Mark 7:19 Meaning and Explanation
“Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Food cannot defile, Jesus explains, because it never enters the heart; it passes through the belly and out of the body, which purges all foods away.
What Does Mark 7:19 Mean?
Jesus traces the route of what is eaten: not into the heart — the seat of thought, desire, and will — but into the stomach, and at last out into the draught, the waste place. The body itself carries food away; by its very design, the meal never reaches the moral center of a person.
The argument is bracingly physical, but the point is weighty: defilement is a matter of the heart, and no food can lodge there. Standing clean before God is not finally a question of the menu but of what the heart harbors — which Jesus is about to name in unsparing detail.
Mark 7:19 in the Original Language
katharizo (καθαρίζω), 'purging' -- to cleanse; to make clean.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 7:19
What does Mark 7:19 mean?
Food cannot defile, Jesus explains, because it never enters the heart; it passes through the belly and out of the body, which purges all foods away.