Lexical Summary koinoó: To make common, to defile, to consider unclean Original Word: κοινόω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance call common, defile, pollute From koinos; to make (or consider) profane (ceremonially) -- call common, defile, pollute, unclean. see GREEK koinos HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 2840 koinóō – ceremonially defile, by treating what is sacred as common or ordinary (i.e. "not special"). See 2839 (koinos). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom koinos Definition to make common NASB Translation consider (2), defile (7), defiled (2), defiles (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2840: κοινόωκοινόω, κοινῷ; 1 aorist infinitive κοινῶσαι (cf. Winer's Grammar, 91 (86)); perfect κεκοίνωκα; perfect passive participle κεκοινωμενος; (κοινός); 1. in classical Greek to make common. 2. in Biblical use (see κοινός, 2), a. to make (levitically) unclean, render unhallowed, defile, profane (which the Greeks express by βεβηλόω, cf. Winer's De verb. comp. etc. Part ii., p. 24 note 33 (where he calls attention to Luke's accuracy in putting κοινοῦν into the mouth of Jews speaking to Jews (Acts 21:28) and βεβηλοῦν when they address Felix (xxiv. 6))): Revelation 21:27 Rec.; Matthew 15:11, 18, 20; Mark 7:15, 18, 20, 23; passive Hebrews 9:13; τί, Acts 21:28; γαστέρα μαροφαγια, 4 Macc. 7:6. b. to declare or count unclean: Acts 10:15 (cf. Strong’s Greek 2840 occurs fourteen times in the New Testament, describing the act of rendering something “common,” that is, no longer distinct for God’s holy purposes, and therefore unclean or defiled. In Scripture this verb always appears in the passive or causative sense—someone or something becomes or is declared defiled. Two major spheres emerge: ritual purity (foods, vessels, persons) and moral or spiritual impurity (the heart, speech, and actions). Old Covenant Background Temple worship in the Law of Moses guarded strict boundaries between the holy and the common (for example, Leviticus 10:10). Anything “common” was unsuitable for sacred use. This backdrop explains why first-century Jews spoke of defilement when contact with Gentiles, certain foods, or bodily impurities occurred. The Septuagint often employs the cognate adjective to translate Hebrew words for uncleanness, reinforcing the idea that holiness demands separation from what God declares impure. Jesus’ Teaching on True Defilement (Matthew 15; Mark 7) Against this backdrop Jesus announces a radical clarification: • “It is not what enters the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of his mouth; that is what defiles him.” (Matthew 15:11) By using the verb 2840 repeatedly in these passages (Matthew 15:11, 18, 20; Mark 7:15, 18, 20, 23), Jesus relocates the source of impurity from external contact to the inner well-springs of the heart. Dietary laws pointed to a deeper reality—sinful thoughts, words, and deeds corrupt the person before God. Far from abolishing holiness, Jesus intensifies it, calling for an inward purity made possible only by the new birth. Extension to Gentiles and the Vision of Peter (Acts 10–11) The next decisive use appears in Peter’s rooftop vision at Joppa. Three times the heavenly voice declares: “What God has made clean, you must not call common.” (Acts 10:15; cf. Acts 11:9). The verb signals the abolishing of ceremonial barriers that once separated Jew from Gentile. Because God Himself pronounces Gentile believers clean through faith in Christ, no ethnic group may be treated as religiously inferior. Here 2840 marks the gospel’s advance to the nations and guards the unity of the church. Defilement and the Conscience under the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:13) Hebrews contrasts the limited effectiveness of Old Testament rituals with the perfect purification accomplished by Christ: “For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean, how much more will the blood of Christ… cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13–14) The verb portrays worshipers whose bodies were outwardly defiled; the argument turns on Christ’s superior power to cleanse the inner conscience once for all. Misuse of the Charge of Defilement (Acts 21:28) Accusers of Paul in Jerusalem cry out, “This is the man who… even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” (Acts 21:28). Ironically, the same term that once protected holiness is weaponized against the apostle whose gospel unveils true purity in Christ. Luke thereby exposes the tragedy of clinging to ritual purity while rejecting the One who fulfills it. Theological and Ministry Implications 1. Holiness is relational before it is ritual. What contaminates a life is rebellion of heart, not material contact. Practical Application for Contemporary Discipleship • Guard the inner life. Since defilement flows from within, disciplines such as Scripture meditation, prayer, and accountability matter more than external rule-keeping. Summary Strong’s Greek 2840 highlights a crucial biblical tension: God’s people must remain holy, yet Christ redefines holiness around heart purity and faith in His finished work. From Jesus’ teaching on foods to Peter’s vision and the epistle to the Hebrews, the term traces the New Covenant movement from external regulations to internal transformation, from exclusion to inclusion, and from temporary cleansing to permanent redemption. Englishman's Concordance Matthew 15:11 V-PIA-3SGRK: τὸ στόμα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον NAS: into the mouth [that] defiles the man, KJV: into the mouth defileth a man; but INT: the mouth defiles the man Matthew 15:11 V-PIA-3S Matthew 15:18 V-PIA-3S Matthew 15:20 V-PPA-NNP Matthew 15:20 V-PIA-3S Mark 7:15 V-ANA Mark 7:15 V-PPA-NNP Mark 7:18 V-ANA Mark 7:20 V-PIA-3S Mark 7:23 V-PIA-3S Acts 10:15 V-PMA-2S Acts 11:9 V-PMA-2S Acts 21:28 V-RIA-3S Hebrews 9:13 V-RPM/P-AMP Strong's Greek 2840 |
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