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Bible Study: Mark 7 — "All Foods Clean": Context, Textual Variants, and Meaning

Question

Mark 7 talks about eating — what is the context? Some versions say Jesus declared all foods clean, others don't. Which is correct? What is the context, and what does the passage mean?

Prior Research Summary

Prior Studies Found

Three prior studies directly address Mark 7 and the "all foods clean" question:

  1. pvj-11-food-laws (score: 0.538) — The most comprehensive prior study on this exact passage. Key established findings:
  2. The dispute in Mark 7:2-5 is explicitly about eating with unwashed hands, not Levitical food laws
  3. Every use of "defile" in Mark 7 employs koinoo (G2840, to make common/profane), never akathartos (G169, Levitically unclean)
  4. The Matthew 15 parallel LACKS the "purging all meats" clause and explicitly concludes: "but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man" (Matt 15:20)
  5. Mark 7:19 participle katharizo (G2511) is V-PAP-NSM (Present Active Participle, Nominative Singular Masculine); bromata (G1033, foods) is neuter plural — a grammatical mismatch if the participle is meant to modify "foods"
  6. Peter states years later "I have NEVER eaten any thing that is common or unclean" (Acts 10:14) — using oudepote (G3763, "never, not at any time")

  7. Peter uses both koinos AND akathartos with "and" (kai) in Acts 10:14, treating them as distinct categories

  8. biblical-diet-romans14-timothy (score: 0.568) — Confirms vocabulary pattern: every use of "defile" in Mark 7 uses koinos/koinoo (G2839/G2840); the word for contamination by external contact, not the Levitical term akathartos (G169). Also confirms Matthew 15:20 as the explicit conclusion.

  9. comprehensive-dietary-laws (score: 0.424/0.640) — Broader dietary law study confirming the Mark 7 analysis and adding that the clean/unclean animal distinction predates the Mosaic law (Genesis 7:2) and persists through Revelation (Rev 18:2 uses akathartos for unclean animals).

What is already established: The vocabulary distinction (koinos vs. akathartos), the Matthew 15 parallel conclusion, and Peter's Acts 10:14 testimony have all been documented. This study should build on those findings by doing a fresh, comprehensive investigation of the Mark 7 passage itself — its full context (not just 7:19), the textual variant question (N1904 vs. TR at 7:19), the Greek grammar of the disputed clause, the broader Mark 7 argument about tradition vs. commandment, and the corroborating evidence from Acts and the rest of the NT.

External Corpus Leads

EGW writings emphasize that Mark 7 concerns defilement from within (the soul) vs. "man-made ceremonies" (DA 397.4), and that the Pharisees took God's legitimate dietary restrictions and added extreme human traditions (3SP 63.2). Stephen Bohr (ETDP) argues that the word "declared" is not in the Greek text of Mark 7:19, that the dietary laws were the "written law of Moses" not traditions of elders, and that bromata in a 1st-century Jewish context would not include Levitically unclean animals. These claims need biblical verification.

Discovered Scope

Topics Found (from naves_semantic.py)

