective means "this", "that", "the nearer." As an adverb, it means "in this way", "therefore", "so much", "to such an extent," and "that is why."

καὶ [1089 verses] (conj/adv) "Also" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."

ὑμεῖς [92 verses](pron 2nd pl nom) "You" is hymeis, which is the plural nominative form of the second person, "you." -- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. When it has no verb, the verb "is" or the previous verb is assumed. When it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It is plural.

ἀσύνετοί [2 verse]( adj pl masc nom ) "Without understanding" is from the Greek, asynetos which means "stupid" and "witless," literally "not" sunetos, that is, "intelligence" or "wise."

ἐστε; [614 verses] ( verb 2nd pl pres ind act) "Are" is eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen", and "is possible." (The future form is esomai. The 3rd person present indicative is "esti.")

οὐ [269 verses](partic) "Not" is ou which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.

νοεῖτε [8 verses]( verb 2nd pl pres ind act) "Perceive" is from noeo, means specifically to "perceive with the eyes," "observe," "perceive by the mind," "apprehend," "think," "consider," "reflect," " think out," "devise," "conceive," " purpose," and "intend."

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "That" is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that", "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what", "because", "since," and "wherefore."

πᾶν [212 verses]( adj sg neut nom ) "Whatsoever " is pas, which means "all", "the whole", "every", "anyone", "all kinds," and "anything." In the adverbial form, it means "every way", "on every side", "in every way," and "altogether."

τὸ [821 verses] (article sg neut nom) "Thing" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

ἔξωθεν [8 verses] (adv) "From without"is exothen, which "from without" and "outward."

εἰσπορευόμενον [10 verses] (part sg pres mp neut nom) "Entereth" is eisporeuomai, which means "lead in", "go into," and "enter." It combines "eis," which means "in" with poreuô, which means "make to go", "carry", "convey", "bring", "go", "march," and "proceed."

εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)", "until (of time)", "as much as (of measure or limit)", "as far as (of measure or limit)", "towards (to express relation)", "in regard to (to express relation)", "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."

τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

ἄνθρωπον. [209 verses](noun sg masc gen) "Man" is anthropos, which is "man," and, in plural, "mankind." It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate.

δύναται [61 verses]( verb 3rd sg pres ind mp ) "Can"is the verb, dynamai, which means "to have power by virtue of your own capabilities," "to be able," and "to be strong enough."

αὐτὸν [124 verses] (adj sg masc acc) "Him" is autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord." In the adverbial form, it means "just here" or "exactly there."

κοινῶσαι, [7 verses](verb aor inf act) "Defile" is from koinoo, which means "to communicate", "to impart", "to share," and "to make common." Only in the Gospels is it translated as "defile" from the idea that to make something "common" is to defile it.

KJV Analysis:

Are -- The verb "are" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. This word doesn't begin the verse, but is the last word in the clause.

Ye-- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It is plural.

missing "yourselves" ---- (MW) The pronoun is used here explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since this information is already in the verb, the sense is repetitive as we say "you yourselves."

so -- (CW) The word translated in KJV as "so" is in its adverbial form, so it means "in this manner" or "in this way."

without understanding - "Without understanding" is a Greek adjective that means "stupid" and "witless," literally "not intelligent" or "not wise."

also? -- The Greek word translated as "also" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

Do - The Greek verb below could be a question of a simple statement. This is added in English to make it into a question.

ye - This is from the form of the verb, second person plural.

not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea.

perceive, - "Perceive" is a verb that means specifically to "perceive with the eyes," "perceive by the mind," "apprehend,""think," "consider," "reflect," " think out," "devise," "conceive," " purpose," and "intend." However, Jesus uses it to refer to mental perceiving in the sense of understanding.

that -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause. "with regard to the fact that", "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what", "because", "since," and "wherefore."

whatsoever -- (WW)The word translated as "whatsoever" is the Greek adjective meaning "all", "the whole", "every," and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything."

thing -- (CW) The word translated as "thing" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

from without -- The word used for "from without" is the adverb meaning "outwardly" and "from without." '

entereth -- (WF) "Enters" is a verb that means "lead in", "go into," and "enter." It combines the prefix meaning into with the root word that means "make to go", "carry", "convey", "bring", "go", "march," and "proceed." This is not an active verb but a participle.

