Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 7:21
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
21. evil thoughts ] Thirteen forms of evil are here noticed as proceeding from the heart. The first seven in the plural number, are predominant actions; the latter six in the singular, dispositions. Comp. the blending of the singular and plural in St Paul’s enumeration of the works of the flesh, Gal 5:19-21.
adulteries ] The preferable order appears to be fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetousnesses, wickednesses.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For from within, out of the heart of man,…. The inside of man is very bad, his inward part is not only wicked, but wickedness itself, yea, very wickedness, Ps 5:9, in him dwells no good thing naturally, his heart is wicked, and desperately so; it is full of evil; and out of the abundance of it, proceed the evil things hereafter mentioned; all its powers and faculties are vitiated, there is no place clean; the understanding and judgment are dreadfully corrupted; the mind and conscience are defiled; the affections are inordinate; not only the thought, but every imagination of the thought of the heart is evil, and that continually: what good thing therefore, can come out of such a Nazareth as this? Nothing, but what follows: for from hence
proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders; which several things are related in Mt. 15:19 see the note on “Mt 15:19”; only the order here is a little different; “murders”, which are here mentioned last, are there put after “evil thoughts”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Evil thoughts ( ). These come out of the heart ( ), the inner man, and lead to the dreadful list here given like the crimes of a modern police court:
fornications (, usually of the unmarried),
adulteries (, of the married),
thefts (, stealings),
covetings (, craze for more and more),
murders (, growing out of the others often),
wickednesses (, from , toil, then drudge, bad like our knave, serving boy like German Knabe, and then criminal),
deceit (, lure or snare with bait),
lasciviousness (, unrestrained sex instinct),
evil eye ( ) or eye that works evil and that haunts one with its gloating stare,
railing (, blasphemy, hurtful speech),
pride (, holding oneself above others, stuck up),
foolishness (, lack of sense), a fitting close to it all.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Evil Thoughts [ ] . Thoughts, those which are evil. So Rev., in margin. Thoughts that are evil. The word dialogismoi, thoughts, does not in itself convey a bad sense; and hence the addition of adjectives denoting evil, as here and Jas 2:4. Radically, it carries the idea of discussion or debate, with an under – thought of suspicion or doubt, either with one’s own mind, as Luk 5:22; Luk 6:8; or with another, Luk 9:46; Phi 2:14; Rom 14:1.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed,” (esothen gar ek tes kardias ton anthropon ekporeuontai) “Because from within, out of the heart (emotions) of men come forth,” or go forth:
a) ”Evil thoughts,” (hoi dialogismoi hoi kakoi) “Thoughts (intentions, purposes) of evil,” evil nature, inclinations, dispositions, or evil attitudes – – such as hate, malice, envy, jealousy, inflaming old grudges, Pro 24:9; Psa 45:1; Psa 94:11; Isa 55:7; Gen 6:5; Mat 12:34-35; Jas 3:10-12.
b) ”Adulteries,” (moicheiai) “Adulteries,” sexual breaches of marital vows with another party. Note that all kinds of evil thoughts, intentions, or purposes of evil originate in the degenerate heart and deranged mind of responsible men, Gen 6:4; Jer 17:9.
c) “Fornications,” (porneiai) “Fornications,” sexual moral infidelities outside marriage vows. Unsanctioned moral liberties taken in inter-sexual relations before or outside of marriage.
d) “Murders,” (phonoi) “Murders,” the premeditated taking of life of another with malice aforethought, Gen 9:6.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Ver. 21. Evil thoughts, adulteries, &c. ] Even all sorts of sins against both the tables of the law, as is well observed by Grotius in loc. Here is pride and folly against the first commandment; blasphemy against the second and third; of sins against the fifth commandment he had spoken before; and here are murders against the sixth; adultery and fornication against the seventh; thefts and covetousness against the eighth; guilt against the ninth; evil thoughts against the tenth. See what a foul fountain, what a seminary of sin, man’s heart is. If his tongue be not a city, or a country, but a world of wickedness, Jas 3:6 , what then is the heart!
