Matthew 15:19

19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.

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 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?
18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles.
19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.
20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."
21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.