Topic Score Key Verse References
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN ANIMALS 0.74 LEV 11; DEU 14 (cross-refs to ANIMALS, BIRDS, FISH, INSECTS)
PHARISEES 0.70 MAT 15:1-3,9; MRK 7:1-15; ACT 15:5; ACT 23:6,8
PURIFICATION 0.64 MAT 15:2; MRK 7:2-5,8,9; LUK 11:38; HEB 9:10; ACT 21:24,26
PURITY 0.59 PSA 51:7; TIT 1:15; HEB 9:13,14; 1JN 3:3
COMMANDMENTS 0.56 ISA 29:13; MAT 15:3-20; MRK 7:2-23; ROM 14:1-6,10-23; 1TI 4:1-3
DEFILEMENT 0.50/0.43 LEV 7:18-21; 11:39,40,43; 22:2-7; JHN 18:28; NUM 19:11-22
HYPOCRISY 0.48 MAT 15:7-9; MRK 7:6-8; ISA 29:13; MAT 23:2-33
WASHING 0.43 DEU 21:6; MAT 15:2; MRK 7:2-5; MAT 27:24
UNCLEAN 0.43/0.40 LEV 11; DEU 14 (cross-refs to UNCLEANNESS)
EATING 0.42 GEN 18:8; MAT 15:2; AMO 6:4,7
HOLINESS 0.40 LEV 11:44,45,47; 19:2; 20:7,26; DEU 14:2
TRADITION — MAT 12:1-8; 15:2-6; MRK 7:3-9; LUK 6:1-11; COL 2:8; 1PE 1:18
SANITATION (Food section) — LEV 3:17; 7:15-19,23-27; 11:2-23,26-43; DEU 14:3-21
HEART 0.46 MRK 7:21-23; PRO 4:23; JER 17:9; MAT 5:8; MAT 12:34
CONSCIENCE 0.48 ROM 2:14,15; 1TI 1:5,19; 1CO 8:7-13

Verse References (from Nave's entries)

The Mark 7 / Matthew 15 Core Passage: - MRK 7:1-15; MRK 7:2-23; MRK 7:2-5; MRK 7:6-8; MRK 7:8,9; MRK 7:21-23 - MAT 15:1-3; MAT 15:1-9; MAT 15:2; MAT 15:3-20; MAT 15:4-9; MAT 15:7-9; MAT 15:9; MAT 15:12

OT Food Law Foundation (from SANITATION, CLEAN AND UNCLEAN ANIMALS, HOLINESS): - LEV 3:17; LEV 7:15-19,23-27; LEV 11 (entire chapter); LEV 11:2-23,26,27,29-43,44,45,47; LEV 17:10-15; LEV 19:2,5-8,26; LEV 20:7,26; LEV 22:8 - DEU 12:16,20-25; DEU 14 (entire chapter); DEU 14:2,3-21,26; DEU 15:22,23

Defilement and Uncleanness Laws (from DEFILEMENT, UNCLEANNESS, SANITATION): - LEV 5:2-13; LEV 7:18-21,20,21; LEV 11:8,24-28,31-40,39,40,43; LEV 12:2-8; LEV 13:3,44-46; LEV 14:46-57; LEV 15:1-15,16,17,19-33; LEV 16:26,28; LEV 17:15,16; LEV 22:2-8 - NUM 19:7-10,11-22; NUM 31:19,20 - DEU 23:10,11 - JHN 18:28; EZK 44:25,26

Tradition vs. Commandment (from TRADITION, PHARISEES, COMMANDMENTS): - ISA 29:13 - MAT 12:1-8; MAT 15:2-6; MAT 15:3-20 - MRK 7:3-9; MRK 7:2-23 - LUK 6:1-11 - COL 2:8 - 1PE 1:18 - 1TI 1:4; 1TI 4:7

Purification and Ritual Washing (from PURIFICATION, WASHING): - EST 2:12 - LEV 12:6-8; LEV 15:19-33; 2SA 11:4 - JHN 11:55 - NUM 31:19-24,23 - EXO 24:5-8; LEV 14:6,7; HEB 9:12-14,19-22 - MAT 15:2; MRK 7:2-5,8,9; LUK 11:38; ACT 21:24,26 - DEU 21:6; PSA 26:6; MAT 27:24 - HEB 9:10,13,14

Heart/Inner Defilement (from HEART, SIN, PURITY): - GEN 6:5; PSA 51:7,10; PRO 4:23; JER 17:9; MAT 5:8; MAT 12:34; MRK 7:21-23; LUK 6:45 - TIT 1:15; HEB 9:13,14; HEB 10:22; JAS 4:8; 1PE 1:22; 1JN 3:3

Peter's Post-Mark-7 Testimony and Acts 10 (from G2840/G169 verse lists): - ACT 10:14,15,28; ACT 11:8,9

