Matthew 19:21

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Jesus replied, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ: καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι.

Transliteration

Ephē to him the Iēsous, If theleis teleios einai, hypage pōlēson of you the hyparchonta, and dos ptōchois, and hexeis thēsauron en ouranō: and deuro akolouthei me.

Grammar Details

• *Ephē*: imperfect, 3rd singular, active - he said
• *Iēsous*: nominative, masculine, singular - Jesus
• *theleis*: present, 2nd singular, active - you wish
• *teleios*: nominative, masculine, singular - perfect/complete
• *einai*: present infinitive - to be
• *hypage*: present imperative, 2nd singular, active - go
• *pōlēson*: aorist imperative, 2nd singular, active - sell
• *hyparchonta*: accusative, neuter, plural, participle as substantive - possessions
• *dos*: aorist imperative, 2nd singular, active - give
• *ptōchois*: dative, masculine, plural - to poor people
• *hexeis*: future, 2nd singular, active - you will have
• *thēsauron*: accusative, masculine, singular - treasure
• *en*: preposition + dative - in
• *ouranō*: dative, masculine, singular - heaven
• *deuro*: adverb used as imperative - come
• *akolouthei*: present imperative, 2nd singular, active - follow

Word Meanings

• *Ephē*: said/declared
• *theleis teleios einai*: wish to be perfect/want to be complete
• *hyparchonta*: possessions/property/belongings
• *ptōchois*: poor people/the poor
• *thēsauron*: treasure/wealth
• *deuro akolouthei*: come follow/come be my disciple

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Jesus said to him, If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Jesus{G2424} said{G5346} unto him,{G846} If{G1487} thou wouldest{G2309} be{G1511} perfect,{G5046} go,{G5217} sell{G4453} that{G5224} which thou{G4675} hast,{G5224} and{G2532} give{G1325} to the poor,{G4434} and{G2532} thou shalt have{G2192} treasure{G2344} in{G1722} heaven:{G3772} and{G2532} come,{G1204} follow{G190} me.{G3427}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Jesus{G2424} said{G5346}{(G5713)} unto him{G846}, If{G1487} thou wilt{G2309}{(G5719)} be{G1511}{(G5750)} perfect{G5046}, go{G5217}{(G5720)} and sell{G4453}{(G5657)} that thou{G4675} hast{G5224}{(G5723)}, and{G2532} give{G1325}{(G5628)} to the poor{G4434}, and{G2532} thou shalt have{G2192}{(G5692)} treasure{G2344} in{G1722} heaven{G3772}: and{G2532} come{G1204}{(G5773)} and follow{G190}{(G5720)} me{G3427}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And Iesus sayde vnto him yf thou wylt be perfecte goo and sell that thou hast and geve it to the povre and thou shalt have treasure in heven and come and folowe me.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Iesus sayde vnto him: Yf thou wilt be perfecte, go thy waye and sell that thou hast, & geue it vnto the poore, and thou shalt haue a treasure in heauen, and come and folowe me.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Iesus sayd vnto him, If thou wilt be perfite, go, sell that thou hast, & giue it to the poore, and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen, & come, and followe me.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Iesus sayde vnto hym: yf thou wylt be perfect, go & sell that thou hast, and geue to the poore, & thou shalt haue treasure in heauen: and come & folowe me.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Jesus said unto him, ‹If thou wilt be perfect, go› [and] ‹sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come› [and] ‹follow me.›

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Jesus 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."

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  Jesus said to him, `If thou dost will to be perfect, go away, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Jesus 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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Jesus 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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Jesus said to him, If you have a desire to be complete, go, get money for your property, and give it to the poor, and you will have wealth in heaven: and come after me.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Jesus 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."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Jesus said to him,“If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Referenced Verses

• Mark 10:21 : 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. 'One thing you lack,' he said. 'Go, sell everything you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'
• Luke 12:33 : 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Make for yourselves purses that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
• Acts 2:45 : 45 They sold their possessions and goods and distributed the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need.
• Luke 16:9 : 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves using worldly wealth so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.
• Luke 18:22 : 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, 'You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'
• Matt 5:48 : 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
• Matt 6:19-20 : 19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moths nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in or steal.
• Luke 14:33 : 33 In the same way, any one of you who does not give up all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
• Matt 19:28 : 28 Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
• Mark 2:14 : 14 As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And Levi got up and followed him.
• Luke 5:27 : 27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. He said to him, "Follow Me."
• Luke 6:40 : 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.
• Luke 9:23 : 23 Then he said to them all, 'If anyone wants to follow me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.'
• John 10:27 : 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
• John 12:26 : 26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. And where I am, there My servant also will be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
• Acts 4:32-35 : 32 The multitude of believers were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they had everything in common. 33 With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was no one in need among them, for those who owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds from the sale. 35 They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as they had need.
• 1 Tim 6:17-19 : 17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be arrogant or to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share. 19 Storing up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of what is truly life.
• Heb 10:34 : 34 For you sympathized with those in prison and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you have a better and lasting possession in heaven.
• Phil 3:12-15 : 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let all of us who are mature think this way. And if in anything you think differently, that too God will reveal to you.
• Mark 8:34 : 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.'
• Matt 9:9 : 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. 'Follow me,' he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
• Matt 16:24 : 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.
• Gen 17:1 : 1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before Me faithfully and be blameless."
• Ps 37:37 : 37 Observe the blameless and consider the upright, for there is a future for the person of peace.
• Matt 4:19 : 19 And He said to them, 'Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.'
• Matt 5:19-20 : 19 So whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• Job 1:1 : 1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and turned away from evil.
• Gen 6:9 : 9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his peers. Noah walked faithfully with God.