American Standard Version
Matthew 19:23
23And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Context of Matthew 19:23
21Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 22But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions. And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 25And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved?
Read all of Matthew 19Matthew 19:23 word by word
Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πλούσιος δυσκόλως εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.¶Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Matthew 19:23
- Matthew 13:22And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
- Deuteronomy 6:10And it shall be, when Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee, great and goodly cities, which thou buildest not,
- Deuteronomy 8:10And thou shalt eat and be full, and thou shalt bless Jehovah thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.
- Job 31:24If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, Thou artmy confidence;
- Psalms 49:6They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
- Proverbs 11:28He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.
- Proverbs 30:8Remove far from me falsehood and lies; Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is needful for me:
- Mark 10:23And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
- Luke 12:15And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
- Luke 16:13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
- Luke 18:24And Jesus seeing him said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
- 1 Corinthians 1:26For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
- 1 Timothy 6:9But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition.
- James 1:9But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate:
- James 2:6But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats?
- James 5:1Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.
Commentaries on Matthew 19:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23A rich man shall hardly enter - That is, into the spirit and privileges of the Gospel in this world, and through them into the kingdom of glory. Earthly riches are a great obstacle to salvation; because it is almost impossible to possess them, and not to set the heart upon them; and they who love the world have not the love of the Father in them. 1 John 2:15. To be rich, therefore, is in general a great misfortune: but what rich man can be convinced of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-30Verses 16-30 This account is found also in Mark 10:17-31; Matthew 19:16 One came - This was a young man, Matthew 19:20. He was a ruler (Luke); probably a ruler in a synagogue, or of the great council of the nation; a place to which he was chosen on account of his unblemished character and promising talents. He came running (Mark); evincing great earnestness and anxiety, He fell upon his knees (Mark); not to worship him, but to pay the customary respectful…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 23-30Verses 23-30 Though Christ spoke so strongly, few that have riches do not trust in them. How few that are poor are not tempted to envy! But men's earnestness in this matter is like their toiling to build a high wall to shut themselves and their children out of heaven. It should be satisfaction to those who are in a low condition, that they are not exposed to the temptations of a high and prosperous condition. If they live more hardly in this world than…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23Jesus teaches a lesson about discipleship from the rich man's sad refusal. It is difficult for the rich to humble themselves, admit their needs, and trust in God (see Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:9–10). The kingdom of heaven here means eternal life (Matthew 19:16–17, 29) or salvation as a result of God's renewing work (19:25–26).Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 19:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries