Matthew 15:15

THE MESSAGE

Peter said, "I don't get it. Put it in plain language."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Peter said, “Explain this parable to us.”

King James Version (1611)
Then answered Peter, and said vnto him, Declare vnto vs this parable.

King James Version
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

English Standard Version
But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."

New American Standard Bible
Peter said to Him, "Explain the parable to us."

New Century Version
Peter said, "Explain the example to us."

Amplified Bible
Peter asked Him, "Explain this parable [about what defiles a person] to us."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then answered Peter, and said to him, Declare vnto vs this parable.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Peter said to Him, "Explain the parable to us."

Legacy Standard Bible
Now Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain the parable to us."

Berean Standard Bible
Peter said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."

Contemporary English Version
Peter replied, "What did you mean when you talked about the things that make people unclean?"

Complete Jewish Bible
Kefa said to him, "Explain the parable to us."

Darby Translation
And Peter answering said to him, Expound to us this parable.

Easy-to-Read Version
Peter said, "Explain to us what you said earlier to the people."

George Lamsa Translation
And Simon Peter answered and said to him, My Lord, explain this parable to us.

Good News Translation
Peter spoke up, "Explain this saying to us."

Lexham English Bible
But Peter answered and said to him, "Explain this parable to us."

Literal Translation
And answering, Peter said to Him, Explain this parable to us.

American Standard Version
And Peter answered and said unto him, Declare unto us the parable.

Bible in Basic English
Then Peter said to him, Make the story clear to us.

Hebrew Names Version
Kefa answered him, "Explain the parable to us."

International Standard Version
Then Peter said to him, "Explain to us thisthe">[fn] parable."Mark 7:17;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And Shemun Kipha answered and said, My Lord, expound to us this parable.

Murdock Translation
And Simon Cephas answered and said to him: My Lord, explain to us this similitude.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then aunswered Peter, and sayde vnto hym: Declare vnto vs this parable.

English Revised Version
And Peter answered and said unto him, Declare unto us the parable.

World English Bible
Peter answered him, "Explain the parable to us."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then answered Peter and said to him, Declare to us this parable.

Weymouth's New Testament
"Explain to us this figurative language," said Peter.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Petre answeride, and seide to hym, Expowne to vs this parable.

Update Bible Version
And Peter answered and said to him, Declare to us this parable.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then answered Peter and said to him, Declare to us this parable.

New English Translation
But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us."

New King James Version
Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."

New Living Translation
Then Peter said to Jesus, "Explain to us the parable that says people aren't defiled by what they eat."

New Life Bible
Then Peter said to Jesus, "Tell us this picture-story so we can understand it."

New Revised Standard
But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Peter, answering, said unto him, Declare to us the parable.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Peter answering, said to him: Expound to us this parable.

Revised Standard Version
But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then answered Peter and sayd to him: declare vnto vs this parable.

Young's Literal Translation
And Peter answering said to him, `Explain to us this simile.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then answered Peter & sayde vnto him: Declare vnto us this parable.

Mace New Testament (1729)
then Peter said to him, tell us the meaning of that expression.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Pete asked Jesus, "What was you talkin' about when you said there are things that make a person unfit in the Boss's eyes?"

Contextual Overview

¹⁰He then called the crowd together and said, "Listen, and take this to heart. It's not what you swallow that pollutes your life, but what you vomit up." ¹² Later his disciples came and told him, "Did you know how upset the Pharisees were when they heard what you said?" ¹³Jesus shrugged it off. "Every tree that wasn't planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its roots. Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch." ¹⁵ Peter said, "I don't get it. Put it in plain language." ¹⁶Jesus replied, "You, too? Are you being willfully stupid? Don't you know that anything that is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally defecated? But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That's what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands—that's neither here nor there."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Declare: Matthew 13:36, Mark 4:34, Mark 7:17, John 16:29

Reciprocal: Mark 4:13 - Know Mark 9:28 - asked Luke 8:9 - What Acts 8:34 - of whom

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Abram. I'm your shield. Your reward will be grand!"

Genesis 15:2
Abram said, " God , Master, what use are your gifts as long as I'm childless and Eliezer of Damascus is going to inherit everything?" Abram continued, "See, you've given me no children, and now a mere house servant is going to get it all."

Genesis 15:7
God continued, "I'm the same God who brought you from Ur of the Chaldees and gave you this land to own."

Genesis 15:9
God said, "Bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, and a dove and a young pigeon."

Genesis 15:13
God said to Abram, "Know this: your descendants will live as outsiders in a land not theirs; they'll be enslaved and beaten down for 400 years. Then I'll punish their slave masters; your offspring will march out of there loaded with plunder. But not you; you'll have a long and full life and die a good and peaceful death. Not until the fourth generation will your descendants return here; sin is still a thriving business among the Amorites."

Genesis 49:29
Then he instructed them: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah facing Mamre in the land of Canaan, the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial plot. Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there; Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried there; I also buried Leah there. The field and the cave were bought from the Hittites."

Judges 2:10
Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn't know anything of God or the work he had done for Israel.

1 Chronicles 23:1
When David got to be an old man, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

Psalms 37:37
Keep your eye on the healthy soul, scrutinize the straight life; There's a future in strenuous wholeness. But the willful will soon be discarded; insolent souls are on a dead-end street.