Pharisees: Hypocrisy and Traditions Reproved (from PHARISEES, HYPOCRISY): - MAT 3:7-10; MAT 6:2-8,16-18; MAT 9:11-13; MAT 9:14; MAT 12:2-8; MAT 15:1-9; MAT 16:1-12; MAT 21:33-46; MAT 23:2-33 - MRK 7:1-15; MRK 8:15; MRK 12:13,14,38-40 - LUK 7:30,36; LUK 11:14-54,38; LUK 12:1; LUK 13:14-17; LUK 18:10-12; LUK 20:21 - JHN 7:48; JHN 8:4-9; JHN 9:24; JHN 18:28

Holiness as Basis for Dietary Distinction (from HOLINESS): - LEV 10:8-10; LEV 11:44,45,47; LEV 19:2; LEV 20:7,26; DEU 13:17; DEU 14:2

NT Food/Eating Passages for Cross-Reference (from COMMANDMENTS "Of Men" section, TRADITION): - ROM 14:1-6,10-23; 1CO 8:1,7-13; 1CO 10:25-31; 1TI 4:1-3; COL 2:8,16,20-23

Strong's Numbers Found (from semantic_strongs.py)

Core Vocabulary — Defilement/Cleanness Distinction:

Strong's Word Part of Speech Relevance
G2840 koinoo (make common/profane) verb Every use of "defile" in Mark 7; 15 NT occurrences; the ONLY defilement word in the passage
G2839 koinos (common/profane) adjective MRK 7:2,5; ACT 10:14,28; 11:8; ROM 14:14 — the adjective form; describes hands as "common/defiled"
G169 akathartos (unclean) adjective 30 NT occurrences; the Levitical uncleanness term; NEVER appears in Mark 7 or Matthew 15; appears in ACT 10:14,28 alongside koinos
G167 akatharia (uncleanness) noun The noun form of Levitical uncleanness; not used in Mark 7
G2511 katharizo (cleanse/purify) verb MRK 7:19 — the disputed participle; also ACT 10:15; 11:9; 15:9; HEB 9:14,22
G2513 katharos (clean/pure) adjective Related to katharizo; "pure" in MAT 5:8; TIT 1:15
G2512 katharismos (cleansing/purification) noun MRK 1:44; JHN 2:6; HEB 1:3 — ceremonial cleansing concept
G2514 katharotes (purification) noun HEB 9:13 — purification concept
G1033 broma (food) neuter noun MRK 7:19; ROM 14:15,20; 1CO 8:8,13; 1TI 4:3; HEB 9:10; 13:9 — the word translated "meats/foods" in 7:19

Context Vocabulary — Tradition vs. Commandment:

Strong's Word Part of Speech Relevance
G3862 paradosis (tradition) feminine noun MRK 7:3,5,8,9,13; MAT 15:2,6; COL 2:8; GAL 1:14 — "tradition of the elders"
G1785 entole (commandment) feminine noun MRK 7:8; MAT 15:3,6 — "commandment of God" contrasted with tradition
G3763 oudepote (never at any time) adverb ACT 10:14; 11:8 — Peter's emphatic denial: "I have NEVER eaten..."

Hebrew OT Vocabulary:

Strong's Word Part of Speech Relevance
H2931 tame (unclean) adjective The Hebrew Levitical term for "unclean" — basis for akathartos in LXX
H2930 tame (to be unclean) verb The verb form; "to become ceremonially unclean"
H2455 chol (common/profane) adjective Hebrew equivalent of koinos — "common, profane, unholy"
H2891 taher (to be clean/pure) verb OT purification concept; basis for katharizo

Digestive Process Vocabulary:

Strong's Word Part of Speech Relevance
G856 aphedron (draught/latrine) masculine noun MRK 7:19; MAT 15:17 — only 2 NT occurrences; the destination of food passing through the body

Focus Areas

  1. The Full Context of Mark 7:1-23 — What Triggered the Dispute?
  2. WHAT: Investigate the entire pericope of Mark 7:1-23, not just verse 19, to establish the context and flow of argument. What specific practice provoked the Pharisees' complaint? What was Jesus's response?
  3. WHY: Nave's entries for PHARISEES and PURIFICATION both list MRK 7:1-15 and MRK 7:2-5 under "traditions regarding washing of hands." The TRADITION topic lists MRK 7:3-9 as "commandments of men." COMMANDMENTS topic has a "Of Men" subsection listing MRK 7:2-23. Every topical entry frames this as a tradition/handwashing dispute, not a dietary law dispute.