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
21, 22. ] The is the laboratory and the fountain-head of all that is good and bad in the inner life of man: see Beck, biblische Seelenlehre, 21.: Delitzsch, biblische Psychologie, Exo 2 , 12, pp. 248 ff.
Matt.’s catalogue follows the order of the second table of the decalogue. Mark’s more copious one varies the order, and replaces by ., ., ., ., . ., and . by ., ., . Compare Rom 1:29 ; Eph 4:19 ; Wis 14:25-26 .
, the opposite to , unreasoning folly : not in speaking only, but in thought, leading to words and acts.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mar 7:21 . An enumeration of the things which come out of the man, from the heart; first six plurals, , etc.; then six singulars, , etc. (Mar 7:22 ).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
evil. App-128. Note the Figure Asyndeton, leading up to the climax in Mar 7:23. Note that in the Greek the first seven are plural, and the other six singular,
thoughts = reasonings,
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
21, 22.] The is the laboratory and the fountain-head of all that is good and bad in the inner life of man: see Beck, biblische Seelenlehre, 21.: Delitzsch, biblische Psychologie, ed. 2, 12, pp. 248 ff.
Matt.s catalogue follows the order of the second table of the decalogue. Marks more copious one varies the order, and replaces by ., ., ., ., . ., and . by ., ., . Compare Rom 1:29; Eph 4:19; Wis 14:25-26.
, the opposite to , unreasoning folly: not in speaking only, but in thought, leading to words and acts.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
out: Gen 6:5, Gen 8:21, Job 14:4, Job 15:14-16, Job 25:4, Psa 14:1, Psa 14:3, Psa 53:1, Psa 53:3, Psa 58:2, Psa 58:3, Pro 4:23, Jer 4:14, Jer 17:9, Mat 15:19, Mat 23:25-28, Luk 16:15, Act 5:4, Act 8:22, Rom 7:5, Rom 7:8, Rom 8:7, Rom 8:8, Gal 5:19-21, Tit 3:3, Jam 1:14, Jam 1:15, Jam 4:1-3, 1Pe 4:2, 1Pe 4:3
evil: Pro 15:25, Isa 59:7, Eze 38:10, Mat 9:4, Jam 2:4
Reciprocal: Num 19:22 – the soul Deu 15:9 – Beware Job 1:5 – in their hearts Job 15:5 – uttereth Job 15:12 – thine heart Psa 5:9 – inward Psa 10:4 – thoughts Psa 119:36 – and not to Psa 119:113 – hate Pro 12:20 – Deceit Pro 21:10 – soul Pro 27:19 – so Pro 28:26 – that Ecc 9:3 – also Isa 55:7 – his thoughts Isa 59:13 – speaking Jer 16:12 – evil Jer 18:12 – we will walk Jer 22:17 – thine eyes Eze 11:21 – whose Zec 7:10 – imagine Mat 3:9 – think Mat 9:3 – certain Mat 23:28 – but Mat 24:48 – say Mar 2:8 – Why Luk 7:39 – he spake Rom 3:10 – none Rom 7:18 – that in me 1Co 3:3 – and walk 1Co 5:11 – or covetous Eph 2:3 – by Eph 5:3 – fornication Col 3:5 – fornication 1Ti 1:10 – whoremongers Heb 3:12 – an Heb 12:16 – any fornicator
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1
The things named in this and the following verse are not done “on the spur of the moment,” but are the deliberate intentions of the heart, and that is why they are said to defile a man. Adulteries can be committed first in the heart (Mat 5:28). Fornication is virtually the same in the eyes of the Lord, but human laws make a difference and the scripture condemns both so there will be no doubt. Murder is taking human life unlawfully after it has been premeditated which is done in the heart.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 7:21. For from within, out of the heart of man. This represents, even more emphatically than the form preserved by Matthew, that the heart of man is the laboratory and fountain-head of all that is good and bad in the inner life of man, hence his responsibility, etc. That the body is the seat of sin is here denied. Both materialism and asceticism are opposed. Marks catalogue of sins is fuller than that of Matthew. Here, as there, the plural seems to indicate that the sins are common and notorious.