Focused Passage

Mark 7:31-37

True Defilement and Boundary-Crossing Mercy

Mark 7 moves from religious accusation over external defilement, to Jesus' indictment of tradition that nullifies God's word, to his teaching that evil comes from the human heart, and then to mercy that crosses into Gentile and Decapolis regions through deliverance and healing.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

31 Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.

32 Some people brought to Him a man who was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him.

33 So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.

34 And looking up to heaven, He sighed deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).

35 Immediately the man’s ears were opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly.

36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

37 The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 31

Original words

Then Καὶ G2532 Conjunction . . . πάλιν G3825 Adverb [Jesus] left ἐξελθὼν G1831 Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular . . . ἐκ G1537 Preposition the τῶν G3588 Article - Genitive Neuter Plural region ὁρίων G3725 Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural of Tyre Τύρου G5184 Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular [and] went ἦλθεν G2064 Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular through διὰ G1223 Preposition Sidon Σιδῶνος G4605 Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular to εἰς G1519 Preposition the τὴν G3588 Article - Accusative Feminine Singular Sea θάλασσαν G2281 Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular - τῆς G3588 Article - Genitive Feminine Singular of Galilee Γαλιλαίας G1056 Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular [and] into ἀνὰ G303 Preposition . . . μέσον G3319 Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular the τῶν G3588 Article - Genitive Neuter Plural region ὁρίων G3725 Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural of [the] Decapolis Δεκαπόλεως G1179 Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular

BSB notes

  • That is, the Ten Cities
Verse 32

Original words

- Καὶ G2532 Conjunction [Some people] brought φέρουσιν G5342 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural to Him αὐτῷ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular a man who was deaf κωφὸν G2974 Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular and καὶ G2532 Conjunction hardly able to speak μογιλάλον G3424 Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular and καὶ G2532 Conjunction they begged παρακαλοῦσιν G3870 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural [Jesus] αὐτὸν G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular - ἵνα G2443 Conjunction to place ἐπιθῇ G2007 Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular [His] τὴν G3588 Article - Accusative Feminine Singular hand χεῖρα G5495 Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular on him αὐτῷ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Verse 33

Original words

[So] Καὶ G2532 Conjunction [Jesus] took him ἀπολαβόμενος G618 Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular . . . αὐτὸν G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular aside κατ’ G2596 Preposition privately ἰδίαν G2398 Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular away from ἀπὸ G575 Preposition the τοῦ G3588 Article - Genitive Masculine Singular crowd ὄχλου G3793 Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular [and] put ἔβαλεν G906 Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular His αὐτοῦ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular - τοὺς G3588 Article - Accusative Masculine Plural fingers δακτύλους G1147 Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural into εἰς G1519 Preposition [the man’s] αὐτοῦ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular - τὰ G3588 Article - Accusative Neuter Plural ears ὦτα G3775 Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Then καὶ G2532 Conjunction He spit πτύσας G4429 Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular [and] touched ἥψατο G680 Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular [the man’s] αὐτοῦ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular - τῆς G3588 Article - Genitive Feminine Singular tongue γλώσσης G1100 Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Verse 34

Original words

And καὶ G2532 Conjunction looking up ἀναβλέψας G308 Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular to εἰς G1519 Preposition - τὸν G3588 Article - Accusative Masculine Singular heaven οὐρανὸν G3772 Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular He sighed deeply ἐστέναξεν G4727 Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular and καὶ G2532 Conjunction said λέγει G3004 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular to him αὐτῷ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular Ephphatha Ἐφφαθά G2188 Verb - Aorist Imperative Passive - 2nd Person Singular (which G3739 Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular means ἐστιν G1510 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Be opened Διανοίχθητι G1272 Verb - Aorist Imperative Passive - 2nd Person Singular
Verse 35

Original words

- καὶ G2532 Conjunction Immediately εὐθὺς G2112 Adverb [the man’s] αὐτοῦ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular - αἱ G3588 Article - Nominative Feminine Plural ears ἀκοαί G189 Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural were opened «ἠνοίγησαν G455 Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural and καὶ» G2532 Conjunction his αὐτοῦ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular tongue γλώσσης G1100 Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular vvv G3588 Article - Nominative Masculine Singular vvv δεσμὸς G1199 Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular vvv τῆς G3588 Article - Genitive Feminine Singular was released ἐλύθη G3089 Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular and καὶ G2532 Conjunction he began to speak ἐλάλει G2980 Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular plainly ὀρθῶς G3723 Adverb

BSB notes

  • ECM, WH, and SBL do not include Immediately.
Verse 36

Original words

- Καὶ G2532 Conjunction [Jesus] ordered διεστείλατο G1291 Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular them αὐτοῖς G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural - ἵνα G2443 Conjunction not to tell anyone λέγωσιν G3004 Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural . . . μηδενὶ G3367 Adjective - Dative Masculine Singular But δὲ G1161 Conjunction the more ὅσον G3745 Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular He αὐτοῖς G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural ordered διεστέλλετο G1291 Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular them αὐτοὶ G846 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Plural the more widely περισσότερον G4053 Adverb . . . μᾶλλον G3123 Adverb they proclaimed [it] ἐκήρυσσον G2784 Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Verse 37

Original words

- καὶ G2532 Conjunction [The people] were utterly astonished ἐξεπλήσσοντο G1605 Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural . . . ὑπερπερισσῶς G5249 Adverb [and] said λέγοντες G3004 Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural He has done πεποίηκεν G4160 Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular all things πάντα G3956 Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural well Καλῶς G2573 Adverb He makes ποιεῖ G4160 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular even καὶ G2532 Conjunction the τοὺς G3588 Article - Accusative Masculine Plural deaf κωφοὺς G2974 Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural hear ἀκούειν G191 Verb - Present Infinitive Active and καὶ G2532 Conjunction the τοὺς G3588 Article - Accusative Masculine Plural mute ἀλάλους G216 Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural speak λαλεῖν G2980 Verb - Present Infinitive Active

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.