  4. HOW: Retrieve full text of MRK 7:1-23 with chapter context. Run greek_parser.py on MRK 7:1-5 to identify the exact vocabulary. Identify what koinos/koinoo (G2839/G2840) means in each occurrence. Run cross_testament_parallels_v2.py on MRK 7:1 (both OT and NT). Retrieve MAT 15:1-20 in full for synoptic comparison.

  5. The Greek Text of Mark 7:19 — Textual Variant Analysis

  6. WHAT: Examine the actual Greek text of Mark 7:19 in both the Nestle (N1904) and Textus Receptus traditions. Determine what words are present, what the participle katharizo (G2511) refers to grammatically, and whether the word "declared" is in the text.
  7. WHY: The entire modern translation tradition of "thus he declared all foods clean" rests on this verse. The prior study (pvj-11-food-laws) identified that the participle is NSM (Nominative Singular Masculine) while bromata (G1033) is neuter plural — a grammatical mismatch. External corpus sources (Bohr, ETDP p. 314) claim "declared" is not in the Greek. The textual variant between N1904 and TR needs direct comparison.

  8. HOW: Run greek_text_compare.py on MRK 7:19 to compare N1904 vs TR word-by-word. Run greek_parser.py on MRK 7:19 for full morphological parsing. Identify the grammatical subject of the katharizo participle. Check whether aphedron (G856, draught/latrine) in MRK 7:19 is the logical subject of the participle (food going into the latrine, "purging all meats" = the digestive process eliminates food).

  9. The Synoptic Parallel: Matthew 15:1-20 vs. Mark 7:1-23

  10. WHAT: Compare Mark's account with Matthew's parallel. Matthew 15 lacks the "purging all meats" clause entirely and provides an explicit conclusion (Matt 15:20). Identify what Matthew includes that Mark omits and vice versa.
  11. WHY: The PHARISEES topic lists both MAT 15:1-3 and MRK 7:1-15 together under traditions regarding washing of hands. If Jesus actually declared all foods clean, Matthew's omission of this revolutionary statement would be inexplicable. Matthew 15:15 identifies Peter as the one asking for the parable's explanation — the same Peter who later says he has NEVER eaten anything common or unclean.

  12. HOW: Retrieve full text of MAT 15:1-20. Run greek_parallel_passages.py to find and compare the synoptic parallel. Run greek_parser.py on MAT 15:17-20 to compare vocabulary with MRK 7:18-23. Specifically verify whether Matthew uses koinos/koinoo and whether Matthew's conclusion (15:20) is about handwashing.

  13. The Koinos/Koinoo vs. Akathartos Vocabulary Distinction

  14. WHAT: Trace every NT occurrence of koinoo (G2840) and koinos (G2839) and compare with akathartos (G169). Determine whether Mark 7 uses any Levitical uncleanness vocabulary.
  15. WHY: Semantic_strongs.py returned both G2840 (koinoo, score 0.426) and G169 (akathartos, score 0.443) for "defile common profane make unclean." G2840 has 15 NT occurrences including MAT 15:11,18,20; MRK 7:15,18,20,23; ACT 10:15; HEB 9:13; REV 21:27. G169 has 30 NT occurrences including ACT 10:14,28 and REV 18:2 — but notably NOT in Mark 7 or Matthew 15. This vocabulary pattern is the decisive evidence: the passage discusses koinos-defilement (contact/ritual contamination), not akathartos-defilement (Levitical nature).