Ecclesiastes 6:3
Say a couple have scores of children and live a long, long life but never enjoy themselves—even though they end up with a big funeral! I'd say that a stillborn baby gets the better deal. It gets its start in a mist and ends up in the dark—unnamed. It sees nothing and knows nothing, but is better off by far than anyone living.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then answered Peter,.... Mark says, "his disciples asked him concerning the parable"; which might be by the mouth of Peter; who, probably, being the eldest man, and very forward to speak, was generally their spokesman: and who, at this time, might be requested, by the rest, to ask the meaning of the parable, which had given offence to the Pharisees, and was not clearly understood by them; which he accordingly did:

and said unto him, declare unto us this parable; that not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out of it, defiles the man; which, though expressed in very plain words, and easy to be understood, yet did not appear clear to their understandings; and seemed to be contrary, not only to the traditions of the elders, but to the laws of God, respecting the difference of clean and unclean meats; and therefore call it a "parable", and desire an explanation of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See also Mark 7:17-23.

Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable - See the notes at Matthew 13:3. The word “parable” sometimes means a dark or obscure saying, Psalms 78:2. Peter meant, “Explain to us more fully this obscure and novel doctrine.” To us, now, it is plain; to the disciples, just coming out of Judaism, the doctrine of Jesus was obscure. Mark says that the disciples asked him. There is no contradiction. The question was put by Peter in the name of the disciples; or several of them put the question, though Matthew has mentioned only one. An omission is not a contradiction.

Matthew 15:16

Are ye also yet without understanding? - Jesus appeals, in explaining this, to their common sense; and he wonders that they had not yet learned to judge the foolish traditions of the Jews by the decisions of common sense and by his own instructions.

Matthew 15:17

Do ye not understand ... - The meaning of this may be thus expressed: The food which is eaten does not affect the mind, and therefore cannot pollute it.

The doctrine of the Pharisees, that neglect of washing and of similar observances defiles a man, cannot be true. Those things pertain to the body as much as food does, and they cannot affect the soul. That must be purified by something else than external washing, and it is polluted by other things than a neglect of mere outward ceremonies. The seat of corruption is within - it is the heart itself; and if people would be made pure, this must be cleansed. If that is corrupt, the whole man is corrupt.

Matthew 15:18-20

Christ proceeds to state what does defile the man, or render him a sinner:

1. “Evil thoughts” These are the first things - these are the fountains of all others. Thought precedes action. Thought, or purpose, or motive, gives its character to conduct. All evil thoughts are here intended. Though we labor to suppress them, yet they defile us. They leave pollution behind them.

2. “Murders.” Taking the life of others with malice. The malice has its seat in the heart, and the murder therefore proceeds from the heart, 1 John 3:15.

3. “Adulteries, fornication.” See Matthew 5:28.

4. “Thefts.” Theft is the taking and carrying away the goods of others without their knowledge or consent. Thefts are caused by coveting the property of others. They proceed, therefore, from the heart, and violate at the same time two commandments - the tenth commandment in thought and the eighth commandment in act.

5. “False witness.” Giving wrong testimony. Concealing the truth, or stating what we know to be false - a violation of the ninth commandment. It proceeds from a desire to injure others, to take away their character or property, or to do them injustice. It proceeds thus from the heart.

6. “Blasphemies.” See the notes at Matthew 9:3. Blasphemy proceeds from opposition to God, hatred of his character Romans 8:7, and from a desire that there should be no God. It proceeds from the heart. See Psalms 14:1. Mark adds several things to those enumerated by Matthew:

(a) “Covetousness.” The unlawful desire of what others possess, this always proceeds from the heart.

(b) “Wickedness.” The original here means malice, or a desire of injuring others, Romans 1:29.

(c) “Deceit,” i. e., fraud, concealment, cheating in trade. This proceeds from a desire to benefit ourselves by doing injustice to others, and this proceeds from the heart.

(d) Lasciviousness. Lust, obscenity, unbridled passion - a strong, evil desire of the heart.

(e) “An evil eye.” That is, an eye that is sour, malignant, proud; or an eye of lust and passion. See Matthew 5:28; Matthew 20:15; 2 Peter 2:14, “Having eyes full of adultery, that cannot cease from sin.”

(f) “Pride.” An improper estimate of our own importance; thinking that we are of much more consequence than we really are. This is always the work of an evil heart.

(g) “Foolishness.” Not a lack of intellect - man is not to blame for that - but a moral folly, consisting in choosing evil ends and the bad means of gaining them; or, in other words, sin and wickedness. All sin is folly. It is foolish for a man to disobey God, and foolish for anyone to go to hell.

Matthew 15:20

These are the things which defile a man - These are the true sources of pollution in man.

These are what corrupt and degrade. It is not the neglect of washing the body which defiles; it is the deep, inward corruption of the heart. And what a fountain of pollution is the human soul! What an array of crimes to proceed from the heart of man! What a proof of guilt! What strictness is there in the law of God! How universal is depravity!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 15:15. Declare unto us this parable. — Is it not strange to hear the disciples asking for the explanation of such a parable as this! The true knowledge of the spirit of the Gospel is a thing more uncommon than we imagine, among the generality of Christians, and even of the learned.