Matthew 15:19

19 It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing.

Matthew 15:19 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 15:19

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts
Of God, of Christ, of the Spirit, of fellow creatures, and of all sorts of wickedness. The thoughts of sin are evil, are to be hated, forsaken, and for which men are accountable to God. All wicked imaginations, carnal reasonings, lustful desires, and malicious contrivances, are here included; which take their rise from, and are devised, and forged, in the corrupt heart of man.

Murders;
inveterate hatred of men's persons, malice prepense, schemes to take away life, all angry and wrathful words, and actual effusion of man's blood.

Adulteries;
uncleanness committed between married persons, both in thought, and deed:

fornications;
unlawful copulations of persons in a single state:

thefts;
taking away from others by force or fraud, what is their right and property:

false witness:
swearing falsely, or exhibiting a false testimony to the hurt of his neighbour, either his name, person, or estate:

blasphemies;
evil speakings of God or men. To which Mark adds "covetousness"; a greedy and insatiable desire after the things of the world, or the neighbour's goods: "wickedness"; doing hurt and mischief to fellow creatures: "deceit"; in words and actions, in trade and conversation: "lasciviousness"; all manner of uncleanness, and unnatural lusts: "an evil eye"; of envy and covetousness: the vitiosity, or corruption of nature, is, by the Jews F8, called (Nye) (er) , "the evil eye": "pride"; in heart and life, in dress and gesture; and "foolishness"; expressed in talk and conduct.


FOOTNOTES:

F8 Tzeror Hammor, fol. 141. 3.

Matthew 15:19 In-Context

17 Don't you know that anything that is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally defecated?
18 But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart.
19 It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing.
20 That's what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands - that's neither here nor there." Healing the People
21 From there Jesus took a trip to Tyre and Sidon.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.