  16. HOW: Run search_strongs.py --verses G2840 for all translations. Run search_strongs.py --verses G169 for all translations. Run search_strongs.py --verses G2839 for all translations. Create a comprehensive mapping of where each word appears and confirm that akathartos never appears in Mark 7 or Matthew 15.

  17. Peter's Testimony in Acts 10:14-15,28 — The Post-Mark-7 Test Case

  18. WHAT: Examine Peter's statement in Acts 10 where he says "I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean" and God's response "What God hath cleansed, call not thou common." Analyze what this tells us about how Peter understood Mark 7.
  19. WHY: Peter was present during the Mark 7 teaching and specifically asked Jesus to explain the parable (MAT 15:15). If Jesus had declared all foods clean, Peter would have known. His emphatic oudepote (G3763, "never at any time") years later in Acts 10:14 is incompatible with the "declaration" reading. The DEFILEMENT topic lists JHN 18:28 as "contact with sinners falsely supposed to cause" defilement, and Peter's own interpretation in ACT 10:28 applies the vision to people, not food.

  20. HOW: Retrieve full text of ACT 10:9-35 with chapter context. Run greek_parser.py on ACT 10:14-15 and ACT 10:28. Verify that Peter uses BOTH koinos AND akathartos in 10:14 (treating them as distinct categories). Run cross_testament_parallels_v2.py on ACT 10:14 (both OT and NT). Check ACT 11:8-9 for Peter's retelling.

  21. Jesus's Contrast: "Commandment of God" vs. "Tradition of Men" (Mark 7:6-13)

  22. WHAT: Analyze the section of Mark 7 where Jesus contrasts divine commandments with human traditions, specifically citing the Corban example. Determine the scope of what Jesus is criticizing.
  23. WHY: The TRADITION topic lists MRK 7:3-9 as "commandments of men" and notes that traditions are "not authoritative" (MAT 15:3-20). The PHARISEES topic lists MAT 15:4-9 under "duties of children to parents" — showing Jesus cites the fifth commandment (honour thy father and mother) as an example of God's command being violated by tradition. Paradosis (G3862) appears in MRK 7:3,5,8,9,13 — five times in one passage. Entole (G1785) appears in MRK 7:8 contrasting with paradosis.

  24. HOW: Retrieve MRK 7:6-13 verse text. Run greek_parser.py on MRK 7:8-9 to identify the precise vocabulary of "commandment of God" vs. "tradition of men." Look up paradosis (G3862) occurrences to see how the NT elsewhere uses this word. Cross-reference ISA 29:13 which Jesus quotes.

  25. What Does "Defile" Mean in Mark 7? — Inner vs. Outer Defilement

  26. WHAT: Analyze Jesus's teaching in Mark 7:14-23 about what truly defiles a person. Trace the list of sins that come "from within, out of the heart" (MRK 7:21-23).
  27. WHY: The HEART topic lists MRK 7:21-23 among key verses about the heart as source of sin. The HYPOCRISY topic lists MRK 7:6-8. The semantic search for "heart defiles evil thoughts sins within" returned HEART (0.46) and SIN (0.45) as top topics, both pointing to the inner-defilement teaching. Jesus's point is that moral defilement (evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, etc.) comes from within, not from failure to perform external washing rituals. This is the actual meaning of the passage.

  28. HOW: Retrieve MRK 7:14-23 verse text. Run greek_parser.py on MRK 7:20-23 to identify the list of sins. Run concept_context.py on MRK 7:21 to find parallel teachings about the heart as source of sin. Cross-reference with MAT 12:34 and LUK 6:45.

  29. The OT Foundation: Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 — Why This Matters

  30. WHAT: Examine the OT food laws in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 to determine their basis (holiness, creation order, or ceremony) and whether Mark 7 addresses them.
  31. WHY: The HOLINESS topic lists LEV 11:44,45,47 as key references, connecting dietary law to God's holiness ("be ye holy; for I am holy"). SANITATION topic has a FOOD section listing LEV 11:2-23,26,27,29-43. The CLEAN AND UNCLEAN ANIMALS topic cross-references LEV 11 and DEU 14. The question is whether Mark 7 is about these Levitical categories or about the Pharisaic handwashing tradition layered on top of them.