into -- The word translated as "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

man, -- The Greek word for "man" means "man", "person" and "humanity" in the singular. In the plural, it means "men", "people", and "peoples".

it -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

can- -- (CW) The word translated as "can" means having the power or possibly a desire to accomplish something. Often, in English, "can" is a helper verb, indicating a possibility. In Greek, it indicates ability or power. This is the active verb here, not a helper verb. It takes an infinitive as "have the ability" does in English.

defile -- (CW, WF) "Defile" is a verb that means "to communicate", "to impart", "to share." Only in Matthew and Mark is it translated as "defile." The difference between "defile" and "communicate" is not a trivial one. However, the Judaic idea of "holiness" is connected with having something "set apart" for the Divine, while what is shared among people is consider "common" instead of holy. So sharing something does "defile" something dedicate to the Divine.

him; -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. In the adverbial form, it means "just here" or "exactly there."

KJV Translation Issues:

MW -- Missing Word -- This subject pronoun duplicates information in the verb so it needs a "yourselves" after "you" for emphasis.
CW --Confusing Word -- The "so" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "whatever" should be something more like "all."
CW --Confusing Word -- The "thing" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
WF -- Wrong Form - The "enters" is not an active verb but a participle, "entering."
CW - Confusing Word -- The "can" is not a helper verb, but the active verb in the sentence. This is not an active verb, but an infinitive.
CW --Confusing Word -- The "defile" does not capture the word's general meaning.
WF - Wrong Form - The "defile" is not an active verb but an infinitive, "to defile."

NIV Analysis:

you -- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It is plural.

so -- (CW) The word translated in KJV as "thus" is in its adverbial form, so it means "in this manner" or "in this way."

dull - "Dull" is a Greek adjective that means "stupid" and "witless," literally "not intelligent" or "not wise."

missing "also" -- (MW) The untranslated word "also" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

Do- - The Greek verb below could be a question of a simple statement. This is added in English to make it into a question.

n't -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea.

you - This is from the form of the verb, second person plural.

see, - (CW) "See" is a verb that means specifically to "perceive with the eyes," "perceive by the mind," "apprehend,""think," "consider," "reflect," " think out," "devise," "conceive," " purpose," and "intend." However, Jesus uses it to refer to mental perceiving in the sense of understanding. It is not the common word for "see."

nothing -- (WW) The word translated as "whatsoever" is the Greek adjective meaning "all", "the whole", "every," and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything."

missing "the one" -- (MW) The untranslated word "thing" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

from the outside -- The word used for "from without" is the adverb meaning "outwardly" and "from without."

that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.

enters -- (WF) "Enters" is a verb that means "lead in", "go into," and "enter." It combines the prefix meaning into with the root word that means "make to go", "carry", "convey", "bring", "go", "march," and "proceed." This is not an active verb but a participle.

missing "the one" -- (MW) The untranslated word "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.

a -- (WW) The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.

person -- The Greek word for "man" means "man", "person" and "humanity" in the singular. In the plural, it means "men", "people", and "peoples".

missing "not" -- (MW) The untranslated word "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea.

them? -- (WN) The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. In the adverbial form, it means "just here" or "exactly there."

NIV Translation Issues:

MW -- Missing Word -- This subject pronoun duplicates information in the verb so it needs a "yourselves" after "you" for emphasis.
CW --Confusing Word -- The "so" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
MW - Missing Word -- The word "also" is not shown in the English translation.
CW --Confusing Word -- The "see" is not the common word usually translated as "see."
WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "nothing" should be something more like "all."
MW - Missing Word -- The word "the one" is not shown in the English translation.
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
WF -- Wrong Form - The "enters" is not an active verb but a participle, "entering."
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the one" doesn't exist in the source.
WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "a" should be something more like "the."
CW - Confusing Word -- The "can" is not a helper verb, but the active verb in the sentence. This is not an active verb, but an infinitive.
MW - Missing Word -- The word "not" is not shown in the English translation.
CW --Confusing Word -- The "defile" does not capture the word's general meaning.
WF - Wrong Form - The "defile" is not an active verb but an infinitive, "to defile."
WN --Wrong Number- The word "them" is translated as plural but the Greek word is singular.

Front Page Date:

May 4 2023