Οὐδέν ἐστιν ἔξωθεν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰσπορευόμενον εἰς αὐτὸν ὃ δύναται αὐτὸν κοινῶσαι, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐκπορευόμενά ἐστι τὰ κοινοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον. (Mark 7:15)
There is nothing outside the person going into him that is able to defile him, but the things coming out are what defile the person.
Five Verbs in a Paradigm Shift
This radical declaration by Yeshua reframes purity and uncleanness—not as external ceremonial contamination, but as internal corruption. His words turn the purity laws inward through the morphology of five verbs:
- ἐστιν — present indicative of being (“is”)
- εἰσπορευόμενον — present middle/passive participle (“going into”)
- δύναται — present middle/passive indicative (“is able”)
- ἐκπορευόμενά — present middle/passive participle (“coming out”)
- κοινοῦντα — present active participle (“defiling”)
Each verb is carefully chosen to contrast inward reception with outward emission—redefining the locus of purity.
Grammatical Dissection of the Verbs
| Verb: ἐστιν | |
|---|---|
| Lexical Form | εἰμί |
| Tense | Present |
| Voice | Active |
| Mood | Indicative |
| Person & Number | 3rd Singular |
| Aspect | Stative |
| Semantic Force | Affirms the constant truth of the subject’s state |
| Verb: εἰσπορευόμενον | |
| Lexical Form | εἰσπορεύομαι |
| Tense | Present |
| Voice | Middle/Passive (deponent) |
| Mood | Participle |
| Case/Gender/Number | Neuter Nom./Acc. Sing. |
| Aspect | Imperfective |
| Semantic Force | Continuous or repeated motion into the person—external ingestion |
| Verb: δύναται | |
| Lexical Form | δύναμαι |
| Tense | Present |
| Voice | Middle/Passive (deponent) |
| Mood | Indicative |
| Person & Number | 3rd Singular |
| Aspect | Imperfective |
| Semantic Force | Describes ongoing ability or incapacity—“is not able to defile” |
| Verb: ἐκπορευόμενά | |
| Lexical Form | ἐκπορεύομαι |
| Tense | Present |
| Voice | Middle/Passive (deponent) |
| Mood | Participle |
| Case/Gender/Number | Neuter Nom. Plural |
| Aspect | Imperfective |
| Semantic Force | What continues to come out of the person—his own expressions |
| Verb: κοινοῦντα | |
| Lexical Form | κοινόω |
| Tense | Present |
| Voice | Active |
| Mood | Participle |
| Case/Gender/Number | Neuter Nom. Plural (agreeing with τὰ) |
| Aspect | Imperfective |
| Semantic Force | Defiling—making ceremonially unclean as a repeated result of expression |
Aspect and Intent: The Power of Present Participles
The present tense dominates the verse, marking ongoing reality:
- εἰσπορευόμενον: external things are entering all the time—but are ineffective in causing impurity.
- ἐκπορευόμενά: internal defilement flows outward continually.
- κοινοῦντα: defilement is not an isolated act—it is an ongoing effect of a person’s internal state.
Syntax and Reversal
This verse is a chiasm:
- οὐδέν… εἰσπορευόμενον… δύναται κοινῶσαι
- ἀλλὰ… ἐκπορευόμενά… κοινοῦντα
It reverses conventional purity logic:
- What goes in = harmless.
- What comes out = corrupting.
This reversal is supported entirely by morphology and participial logic—the participles define agency and process.
What the Verb Meant to Say
Mark 7:15 is not just revolutionary in content—it’s elegant in form. The middle/passive deponent participles show what flows in and out of the person. The present tense makes it current. The verb κοινόω reminds us that defilement is not accidental but is generated from within. This verse is a linguistic mirror: what’s inside you will come out—and that’s what God watches.