  32. HOW: Retrieve LEV 11:1-8,44-47 and DEU 14:1-3 verse text. Look up H2931 (tame, unclean) to see its usage. Verify that the LXX translates tame with akathartos (G169), confirming the vocabulary connection. Note that the HOLINESS topic connects dietary law to holiness (LEV 20:7,26; DEU 14:2), not to ceremony.

  33. NT Food Passages Cross-Referenced (Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8-10, 1 Timothy 4, Hebrews 9:10)

  34. WHAT: Examine the NT passages that discuss food in a broader context to see if they support or contradict the "all foods clean" reading.
  35. WHY: The COMMANDMENTS topic lists ROM 14:1-6,10-23; 1CO 8:1,7-13; and 1TI 4:1-3 under "Of Men" section. Broma (G1033) appears in ROM 14:15,20; 1CO 8:8,13; 1TI 4:3; HEB 9:10; 13:9. The TRADITION topic references COL 2:8. These passages deal with food controversies but need to be checked for whether they use koinos or akathartos vocabulary.

  36. HOW: Retrieve ROM 14:14-20, 1CO 8:8-13, 1CO 10:25-28, 1TI 4:1-5, HEB 9:9-10 verse text. Run greek_parser.py on ROM 14:14 (which explicitly uses koinos). Check whether any of these passages use akathartos for food.

  37. Isaiah 66:17 — End-Time Dietary Sin

    • WHAT: Examine the eschatological passage where Isaiah describes God's judgment on those eating swine's flesh and other abominations.
    • WHY: The comprehensive-dietary-laws prior study identified ISA 66:17 as end-time evidence that the dietary distinction persists: "eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD." If Mark 7 abolished all food distinctions, this eschatological passage would be incoherent.
    • HOW: Retrieve ISA 66:15-17 verse text. Run cross_testament_parallels_v2.py on ISA 66:17 (both OT and NT). Check the Hebrew vocabulary for "abomination" and "unclean" in this passage.

External Corpus Leads (from 00-references.md)

  1. EGW (DA 397.4) claims Mark 7 is about "the evil deed, the evil word, the evil thought, the transgression of the law of God, not the neglect of external, man-made ceremonies."

  2. Verify: Does Mark 7 itself explicitly distinguish between God's law and man-made ceremonies? Check MRK 7:8-9 for the entole/paradosis contrast. Does Jesus cite God's law (the Corban example, MRK 7:10-13) as something the Pharisees are violating through their traditions?

  3. EGW (3SP 63.2) claims the Pharisees took God's legitimate dietary restrictions and "carried them to unwarranted extremes" — distinguishing between original law and Pharisaic additions.

  4. Verify: Does Mark 7 itself distinguish between God's commands and the Pharisees' additions? Check MRK 7:3-4 for the specific traditions described (washing of hands, cups, pots, brasen vessels, tables). Are these found in the Mosaic law or are they extra-biblical additions?

  5. Bohr (ETDP p. 314) claims the word "declared" is not in the Greek text of Mark 7:19.

  6. Verify: Parse MRK 7:19 with greek_parser.py. Identify every Greek word present. Confirm whether any word meaning "declare" or "pronounce" appears. Run greek_text_compare.py on MRK 7:19 to compare N1904 vs TR readings.

  7. Bohr (BOT p. 23) claims Mark 7 addresses a broader issue than handwashing — three times the passage says "many other such like things" (7:4, 8, 13).

  8. Verify: Retrieve MRK 7:4, 7:8, and 7:13 and check whether "many other such like things" or similar phrases appear. This would show that Jesus was addressing a pattern of tradition-over-commandment, not just handwashing specifically.

  9. Bohr (ETDP p. 315) argues that "foods" (bromata) in the 1st-century Jewish framework would not include Levitically unclean animals, which were not considered "food."

