The Meaning of Matthew 15:20 Explained

Matthew 15:20

KJV: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

YLT: these are the things defiling the man; but to eat with unwashen hands doth not defile the man.'

Darby: these are the things which defile man; but the eating with unwashen hands does not defile man.

ASV: these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

These  are  [the things] which  defile  a man:  but  to eat  with unwashen  hands  defileth  not  a man. 

What does Matthew 15:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 15:10-20 - What Really Defiles
It is good to study our Lord's list of the sources of soul-pollution. Evil thoughts come first. We cannot prevent an evil suggestion being presented to our minds, but we can refuse to dwell on it. To resist the inclination to dwell on it strengthens us in the opposite direction; to yield to it is to commit the sin in our heart, which, in God's sight, is equivalent to the outward act. Notice that railing, that is, unkind and uncharitable speech, is in this black-list.
The heart, rather than the body, is the source of sin. Out of the heart! The body is the dial-plate on which the soul registers its improvement or deterioration. Do not find fault with your members: look to your heart and keep it beyond keeping, for out of it are the issues of life. Ask God to create in you a clean heart. See that you distinguish between the first Adam and the second. Deny what you inherit of human weakness and sin, and affirm all that is of Christ's imparting. The cross of Calvary and the uprising of the living Christ are facts of perpetual experience. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 15

1  Jesus reproves the Scribes and Pharisees
7  for transgressing God's commandments through their own traditions;
10  teaches how that which goes into the mouth does not defile a man
21  He heals the daughter of the woman of Canaan,
29  and other great multitudes;
32  and with seven loaves and a few small fish feeds four thousand men

What do the individual words in Matthew 15:20 mean?

These are the things defiling the man - but with unwashed hands to eat not defiles
ταῦτά ἐστιν τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸ δὲ ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν φαγεῖν οὐ κοινοῖ

ταῦτά  These 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
τὰ  the  things 
Parse: Article, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
κοινοῦντα  defiling 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root: κοινόω  
Sense: to make common.
ἄνθρωπον  man 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἄνθρωπος  
Sense: a human being, whether male or female.
τὸ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀνίπτοις  with  unwashed 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Feminine Plural
Root: ἄνιπτος  
Sense: unwashed.
χερσὶν  hands 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Plural
Root: χείρ  
Sense: by the help or agency of any one, by means of any one.
φαγεῖν  to  eat 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἐσθίω  
Sense: to eat.
κοινοῖ  defiles 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: κοινόω  
Sense: to make common.