Matthew 15:19 Meaning and Explanation
“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Jesus lists the evils that come out of the heart, from evil thoughts to blasphemies.
What Does Matthew 15:19 Mean?
Jesus gives the list to prove His point. From the heart proceed evil thoughts, and then their fruits: murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. The order is telling, evil thoughts come first, the root from which the visible sins grow. He names offenses that echo the commandments, showing that breaches of God's law begin within before they ever appear in act.
The catalog is sobering. It locates the origin of sin not in the world outside but in the human heart. This is why outward washing cannot make us clean; the problem lies deeper than the hands. Yet naming the disease is the beginning of seeking the cure. Jesus exposes the heart's corruption so that we will bring it to the only One who can make the inner person new.
Matthew 15:19 in the Original Language
dialogismos (διαλογισμός), 'thoughts' -- inward reasonings or deliberations, here the evil intentions from which sinful acts arise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 15:19
What does Matthew 15:19 mean?
Jesus lists the evils that come out of the heart, from evil thoughts to blasphemies.