Word Studies¶
G2840 -- koinoo (make common/profane) -- CRITICAL WORD¶
Original: κοινόω Transliteration: koinoo Pronunciation: koy-no'-o Part of Speech: verb Definition: From G2839 (koinos); to make (or consider) profane (ceremonially) BLB Count: 15 NT occurrences
Translations in KJV¶
| Translation | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| defile | 6 | 35.3% |
| defileth | 4 | 23.5% |
| call [common] | 2 | 11.8% |
| common | 2 | 11.8% |
| hath polluted | 1 | 5.9% |
| unclean | 1 | 5.9% |
| that defileth | 1 | 5.9% |
Every Occurrence¶
"defile" (6x): Mat 15:18; Mat 15:20; Mar 7:15; Mar 7:15; Mar 7:18; Mar 7:23 "defileth" (4x): Mat 15:11; Mat 15:11; Mat 15:20; Mar 7:20 "call common" (2x): Act 10:15; Act 11:9 "common" (2x): Act 10:15; Act 11:9 "hath polluted" (1x): Act 21:28 "unclean" (1x): Heb 9:13 "that defileth" (1x): Rev 21:27
Distribution Analysis¶
- 10 of 15 occurrences (67%) are in Mark 7 and Matthew 15 -- the handwashing dispute
- 4 occurrences in Acts 10-11, 21 -- Peter's vision and temple controversy
- 1 in Hebrews 9:13 -- ceremonial uncleanness
- 1 in Revelation 21:27 -- nothing "defiling" enters New Jerusalem
Key Finding¶
Koinoo is the ONLY word for "defile" in Mark 7 and Matthew 15. It means "to make common/profane" -- defilement by external contact or ritual contamination. It is NOT the word for Levitical uncleanness (akathartos, G169). Every time the KJV says "defile" in Mark 7:15, 18, 20, 23, the Greek word is koinoo. The passage is about ritual/contact defilement, not about Levitical food categories.
G2839 -- koinos (common/profane) -- ADJECTIVE FORM¶
Original: κοινός Transliteration: koinos Pronunciation: koy-nos' Part of Speech: adjective Definition: Probably from G4862; common, i.e. (literally) shared by all or several, or (ceremonially) profane BLB Count: 12 NT occurrences
Translations in KJV¶
| Translation | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| common | 5 | 41.7% |
| unclean | 3 | 25.0% |
| with defiled | 1 | 8.3% |
| that is common | 1 | 8.3% |
| the common | 1 | 8.3% |
| an unholy thing | 1 | 8.3% |
Every Occurrence¶
"common" (5x): Act 2:44; Act 4:32; Act 10:28; Act 11:8; Jude 1:3 "unclean" (3x): Rom 14:14 (3x -- "nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean") "with defiled" (1x): Mar 7:2 (koinos hands = "defiled" i.e. common/unwashed hands) "an unholy thing" (1x): Heb 10:29
Key Finding¶
In Mark 7:2,5, the Pharisees' complaint is that the disciples eat with koinais ("common/defiled") hands -- not with akathartos (Levitically unclean) hands. The defilement is ritual contact contamination from touching things in the marketplace without subsequent washing. In Romans 14:14, Paul uses koinos three times -- "nothing is koinos of itself" -- again, this is about social/ritual defilement, not Levitical categories.
