Matthew 19:23

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 Living Translation (NLT)Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Context of Matthew 19:23

21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 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. 24And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

Matthew 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Thenδέde · thenG1161
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• untoμαθητήςmathētēs · discipleG3101
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Verilyἀμήνamēn · amenG281
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• Thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• a rich manπλούσιοςplousios · richG4145
• shallεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
• hardlyδυσκόλωςduskolōs · difficultlyG1423
• intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the kingdomβασιλείαbasileia · kingdomG932
• of heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772

Cross-references for Matthew 19:23

• Matthew 13:22Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
• Deuteronomy 6:10“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
• Deuteronomy 8:10When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
• Job 31:24“If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, ‘You are my confidence’;
• Psalms 49:6Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches,
• Proverbs 11:28He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
• Proverbs 30:8Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me;
• Mark 10:23Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!”
• Luke 12:15And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
• Luke 16:13“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
• Luke 18:24And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!
• 1 Corinthians 1:26For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
• 1 Timothy 6:9But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
• James 1:9Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
• James 2:6But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
• James 5:1Come now, you 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

• Covetousness
• Kingdom of Heaven
• Rich, the
• Riches

In the dictionaries

• Jesus
• Eternal
• Impossible
• Join
• Marry
• Possession
• Rich
• Divorce in the New Testament
• Hard; Hardiness; Harddiness; Hardly
• Law in the New Testament

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