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G856 · Greek · New Testament
ἀφεδρών
aphedrōn
Noun, masculine
latrine; sewer; drain

Definition

Aphedrōn (ἀφεδρών) compounds apo (away from) and hedra (seat), literally "the seat away from" — a latrine or drain. It appears in Matthew 15:17 and Mark 7:19, where Jesus explains that food enters the stomach and passes into the aphedrōn, whereas evil comes from the heart.

Usage & Theological Significance

Jesus' use of this earthy, bodily word is itself theologically significant. Incarnational theology is not squeamish. He used the most direct language to make His point: ritual purity is not about what enters the body but about what emerges from the heart. Mark's parenthetical comment (Mark 7:19) — "In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean" — indicates this is one of the most consequential NT statements for the Jew-Gentile question (cf. Acts 10:15; Galatians 2). External religious performance cannot cleanse what only God can transform from within.

Key Bible Verses

Matthew 15:17 Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body [aphedrōna]?
Mark 7:19 It doesn't go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body. (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
Mark 7:21 For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come.
Acts 10:15 Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.
Galatians 2:16 A person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

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External Resources

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