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Word Studies - PVJ-11 Food Laws

G2839 - koinos (common, profane)

  • Transliteration: koinos
  • Part of Speech: adjective
  • BLB Count: 12 occurrences
  • Definition: common, i.e. shared by all or several; by extension, profane, defiled by association
  • Translation Distribution:
  • "common" (5x): Acts 2:44; 4:32; 10:28; 11:8; Jude 1:3
  • "unclean" (3x): Romans 14:14 (three uses in one verse)
  • "with defiled" (1x): Mark 7:2
  • "that is common" (1x): Acts 10:14
  • "the common" (1x): Titus 1:4
  • "an unholy thing" (1x): Hebrews 10:29

Key Finding: koinos primarily means "shared" or "common" (Acts 2:44, 4:32 = "had all things common"). Its secondary meaning is "profane/defiled by association" -- not inherently impure, but contaminated by external contact. In Mark 7:2, it describes unwashed HANDS, not unclean animals. The KJV translates it "unclean" 3x in Romans 14:14, but the Greek word is koinos, NOT akathartos.

G169 - akathartos (unclean by nature)

  • Transliteration: akathartos
  • Part of Speech: adjective
  • BLB Count: 30 occurrences
  • Definition: from alpha-negative + kathairo; unclean, impure by nature
  • Translation Distribution:
  • "unclean" (20x): primarily for unclean spirits (Matt 10:1; Mark 1:23,26; 3:11; etc.)
  • Also: Acts 10:14,28; 11:8 (Peter's vision); 1 Cor 7:14; 2 Cor 6:17; Eph 5:5; Rev 16:13; 17:4; 18:2

Key Finding: This is the Levitical word for inherent uncleanness, corresponding to Hebrew tame (H2931). It is NEVER used in Romans 14. It IS used in Acts 10:14 alongside koinos, with "kai" (and) connecting them as distinct categories.

G2840 - koinoo (to make common/defile)

  • Transliteration: koinoo
  • Part of Speech: verb
  • BLB Count: 15 occurrences
  • Definition: to make common, to render profane, to defile ceremonially
  • Key Occurrences:
  • Mark 7:15,18,20,23 -- "defile" (all uses in the handwashing passage)
  • Matthew 15:11,18,20 -- "defileth" (synoptic parallel)
  • Acts 10:15; 11:9 -- "call common" (what God cleansed)
  • Acts 21:28 -- "polluted" (accusation about temple)

Key Finding: Every use of "defile" in Mark 7 uses koinoo (verbal form of koinos). The Levitical verb for making unclean (from akathartos) is never used. Jesus is discussing koinos-type defilement (ceremonial contamination from unwashed hands), not akathartos-type uncleanness (inherent Levitical impurity of animals).

G2511 - katharizo (to cleanse/purge)

  • Transliteration: katharizo
  • Part of Speech: verb
  • BLB Count: 30 occurrences
  • Key Occurrences:
  • Mark 7:19 -- "purging" (katharizo participle)
  • Acts 10:15; 11:9 -- "What God hath cleansed"
  • Acts 15:9 -- "purifying their hearts by faith"
  • Matt 8:2-3 -- cleansing lepers

G1033 - broma (food)

  • Transliteration: broma
  • BLB Count: 17 occurrences
  • Key Occurrences: Mark 7:19; Romans 14:15,20; 1 Cor 8:8,13; 1 Tim 4:3
  • Meaning: food in general (not specifically meat). In 1st-century Jewish context, "food" (broma) referred to things recognized as food -- Levitically unclean creatures were not classified as "food" at all.

G2907 - kreas (flesh/butcher's meat)

  • Transliteration: kreas
  • BLB Count: 2 occurrences ONLY
  • Occurrences: Romans 14:21; 1 Corinthians 8:13
  • Key Finding: This extremely rare word appears in ONLY two NT verses. 1 Corinthians 8:13 is explicitly about idol meats (8:1 states the subject). Romans 14:21 uses the same word. This linguistic link connects the two passages as addressing the same subject.

Greek Grammar: Mark 7:19 katharizo Participle

Greek text of Mark 7:19: ὅτι οὐκ εἰσπορεύεται αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα ἐκπορεύεται, καθαρίζων πάντα τὰ βρώματα

Parsing of katharizo: - katharizo (G2511) -- [V-PAP-NSM] Present Active Participle, Nominative Singular Masculine

The grammatical question: The participle katharizo is nominative singular masculine (NSM). What is its grammatical subject?

Reading 1 (TR/KJV -- physical process reading): The nearest subject is the digestive process described in the sentence -- food enters the belly and goes out to the draught, "purging all meats." The subject is the process itself or the draught (aphedron, G856, masculine noun, accusative). The participle describes the physical act of the body eliminating food. This is the reading reflected in the KJV.

Reading 2 (Modern critical text -- editorial comment reading): Some modern translations take katharizo as a parenthetical authorial aside by Mark: "(Thus he declared all foods clean)." This requires: - Taking the masculine participle as referring to Jesus (ho de = "but he"), though Jesus is not the grammatical subject of the surrounding sentence - Reading it as Mark's editorial gloss rather than part of Jesus's words - The NA/UBS text punctuates with a dash to indicate this parenthetical reading

Key grammatical observation: The participle is masculine, which does not agree with the neuter subjects in the immediate clause (broma is neuter plural, aphedron is masculine but accusative). This gender mismatch is what enables the reading that refers it back to Jesus (masculine). However, the TR reading connects it to aphedron (masculine) as describing the process that takes place "into the draught."

Textual comparison (N1904 vs TR): Both texts contain katharizo and "panta ta bromata." The textual variant is minimal -- both traditions preserve the clause. The difference is in interpretation and punctuation (which is not in the original manuscripts).