Matthew 6:20

Matthew 6:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
• New International Version (NIV)But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
• English Standard Version (ESV)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
• New King James Version (NKJV)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Context of Matthew 6:20

18Then other people will not know that you are doing a special thing. But God, your Father, will know. You do not see him but he sees what you do secretly. He will give you good things in return. 19Do not want to have many valuable things here in the world. Insects or water can destroy those kinds of things. Or people may come into your house and they can rob you of those things. Instead, you should want to have valuable things in heaven. Insects and water cannot destroy anything there. Men cannot rob you of your things there. 21Then you will be thinking a lot about heaven, because that is where you keep your valuable things. 22Your eyes are like lamps and your body is like a room. Make sure that your eyes are like a clean lamp, then your whole body will have light.

Matthew 6:20 word by word

θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσιν·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• lay upθησαυρίζωthēsaurizō · to store upG2343
• for yourselvesσύsu · youG4771
• treasuresθησαυρόςthēsauros · treasureG2344
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• whereὅπουhopou · where(-ever)G3699
• neitherοὔτεoute · neitherG3777
• mothσήςsēs · mothG4597
• rustβρῶσιςbrōsis · eatingG1035
• doth corruptἀφανίζωaphanizō · to destroyG853
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• thievesκλέπτηςkleptēs · thiefG2812
• doδιορύσσωdiorussō · to break inG1358
• notοὐou · noG3756
• norοὐδέoude · norG3761
• stealκλέπτωkleptō · to stealG2813

Cross-references for Matthew 6:20

• Matthew 19:21Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be completely good, then you must do this: You must sell everything that you have. Then give the money to poor people. If you do that, you will have many valuable things in heaven. Then come back and be my disciple.’
• Isaiah 33:6Whatever happens, he will cause you to be strong. He will always keep you safe, and he will make you wise, so that you understand things. Respect the Lord with fear, and he will do all this for you.
• Luke 12:33So sell what you have and give the money to poor people. Then you will have valuable things in heaven. That is like keeping your money in a bag that will never have any holes in it. There, the value of your things will never become less. There, nobody can take them from you. Insects cannot destroy them.
• Luke 18:22Jesus heard what he said and he replied, ‘There is still just one thing that you must do. You must sell everything that you have. Then give the money to poor people. If you do that, you will have many valuable things in heaven. Then come back and be my disciple.’
• 1 Timothy 6:17Warn those people who are rich with many things that belong to this world. Tell them not to think that they are more important than other people. They must not think that their money will keep them safe. They could easily lose all of it. Instead, they should trust God. He gives us many things, so that we can enjoy all of them.
• Hebrews 10:34You were kind to Christians who were in prison. When people took away your own things, you still chose to be happy. You knew that you had something better that would belong to you for ever.
• Hebrews 11:26Moses could have been very rich in Egypt. But instead, he let people insult him. He chose to receive trouble because of God's special Messiah. He thought that was worth more than if he had a lot of money. He thought carefully about what God would give him at a future time.
• James 2:5My Christian friends, listen to me. God has chosen to bless people who are poor in this world. He has helped them to trust him. So really they are rich. God will give to them a place in his kingdom. He has promised to do that for all people who love him.
• 1 Peter 1:4We wait to receive all the good things that he has prepared for us. Nobody can ever destroy those things. Nothing can spoil them. They will never become old or less beautiful. God is keeping those things in heaven for you.
• 1 Peter 5:4Then our master, Christ, will give you a beautiful crown when he appears. That is a great gift that will never become old or less beautiful. He is the great Shepherd who takes care of us.
• Revelation 2:9I know that bad people are making you suffer. I also know that you are poor. But really, you are rich. Some people say that they are Jews, but they tell lies about you. So they cannot be my true people. Instead, they belong to a group of Satan's people.

Commentaries on Matthew 6:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Lay up - treasures in heaven - "The only way to render perishing goods eternal, to secure stately furniture from moths, and the richest metals from canker, and precious stones from thieves, is to transmit them to heaven by acts of charity. This is a kind of bill of exchange which cannot fail of acceptance, but through our own fault." Quesnel. It is certain we have not the smallest portion of temporal good, but what we have received from the unmerited…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven - That is, have provision made for your eternal felicity. Do not exhaust your strength and spend your days in providing for the life here, but let your chief anxiety be to be prepared for eternity. Compare the notes at Isaiah 55:2. In heaven nothing corrupts; nothing terminates; no enemies plunder or destroy. To have treasure in heaven is to possess evidence that its purity and joys will be ours. It is to be heirs…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-24Verses 19-24 Worldly-mindedness is a common and fatal symptom of hypocrisy, for by no sin can Satan have a surer and faster hold of the soul, under the cloak of a profession of religion. Something the soul will have, which it looks upon as the best thing; in which it has pleasure and confidence above other things. Christ counsels to make our best things the joys and glories of the other world, those things not seen which are eternal, and to place our…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20Treasures in heaven: For Jews during the time of Jesus, this was a common image. Obeying God’s commands was seen as storing up treasures with God. The context (6:19; Luke 12:33) shows that Jesus was mainly referring to acts of charity.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven--The language in Luke (Lu 12:33) is very bold--"Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not," &c. where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal--Treasures these, imperishable and unassailable! (Compare Col 3:2).Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 6:20

• Commandments
• Covetousness
• Heaven
• Moth
• Religion
• Riches
• Theft and Thieves

In the dictionaries

• Add
• Appear
• Closet
• Consider
• Corrupt
• Countenance
• Covetousness
• Despise
• Dwell
• Fast

Commentaries on Matthew 6

• 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