  10. Verify: Trace broma (G1033) across all 17 NT occurrences. Determine what broma refers to in each context. Does any NT passage use broma to refer to Levitically unclean animals? Check MRK 7:19, ROM 14:15,20, 1CO 8:8,13, 1TI 4:3, HEB 9:10, HEB 13:9.

  11. EGW (BHY 175.4) asks rhetorically what could have changed to make unclean animals clean for Christians.

  12. Verify: Does any NT passage use the Levitical vocabulary (akathartos, G169) to declare formerly unclean animals now clean? Check whether ACT 10:15 uses akathartos or koinos. Check whether the distinction between the two terms is maintained throughout the NT.

  13. Matthew Henry (HENRY 41798) acknowledges: "Christ doth not yet repeal the law of the distinction of meats, (that was not done till Acts 10.) but the tradition of the elders."

  14. Verify: Does Acts 10 actually repeal food laws? Check Peter's own interpretation in ACT 10:28 — does Peter say the vision was about food or about people? This is relevant as even a commentator who believes food laws were eventually abolished acknowledges Mark 7 itself is about tradition.

Research Instructions

You are the Research Agent. Execute this study by:

  1. Read the SKILL.md at C:/Users/Michael/.claude/skills/bible-study4/SKILL.md (Windows) for full tool documentation and principles
  2. Read your agent instructions at C:/Users/Michael/.claude/skills/bible-study4/agents/research-agent.md (Windows)
  3. Follow the answer-question workflow from the skill
  4. Write research files to this folder:
  5. 01-topics.md - Nave's topics and full entries (retrieve full entries for: PHARISEES, DEFILEMENT, TRADITION, COMMANDMENTS, PURIFICATION, UNCLEANNESS, CLEAN AND UNCLEAN ANIMALS, WASHING, HOLINESS, PURITY, EATING, SANITATION)
  6. 02-verses.md - All verse texts retrieved with context for:
    • The full Mark 7:1-23 passage — retrieve with FULL CHAPTER context
    • The full Matthew 15:1-20 parallel — retrieve with FULL CHAPTER context
    • Acts 10:9-35 (Peter's vision and interpretation) — retrieve with FULL CHAPTER context
    • Acts 11:1-18 (Peter's retelling to Jerusalem church)
    • Leviticus 11:1-8,41-47 (food law foundation and holiness basis)
    • Deuteronomy 14:1-21 (dietary law restatement)
    • Isaiah 29:13 (quoted by Jesus in Mark 7:6-7)
    • Isaiah 66:15-17 (eschatological dietary judgment)
    • Romans 14:14-21 (koinos vocabulary in food context)
    • 1 Corinthians 8:8-13 and 10:25-31 (broma in food controversy)
    • 1 Timothy 4:1-5 (commanding to abstain from foods)
    • Hebrews 9:9-10 (meats and drinks and washings)
    • Colossians 2:8,16,20-23 (tradition and ordinances)
    • Genesis 7:2 (pre-Mosaic clean/unclean distinction)
    • Revelation 18:2 (akathartos in final book)
  7. 04-word-studies.md - Strong's research for ALL listed numbers:
    • G2840 (koinoo) — CRITICAL: trace all 15 NT occurrences with --verses for every translation
    • G2839 (koinos) — CRITICAL: trace all 12 NT occurrences with --verses
    • G169 (akathartos) — CRITICAL: trace all 30 NT occurrences; confirm absence from Mark 7
    • G2511 (katharizo) — trace all occurrences; note morphology in MRK 7:19
    • G1033 (broma) — trace all 17 NT occurrences; determine what "food" refers to in each context
    • G3862 (paradosis) — trace all 13 NT occurrences; map "tradition" usage
    • G1785 (entole) — note usage in MRK 7:8; MAT 15:3,6
    • G856 (aphedron) — only 2 NT occurrences (MRK 7:19; MAT 15:17); analyze grammatical relationship to katharizo
    • G3763 (oudepote) — note usage in ACT 10:14; 11:8
    • H2931 (tame) — Hebrew Levitical "unclean"; LXX connection to akathartos
  8. raw-data/ - Raw tool output organized by category
  9. Do NOT write 03-analysis.md or CONCLUSION.md — those are for the analysis agent

