The Meaning of Matthew 15:8 Explained

Matthew 15:8

KJV: This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

YLT: This people doth draw nigh to Me with their mouth, and with the lips it doth honour Me, but their heart is far off from Me;

Darby: This people honour me with the lips, but their heart is far away from me;

ASV: This people honoreth me with their lips; But their heart is far from me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

This  people  draweth nigh  unto me  with their  mouth,  and  honoureth  me  with [their] lips;  but  their  heart  is  far  from  me. 

What does Matthew 15:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 15:1-9 - God's Truth Above Men's Teaching
The legal washing of hands before eating was especially sacred in the eyes of the Pharisees. "He who does not wash His hands before eating," says the Talmud, "is as bad as a murderer." Jesus had no sympathy with a system that reduced religion to a slavery to outward forms. His new kingdom was in the heart, in loving sonship to God, and in faith. All outward observances had value only as expressions of the inner spirit. He waived aside their deadly pedantry and told His hearers to care above everything for the cleanliness of the heart.
He did more; He accused the Pharisees of putting their commandments on a level with the divine requirements, and so rendering the whole of Israel's worship vain. The divine authority for what is commanded is greatly weakened when it is mixed up with the purely human. A multitude of saints' days weakens the claims of the Lord's day. Remember that no gift to God's service is acceptable if you neglect the claims of those who are related to you by natural ties. Morality in God's eyes stands far above ritual. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 15

1  Jesus reproves the Scribes and Pharisees
7  for transgressing God's commandments through their own traditions;
10  teaches how that which goes into the mouth does not defile a man
21  He heals the daughter of the woman of Canaan,
29  and other great multitudes;
32  and with seven loaves and a few small fish feeds four thousand men

Greek Commentary for Matthew 15:8

Is far [ἀπέχει]
Lit.,holds off from me. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 15:8 mean?

The people this with the lips Me it honors the however heart of them far away is kept from Me
λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς χείλεσίν με τιμᾷ δὲ καρδία αὐτῶν πόρρω ἀπέχει ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ

λαὸς  people 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λαός  
Sense: a people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language.
οὗτος  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
τοῖς  with  the 
Parse: Article, Dative Neuter Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
χείλεσίν  lips 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: χεῖλος  
Sense: a lip, of the speaking mouth.
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
τιμᾷ  it  honors 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: τιμάω  
Sense: to estimate, fix the value.
δὲ  however 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
καρδία  heart 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: καρδία  
Sense: the heart.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
πόρρω  far  away 
Parse: Adverb
Root: πόρρω  
Sense: far, at a distance, a great way off.
ἀπέχει  is  kept 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀπέχω  
Sense: have.
ἐμοῦ  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.