Two Meanings of Koinos¶
- Positive: "shared by all" -- Acts 2:44 (all things common), Acts 4:32, Titus 1:4 (common faith), Jude 1:3 (common salvation)
- Negative: "ceremonially profane" -- Mark 7:2,5; Acts 10:14,28; 11:8; Rom 14:14; Heb 10:29
G169 -- akathartos (unclean) -- THE LEVITICAL TERM¶
Original: ἀκάθαρτος Transliteration: akathartos Pronunciation: ak-ath'-ar-tos Part of Speech: adjective Definition: From G1 (negative) and a derivative of G2508; impure (ceremonially, morally [lewd] or specifically [demonic]) BLB Count: 30 NT occurrences
Translations in KJV¶
| Translation | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| unclean | 20 | 66.7% |
| an unclean | 4 | 13.3% |
| foul | 2 | 6.7% |
| other forms | 4 | 13.3% |
Every Occurrence¶
Demon designation "unclean spirit": Mat 10:1; Mat 12:43; Mar 1:23; Mar 1:26; Mar 3:11; Mar 3:30; Mar 5:2; Mar 5:8; Mar 5:13; Mar 6:7; Mar 7:25; Mar 9:25; Luk 4:33; Luk 4:36; Luk 6:18; Luk 8:29; Luk 9:42; Luk 11:24; Act 5:16; Act 8:7; Act 19:12; Act 19:15; Rev 16:13; Rev 18:2 Ceremonial/moral uncleanness: Act 10:14; Act 10:28; Act 11:8; 1Co 7:14; 2Co 6:17; Eph 5:5; Rev 17:4; Rev 18:2
CRITICAL FINDING: Akathartos NEVER appears in Mark 7 or Matthew 15¶
Of the 30 NT occurrences: - 24 refer to unclean spirits/demons - 3 appear in Acts 10-11 (Peter's vision -- alongside koinos) - 3 appear in Paul's letters (1Co 7:14; 2Co 6:17; Eph 5:5) - 0 appear in Mark 7 or Matthew 15
The ONLY occurrence of akathartos in Mark 7 is in verse 25 ("whose young daughter had an unclean spirit") -- referring to a demon, not to food. The handwashing/defilement passage (7:1-23) uses koinoo/koinos exclusively. This vocabulary distinction is decisive: the passage discusses koinos-type defilement (ritual contact), not akathartos-type defilement (Levitical nature).
LXX Connection (H2931 tame -> G169 akathartos)¶
The Hebrew word tame (H2931, "unclean" in Leviticus 11) is translated by akathartos in the LXX 69 times (PMI score 7.35, highest match). This confirms: - Hebrew tame = Greek akathartos = Levitical uncleanness - This word is NOT used in Mark 7 or Matthew 15 - When Peter says "common OR unclean" (koinos E akathartos) in Acts 10:14, he is naming two distinct categories
G2511 -- katharizo (cleanse/purify) -- THE DISPUTED PARTICIPLE¶
Original: καθαρίζω Transliteration: katharizo Pronunciation: kath-ar-id'-zo Part of Speech: verb Definition: From G2513 (katharos); to cleanse (literally or figuratively) BLB Count: 30 NT occurrences
Key Translations¶
| Translation | Count | Key Verses |
|---|---|---|
| purging | 1 | Mar 7:19 |
| hath cleansed | 2 | Act 10:15; Act 11:9 |
| cleanse | 2 | Mat 10:8; Mat 23:26 |
| purge | 1 | Heb 9:14 |
| purifying | 1 | Act 15:9 |
| clean/make clean/be clean | many | Leper healings (Mat 8:2,3; Mar 1:40-42; Luk 4:27; 5:12; 17:14,17) |
Mark 7:19 -- The Critical Grammar¶
In Mark 7:19, the Greek text reads: καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα ("katharizōn panta ta brōmata")
The parsing from greek_parser.py: - καθαρίζων = V-PAP-NSM = Present Active Participle, Nominative Singular Masculine - πάντα = A-APN = Accusative Plural Neuter - τὰ = T-APN = Article Accusative Plural Neuter - βρώματα = N-APN = Noun Accusative Plural Neuter
Gender mismatch: The participle katharizōn is Nominative Singular MASCULINE. The word brōmata (foods) is Accusative Plural NEUTER. In Greek, a participle modifying a noun must agree in gender. A masculine singular participle cannot directly modify a neuter plural noun.