Specific Research Directives

  1. Priority verses to retrieve with FULL CHAPTER context:
  2. Mark 7 (entire chapter)
  3. Matthew 15 (entire chapter)
  4. Acts 10 (entire chapter, especially 10:9-35)

  5. Leviticus 11 (entire chapter)

  6. Required cross-testament parallels (run BOTH --hybrid-ot AND --hybrid-nt):

  7. MRK 7:15 (nothing from without defiles)
  8. MRK 7:19 (the disputed verse)
  9. MRK 7:21 (from within, out of the heart)
  10. MAT 15:20 (Matthew's explicit conclusion)
  11. ACT 10:14 (Peter's refusal)
  12. ACT 10:15 (God's response about cleansing)
  13. ACT 10:28 (Peter's interpretation — about people)
  14. ISA 29:13 (Jesus's quotation source)

  15. LEV 11:44 (holiness basis for food law)

  16. Required Greek/Hebrew parsing:

  17. Run greek_parser.py on MRK 7:1-5 (the setup/context)
  18. Run greek_parser.py on MRK 7:15 (the core teaching)
  19. Run greek_parser.py on MRK 7:18-19 (the disputed verse in context)
  20. Run greek_parser.py on MRK 7:20-23 (the explanation)
  21. Run greek_parser.py on MAT 15:17-20 (Matthew's parallel conclusion)
  22. Run greek_parser.py on ACT 10:14-15 (Peter's vision vocabulary)
  23. Run greek_parser.py on ACT 10:28 (Peter's interpretation)
  24. Run greek_text_compare.py on MRK 7:19 (N1904 vs TR textual variant)

  25. Run greek_text_compare.py on MRK 7:1-5 (check for any textual variants in the setup)

  26. Required word traces:

  27. G2840 (koinoo) — run search_strongs.py --verses G2840 for every translation
  28. G2839 (koinos) — run search_strongs.py --verses G2839 for every translation
  29. G169 (akathartos) — run search_strongs.py --verses G169 for every translation
  30. G2511 (katharizo) — run search_strongs.py --verses G2511 for key translations
  31. G1033 (broma) — run search_strongs.py --verses G1033 for every translation
  32. G3862 (paradosis) — run search_strongs.py --verses G3862 for every translation

  33. G856 (aphedron) — run search_strongs.py --lookup G856 for all occurrences

  34. External corpus verification directives:

    • Verify EGW claim (DA 397.4): Check whether MRK 7:8-9 explicitly contrasts God's commandment (entole) with human tradition (paradosis). Parse these verses.
    • Verify EGW claim (3SP 63.2): Check MRK 7:3-4 — are the practices described (washing of hands, cups, pots, etc.) found in Mosaic law or only in Pharisaic oral tradition?
    • Verify Bohr claim (ETDP p. 314): Parse MRK 7:19 to confirm whether any Greek word meaning "declared" or "pronounced" is present. Compare N1904 vs TR readings at this verse.
    • Verify Bohr claim (BOT p. 23): Retrieve MRK 7:4, 7:8, and 7:13 to check for "many other such like things" or similar broadening phrases.
    • Verify Bohr claim (ETDP p. 315): Trace broma (G1033) across all 17 occurrences to determine whether it ever refers to Levitically unclean animals.
    • Verify EGW claim (BHY 175.4): Check whether any NT verse uses akathartos (G169) to declare formerly unclean animals now clean. Check ACT 10:15 vocabulary — does it use akathartos or koinos?
    • Verify Matthew Henry comment (HENRY 41798): Check ACT 10:28 — does Peter interpret his vision as being about food or about people?

Workflow

answer-question

Scoped: 2026-03-28 Folder: bible-studies/mark-7-all-foods-clean/