Draught
The Word in Context
The word "draught" in older English translations of the Bible does not refer to drinking or pulling, but to a latrine or waste disposal area. It appears in Matthew 15:17 and Mark 7:19, where Jesus explains that food entering the body passes through the stomach and is eventually expelled, going out "into the draught." The Greek word "aphedron" literally means a place for sitting apart, a euphemism for a privy or toilet.
Jesus' Teaching on Clean and Unclean
The context of this term is one of the most important theological discussions in the Gospels. The Pharisees criticized Jesus' disciples for eating with unwashed hands, violating ceremonial purity traditions (Matthew 15:1-2; Mark 7:1-5). Jesus responded by teaching that what defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth but what comes out of the heart: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, and slander (Matthew 15:18-20). Food, he explained, merely passes through the body and is expelled, having no bearing on spiritual purity.
Mark's Editorial Comment
Mark adds a crucial editorial note to this teaching. In Mark 7:19, the evangelist explains that by saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean. This parenthetical remark carries enormous theological weight, as it signals the end of the dietary restrictions that had defined Jewish identity for centuries. This declaration would later prove foundational for the early church's understanding of Gentile inclusion, as seen in Peter's vision in Acts 10:9-16.
The Old Testament Background
The word "draught" also appears in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 10:27, where Jehu demolished the temple of Baal and turned it into a latrine ("draught house"), a deliberate act of desecration showing utter contempt for the false god. This act fulfilled the prophetic mandate to completely eradicate Baal worship from Israel.
Biblical Context
The word 'draught' appears in Matthew 15:17 and Mark 7:19 in Jesus' teaching about clean and unclean foods, and in 2 Kings 10:27 where Jehu desecrates the temple of Baal. In the Gospels, it is part of Jesus' revolutionary teaching that spiritual purity comes from the heart, not from dietary regulations.
Theological Significance
Jesus' reference to the draught (latrine) serves his argument that food cannot defile a person spiritually. This teaching laid the groundwork for the abolition of Old Testament dietary laws and the inclusion of Gentiles in the people of God. Mark's editorial comment that Jesus declared all foods clean became a foundational text for the early church's mission to the nations.
Historical Background
Ancient latrines have been discovered in archaeological excavations throughout Israel and the Roman world. Public and private facilities varied in design, from simple pits to elaborate Roman-era installations with running water. The Mishna, the early rabbinic legal code, uses the term 'water-house' for such facilities and records that Jehu's desecration of the Baal temple in Samaria turned it into public latrines.