Mark 7 : 19

Greek uses the genitive pronoun αὐτοῦ ('of him') as a possessive modifier, while Syriac employs a pronominal suffix on ܠܠܒܗ ('to-his-heart') and Latin uses the possessive ejus. All three express identical possessive semantics through different morphological strategies.

The Peshitta omits the entire phrase καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀφεδρῶνα ('and into the sewer/latrine'), which is present in both Greek and Latin (et in secessum). This omission may reflect scribal sensitivity to graphic physiological detail or represent a distinct Vorlage tradition.

Greek ἐκπορεύεται ('goes out') and Latin exit are replaced in the Peshitta by ܘܡܫܬܕܐ ('and is cast out/expelled'), which appears earlier in the clause structure. The Peshitta employs a passive construction where Greek/Latin use active voice, altering both syntax and theological nuance regarding agency in the digestive process.

Greek uses a present active participle καθαρίζων ('purifying') modifying the subject, while Latin mirrors this with the present participle purgans. The Peshitta employs a prepositional phrase ܒܬܕܟܝܬܐ ܕܡܕܟܝܐ ('in purity/cleansing that purifies'), transforming the participial construction into a nominal phrase with a relative clause, fundamentally restructuring the syntax while preserving the semantic content.

Greek uses the neuter plural πάντα τὰ βρώματα ('all the foods'), Latin employs omnes escas (feminine plural), while Syriac uses the singular ܟܠܗ ܡܐܟܘܠܬܐ ('all food/the whole food'). The Syriac singular represents a collective noun idiom typical of Semitic languages, semantically equivalent to the Greek/Latin plurals.

The Peshitta inserts the copula ܗܘܐ ('it is/was') as an auxiliary verb, a common Syriac grammatical feature absent from the Greek and Latin, which rely on the main verb alone. This represents stylistic expansion rather than semantic divergence.

The Vulgate uniquely terminates the verse with an interrogative mark (?), transforming the declarative statement in Greek and Peshitta into a rhetorical question. This punctuation choice reflects Latin interpretive tradition regarding Jesus's pedagogical method in this discourse.