What the text actually says: The KJV translates this as "purging all meats" -- the subject being the digestive process (food going into the belly and out into the draught/latrine). The participle agrees with the implied masculine subject (the draught/process described in the preceding clause, or possibly "it" referring to what enters). Modern translations that read "Thus he declared all foods clean" must supply "he" (Jesus) as the subject and "declared" as the meaning -- but no word meaning "declare" appears in the Greek text.
Acts 10:15 and 11:9 -- God's Use of Katharizo¶
In Acts 10:15: Ἃ ὁ Θεὸς ἐκαθάρισεν σὺ μὴ κοίνου ("What God has cleansed, you do not call common")
- ἐκαθάρισεν = V-AAI-3S = Aorist Active Indicative, 3rd person singular (God cleansed)
- κοίνου = V-PAM-2S = Present Active Imperative (do not call common -- koinoo, not akathartos)
Key finding: God uses katharizo (cleansed) paired with koinoo (call common). The command is not to call things akathartos that God has made katharos -- it's to not call them koinos. Peter then interprets this about PEOPLE (Acts 10:28), not about food.
G1033 -- broma (food/meat) -- WHAT DOES "FOOD" MEAN?¶
Original: βρῶμα Transliteration: broma Pronunciation: bro'-mah Part of Speech: neuter noun Definition: From the base of G977; food (literally or figuratively), especially (ceremonially) articles allowed or forbidden by the Jewish law BLB Count: 17 NT occurrences
Translations¶
| Translation | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| meat | 8 | 50.0% |
| meats | 3 | 18.8% |
| victuals | 1 | 6.2% |
| with meat/for meats/Meats/with meats | 4 | 25.0% |
Every Occurrence with Context¶
| Verse | Translation | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Mat 14:15 | victuals | Feeding the 5000 -- ordinary food |
| Mar 7:19 | meats | "purging all meats" -- the disputed verse |
| Luk 3:11 | meat | John the Baptist: share food with the needy |
| Luk 9:13 | meat | Feeding the 5000 |
| Jhn 4:34 | meat | Jesus: "my meat is to do the will of him that sent me" (figurative) |
| Rom 14:15 | meat | "if thy brother be grieved with thy meat" -- food controversy |
| Rom 14:20 | meat | "for meat destroy not the work of God" -- food controversy |
| 1Co 3:2 | meat | Figurative: "I have fed you with milk, not meat" |
| 1Co 6:13 | meats | "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats" -- bodily appetites |
| 1Co 8:8 | meat | "meat commendeth us not to God" -- idol food |
| 1Co 8:13 | meat | "if meat make my brother to offend" -- idol food |
| 1Co 10:3 | meat | "did all eat the same spiritual meat" (manna, figurative) |
| 1Ti 4:3 | meats | "commanding to abstain from meats" -- false doctrine |
| Heb 9:10 | meats | "in meats and drinks, and divers washings" -- old covenant ceremonies |
| Heb 13:9 | meats | "not with meats, which have not profited" -- established by grace, not food |
Key Finding: Broma NEVER Refers to Levitically Unclean Animals¶
In every NT occurrence, broma refers to: 1. Ordinary food (Mat 14:15; Luk 3:11; 9:13) 2. Figurative nourishment (Jhn 4:34; 1Co 3:2; 10:3) 3. Food in a controversy about conscience/idols (Rom 14:15,20; 1Co 8:8,13) 4. The Mark 7:19 digestive process 5. Old covenant food regulations (Heb 9:10; 13:9) 6. False teaching about abstaining from food (1Ti 4:3)
No passage uses broma to refer to Levitically unclean animals. In a 1st-century Jewish context, unclean animals were not considered "food" (broma) at all -- they were not in the category. When Mark 7:19 says "purging all brōmata," the "foods" in view are the foods the disciples were eating with unwashed hands.
