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

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

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

33So 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.

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

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

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

37The 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

ThenΚαὶG2532Conjunction. . .πάλινG3825Adverb[Jesus] leftἐξελθὼνG1831Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular. . .ἐκG1537PrepositiontheτῶνG3588Article - Genitive Neuter PluralregionὁρίωνG3725Noun - Genitive Neuter Pluralof TyreΤύρουG5184Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular[and] wentἦλθενG2064Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularthroughδιὰG1223PrepositionSidonΣιδῶνοςG4605Noun - Genitive Feminine SingulartoεἰςG1519PrepositiontheτὴνG3588Article - Accusative Feminine SingularSeaθάλασσανG2281Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular-τῆςG3588Article - Genitive Feminine Singularof GalileeΓαλιλαίαςG1056Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular[and] intoἀνὰG303Preposition. . .μέσονG3319Adjective - Accusative Neuter SingulartheτῶνG3588Article - Genitive Neuter PluralregionὁρίωνG3725Noun - Genitive Neuter Pluralof [the] DecapolisΔεκαπόλεωςG1179Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular

BSB notes

  • That is, the Ten Cities
Verse 32

Original words

-ΚαὶG2532Conjunction[Some people] broughtφέρουσινG5342Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Pluralto HimαὐτῷG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singulara man who was deafκωφὸνG2974Adjective - Accusative Masculine SingularandκαὶG2532Conjunctionhardly able to speakμογιλάλονG3424Adjective - Accusative Masculine SingularandκαὶG2532Conjunctionthey beggedπαρακαλοῦσινG3870Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural[Jesus]αὐτὸνG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular-ἵναG2443Conjunctionto placeἐπιθῇG2007Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular[His]τὴνG3588Article - Accusative Feminine SingularhandχεῖραG5495Noun - Accusative Feminine Singularon himαὐτῷG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Verse 33

Original words

[So]ΚαὶG2532Conjunction[Jesus] took himἀπολαβόμενοςG618Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Singular. . .αὐτὸνG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singularasideκατ’G2596PrepositionprivatelyἰδίανG2398Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singularaway fromἀπὸG575PrepositiontheτοῦG3588Article - Genitive Masculine SingularcrowdὄχλουG3793Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular[and] putἔβαλενG906Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularHisαὐτοῦG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular-τοὺςG3588Article - Accusative Masculine PluralfingersδακτύλουςG1147Noun - Accusative Masculine PluralintoεἰςG1519Preposition[the man’s]αὐτοῦG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular-τὰG3588Article - Accusative Neuter PluralearsὦταG3775Noun - Accusative Neuter PluralThenκαὶG2532ConjunctionHe spitπτύσαςG4429Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular[and] touchedἥψατοG680Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular[the man’s]αὐτοῦG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular-τῆςG3588Article - Genitive Feminine SingulartongueγλώσσηςG1100Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Verse 34

Original words

AndκαὶG2532Conjunctionlooking upἀναβλέψαςG308Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine SingulartoεἰςG1519Preposition-τὸνG3588Article - Accusative Masculine SingularheavenοὐρανὸνG3772Noun - Accusative Masculine SingularHe sighed deeplyἐστέναξενG4727Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularandκαὶG2532ConjunctionsaidλέγειG3004Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singularto himαὐτῷG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person SingularEphphathaἘφφαθάG2188Verb - Aorist Imperative Passive - 2nd Person Singular(whichG3739Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter SingularmeansἐστινG1510Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularBe openedΔιανοίχθητιG1272Verb - Aorist Imperative Passive - 2nd Person Singular
Verse 35

Original words

-καὶG2532ConjunctionImmediatelyεὐθὺςG2112Adverb[the man’s]αὐτοῦG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular-αἱG3588Article - Nominative Feminine PluralearsἀκοαίG189Noun - Nominative Feminine Pluralwere opened«ἠνοίγησανG455Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Pluralandκαὶ»G2532ConjunctionhisαὐτοῦG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person SingulartongueγλώσσηςG1100Noun - Genitive Feminine SingularvvvG3588Article - Nominative Masculine SingularvvvδεσμὸςG1199Noun - Nominative Masculine SingularvvvτῆςG3588Article - Genitive Feminine Singularwas releasedἐλύθηG3089Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person SingularandκαὶG2532Conjunctionhe began to speakἐλάλειG2980Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularplainlyὀρθῶςG3723Adverb

BSB notes

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

Original words

-ΚαὶG2532Conjunction[Jesus] orderedδιεστείλατοG1291Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person SingularthemαὐτοῖςG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural-ἵναG2443Conjunctionnot to tell anyoneλέγωσινG3004Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural. . .μηδενὶG3367Adjective - Dative Masculine SingularButδὲG1161Conjunctionthe moreὅσονG3745Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter SingularHeαὐτοῖςG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person PluralorderedδιεστέλλετοG1291Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person SingularthemαὐτοὶG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Pluralthe more widelyπερισσότερονG4053Adverb. . .μᾶλλονG3123Adverbthey proclaimed [it]ἐκήρυσσονG2784Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Verse 37

Original words

-καὶG2532Conjunction[The people] were utterly astonishedἐξεπλήσσοντοG1605Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural. . .ὑπερπερισσῶςG5249Adverb[and] saidλέγοντεςG3004Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine PluralHe has doneπεποίηκενG4160Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singularall thingsπάνταG3956Adjective - Accusative Neuter PluralwellΚαλῶςG2573AdverbHe makesποιεῖG4160Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularevenκαὶG2532ConjunctiontheτοὺςG3588Article - Accusative Masculine PluraldeafκωφοὺςG2974Adjective - Accusative Masculine PluralhearἀκούεινG191Verb - Present Infinitive ActiveandκαὶG2532ConjunctiontheτοὺςG3588Article - Accusative Masculine PluralmuteἀλάλουςG216Adjective - Accusative Masculine PluralspeakλαλεῖνG2980Verb - 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.