EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Matthew 19:17
17Jesus replied, ‘Why do you ask me about a good thing? Only God is good. Nobody else. If you want to have real life, then you must obey God's laws.’
Matthew 19:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
- New International Version (NIV)“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments."
- New King James Version (NKJV)So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Context of Matthew 19:17
15So Jesus put his hands on each of the children's heads and he prayed for them. After that, he went away from that place. 16One day a man came to Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked. ‘What good thing must I do so that I can live with God for ever?’ Jesus replied, ‘Why do you ask me about a good thing? Only God is good. Nobody else. If you want to have real life, then you must obey God's laws.’ 18The man asked Jesus, ‘Which laws must I obey?’ So Jesus replied, ‘Do not kill anyone. Do not have sex with anyone who is not your wife. Do not rob anyone. Do not say things that are not true about people. 19Love your father and your mother and obey them. Love other people as much as you love yourself.’
Read all of Matthew 19Matthew 19:17 word by word
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τί με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; εἷς ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαθός εἰ δὲ θέλεις εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν, τήρησον τὰς ἐντολάς.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andδέde · thenG1161
- he saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- unto himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- Whyτίςtis · which?G5101
- meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- goodἀγαθόςagathos · goodG18
- noneοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
- butεἰei · ifG1487
- ·μήmē · notG3361
- oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- thou wiltθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
- enterεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- lifeζωήzōē · lifeG2222
- keepτηρέωtēreō · to keep: observeG5083
- the commandmentsἐντολήentolē · commandmentG1785
Cross-references for Matthew 19:17
- 1 Samuel 2:2Nobody else is holy like the Lord. There is no other God except you, our God. You are the only Rock where we can be safe.
- Psalms 52:1Strong man, why are you so proud about the evil things that you like to do? Remember that God's faithful love keeps me safe.
- Psalms 145:7Good things are what everybody will remember about you. They will sing about your justice.
- James 1:17Remember that every good gift comes to us from God. He only does what will help us. He is our Father in heaven. He made everything in the sky that gives us light. Those things do not give us the same light all the time. They change, but God does not change.
- 1 John 4:8Anyone who does not love other people does not know God. We know this because God's own nature is love.
- Leviticus 18:5If they obey my rules and my laws, they will continue to live safely. I am the Lord.
- Ezekiel 20:11I gave them my laws and my commands. Anyone who obeyed them would enjoy a good life.
- Luke 10:26‘What does God's Law say?’ Jesus asked. ‘What do you understand when you read it?’
- Romans 10:5Moses wrote about how God's Law could help people to be right with God. He said, ‘If a person obeys the rules in God's Law, then he will live by them.’
- Galatians 3:11We know that the Law can not cause anyone to become right with God. That is clear because the Bible says, ‘The person that God has accepted as right will live because they trust him.’
Commentaries on Matthew 19:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Why callest thou me good? - Or, Why dost thou question me concerning that good thing? . This important reading is found in BDL, three others, the Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, Ethiopic, latter Syriac, Vulgate, Saxon, all the Itala but one, Origen, Eusebius, Cyril, Dionysius Areop., Antiochus, Novatian, Jerome, Augustin, and Juvencus. Erasmus, Grotius, Mill, and Bengel approve of this reading. This authority appears so decisive to Griesbach that he has…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. 16-22Verses 16-22 Christ knew that covetousness was the sin which most easily beset this young man; though he had got honestly what he possessed, yet he could not cheerfully part with it, and by this his want of sincerity was shown. Christ's promises make his precepts easy, and his yoke pleasant and very comfortable; yet this promise was as much a trial of the young man's faith, as the precept was of his charity and contempt of the world. It is required of us…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17Why do you ask Me: as a Jew, the man should have known that God shows his standard of goodness in his commandments. The man's questions show he did not trust God's revealed will (also Matthew 19:20). there is only One who is good: The man might have thought he could be perfectly good on his own, but only God is the truly good. So, God is from where all goodness comes. keep the commandments: Jesus might be trying to show the man his own sinfulness by…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 19:17
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
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