G3862 -- paradosis (tradition)¶
Original: παράδοσις Transliteration: paradosis Pronunciation: par-ad'-os-is Part of Speech: feminine noun Definition: From G3860 (paradidōmi); transmission, i.e. a precept; specifically, the Jewish traditionary law BLB Count: 13 NT occurrences
Every Occurrence¶
| Verse | Translation | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Mat 15:2 | tradition | "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?" |
| Mat 15:3 | tradition | "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" |
| Mat 15:6 | tradition | "made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition" |
| Mar 7:3 | tradition | "holding the tradition of the elders" |
| Mar 7:5 | tradition | "the tradition of the elders" |
| Mar 7:8 | tradition | "ye hold the tradition of men" |
| Mar 7:9 | tradition | "ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition" |
| Mar 7:13 | tradition | "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition" |
| 1Co 11:2 | ordinances | Paul's positive use: "keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you" |
| Gal 1:14 | traditions | "zealous of the traditions of my fathers" |
| Col 2:8 | tradition | "Beware... after the tradition of men" |
| 2Th 2:15 | traditions | "hold the traditions which ye have been taught" (apostolic tradition) |
| 2Th 3:6 | tradition | "the tradition which he received of us" |
Distribution in Mark 7¶
Paradosis appears 5 times in Mark 7 alone (verses 3, 5, 8, 9, 13) -- more than any other passage. The word is consistently contrasted with entolē (G1785, "commandment of God"): - Mark 7:8: "laying aside the entolē of God, ye hold the paradosis of men" - Mark 7:9: "ye reject the entolē of God, that ye may keep your own paradosis" - Mark 7:13: "Making the logos (word) of God of none effect through your paradosis"
This is Jesus's core argument in Mark 7: the Pharisees' handwashing tradition (paradosis) overrides God's actual commandments (entolē).
G1785 -- entole (commandment)¶
Original: ἐντολή Transliteration: entolē Pronunciation: en-tol-ay' Part of Speech: feminine noun Definition: From G1781; injunction, an authoritative prescription BLB Count: 71 NT occurrences
Usage in Mark 7 / Matthew 15¶
| Verse | Text |
|---|---|
| Mar 7:8 | "laying aside the entolē (commandment) of God, ye hold the paradosis of men" |
| Mat 15:3 | "Why do ye also transgress the entolē (commandment) of God by your tradition?" |
| Mat 15:6 | "made the entolē (commandment) of God of none effect by your tradition" |
Key Finding¶
In Mark 7:8-9, Jesus explicitly distinguishes between God's entolē and human paradosis. He does NOT call the food laws "paradosis" -- he uses that word for the handwashing and ceremonial washing practices. The Mosaic commandments (including "honour thy father and thy mother," cited in Mark 7:10) are called entolē theou ("commandment of God").
G856 -- aphedron (draught/latrine)¶
Original: ἀφεδρών Transliteration: aphedrōn Pronunciation: af-ed-rone' Part of Speech: masculine noun Definition: From a compound of G575 and hedra; a place of sitting apart, i.e. a privy BLB Count: 2 NT occurrences
Only 2 Occurrences¶
| Verse | Text |
|---|---|
| Mar 7:19 | "goeth out into the draught (aphedrōn), purging all meats" |
| Mat 15:17 | "whatsoever entereth in at the mouth... is cast out into the draught (aphedrōn)" |
Grammatical Significance¶
Both occurrences describe the digestive process: food goes into the belly and out into the latrine. In Mark 7:19, the participle katharizōn ("purging/cleansing") is Nominative Singular Masculine. Aphedrōn is also Masculine -- making it a possible grammatical antecedent for the participle. The digestive process (going into the draught/latrine) is what "purges all meats" -- the body eliminates food waste. This is a biological observation, not a theological declaration.
G3763 -- oudepote (never at any time)¶
Original: οὐδέποτε Transliteration: oudepote Pronunciation: oo-dep'-ot-eh Part of Speech: adverb Definition: From G3761 and G4218; not even at any time, i.e. never at all BLB Count: 16 NT occurrences
Usage in Acts 10:14 and 11:8¶
| Verse | Text |
|---|---|
| Act 10:14 | "I have never (oudepote) eaten any thing that is common or unclean" |
| Act 11:8 | "nothing common or unclean hath at any time (oudepote) entered into my mouth" |
Key Finding¶
Peter uses the emphatic absolute negative oudepote -- "NEVER, not at any time." This is the strongest possible denial. Peter was present for the Mark 7 teaching (and specifically asked for its explanation per Matthew 15:15). If Jesus had declared all foods clean in Mark 7, Peter's emphatic "I have NEVER eaten anything common or unclean" years later would be incomprehensible. Peter clearly did not understand Mark 7 as abolishing food categories.
H2931 -- tame (unclean) -- HEBREW LEVITICAL TERM¶
Original: טָמֵא Transliteration: tame Pronunciation: taw-may' Part of Speech: adjective Definition: From H2930; foul in a religious sense: defiled, infamous, polluted, unclean BLB Count: 87 OT occurrences
Key Usage¶
Appears extensively in Leviticus 11 (the food law chapter): verses 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (2x), 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 35, 38, 47. Also in Deuteronomy 14:7, 8, 10, 19.
LXX Translation¶
The LXX translates tame with akathartos (G169) 69 times -- by far the dominant translation (PMI score 7.35). This confirms: - Hebrew tame = Greek akathartos = Levitical/ritual uncleanness - Mark 7 does NOT use this term (uses koinoo/koinos instead) - When the NT wants to reference Levitical uncleanness, it uses akathartos, the LXX equivalent of tame
Mark 7:19 -- Textual Variant Analysis (N1904 vs TR)¶
N1904 (Nestle 1904) Text:¶
ὅτι οὐκ εἰσπορεύεται αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκπορεύεται, καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα;
TR (Textus Receptus) Text:¶
οτι ουκ αυτου εις την καρδιαν αλλ εις την κοιλιαν και εις αφεδρωνα [ekporeuetai] [katharizōn] παντα τα βρωματα
Textual Variant Detected¶
- N1904 has 20 words; TR has 18 words
- Strong's in N1904 only: G1607 (ekporeuomai), G2511 (katharizo), G1531 (eisporeuomai)
- Strong's in TR only: G5723, G5736 (morphological/parsing codes)
Key Observation¶
Both N1904 and TR contain the participle katharizōn and the phrase panta ta brōmata. The variant is NOT about the presence or absence of these words. Neither text contains any word meaning "declared" or "pronounce" -- there is no Greek word for "declare" in either the Nestle or the Textus Receptus reading of Mark 7:19. The modern translation "Thus he declared all foods clean" is an interpretive rendering, not a translation of present Greek words.
Words Actually Present in Greek (Mark 7:19)¶
- ὅτι (hoti) -- because/that
- οὐκ (ouk) -- not
- εἰσπορεύεται (eisporeuetai) -- it enters
- αὐτοῦ (autou) -- of him
- εἰς (eis) -- into
- τὴν (tēn) -- the
- καρδίαν (kardian) -- heart
- ἀλλ' (all') -- but
- εἰς (eis) -- into
- τὴν (tēn) -- the
- κοιλίαν (koilian) -- belly
- καὶ (kai) -- and
- εἰς (eis) -- into
- τὸν (ton) -- the
- ἀφεδρῶνα (aphedrōna) -- draught/latrine
- ἐκπορεύεται (ekporeuetai) -- goes out
- καθαρίζων (katharizōn) -- purging/cleansing (PAP-NSM)
- πάντα (panta) -- all
- τὰ (ta) -- the
- βρώματα (brōmata) -- foods/meats
No word for "declare," "pronounce," "proclaim," or any speech act appears. The word katharizōn means "cleansing/purging" (present active participle), describing the digestive process that eliminates food through the body.