Matthew 19:23

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I tell you, it is hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

¶Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, Ὅτι δυσκόλως πλούσιος εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Transliteration

The de Iēsous eipen to the mathētais of him, Amēn legō to you, That with difficulty plousios eiseleusetai eis the basileian tōn ouranōn.

Grammar Details

• *de*: postpositive particle - but/and
• *Iēsous*: nominative, masculine, singular - Jesus
• *eipen*: aorist, 3rd singular, active - said
• *mathētais*: dative, masculine, plural - disciples
• *Amēn*: Hebrew transliteration - truly/verily
• *legō*: present, 1st singular, active - I say
• *dyskolōs*: adverb - with difficulty/hardly
• *plousios*: nominative, masculine, singular - rich person
• *eiseleusetai*: future, 3rd singular, middle deponent - will enter
• *eis*: preposition + accusative - into
• *basileian*: accusative, feminine, singular - kingdom
• *ouranōn*: genitive, masculine, plural - of heavens

Word Meanings

• *Amēn*: truly/verily/certainly
• *dyskolōs*: with difficulty/hardly/scarcely
• *plousios*: rich person/wealthy individual
• *basileian tōn ouranōn*: kingdom of heaven/heavenly kingdom

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Then Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter the kingdom of heaven.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And{G1161} Jesus{G2424} said{G2036} unto{G3101} his{G846} disciples,{G3101} Verily{G281} I say{G3004} unto you,{G5213} It{G3754} is{G1525} hard{G1423} for a rich man{G4145} to enter{G1525} into{G1519} the kingdom{G932} of heaven.{G3772}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Then{G1161} said{G2036}{(G5627)} Jesus{G2424} unto his{G846} disciples{G3101}, Verily{G281} I say{G3004}{(G5719)} unto you{G5213}, That{G3754} a rich man{G4145} shall hardly{G1423} enter{G1525}{(G5695)} into{G1519} the kingdom{G932} of heaven{G3772}.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  Then Iesus sayde vnto his disciples: Verely I saye vnto you: yt is harde for a ryche ma to enter into ye kyngdome of heaven.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Iesus sayde vnto his disciples: Verely I saie vnto you: it shalbe harde for a rich man to entre in to the kyngdome of heaue.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Then Iesus sayd vnto his disciples, Verely I say vnto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdome of heauen.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Then Iesus sayde vnto his disciples: Ueryly I say vnto you, that a riche man shall hardly enter into the kyngdome of heauen.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ‹Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.›

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Jesus said to his disciples, "Most assuredly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and Jesus said to his disciples, `Verily I say to you, that hardly shall a rich man enter into the reign of the heavens;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I say to you, It is hard for a man with much money to go into the kingdom of heaven.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Jesus said to his disciples, "Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Then Jesus said to his disciples,“I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!

Referenced Verses

• Matt 13:22 : 22 The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
• 1 Cor 1:26 : 26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
• 1 Tim 6:9-9 : 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
• Mark 10:23 : 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, 'How hard it is for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!'
• Luke 18:24 : 24 Seeing that he had become sad, Jesus said, 'How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!'
• John 3:3 : 3 Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I tell you, unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'
• John 3:5 : 5 Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'
• Acts 14:22 : 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.'
• Luke 12:15-21 : 15 Then He said to them, "Watch out, and be on guard against every form of greed, because one’s life is not defined by the abundance of possessions." 16 And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a certain rich man produced a bountiful harvest. 17 And he thought to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take it easy, eat, drink, and be merry.”' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This very night your soul will be required of you, and the things you have prepared—who will they belong to?' 21 So it is with one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
• Luke 16:13-14 : 13 No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and sneered at him.
• Luke 16:19-28 : 19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores. 21 He longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25 But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.' 26 And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. 27 He said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so they will not also come to this place of torment.'
• Deut 6:10-12 : 10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your ancestors—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to you, with cities great and good that you did not build, 11 with houses full of every good thing that you did not fill, wells that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—when you eat and are satisfied. 12 Be careful not to forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
• Deut 8:10-18 : 10 You will eat and be satisfied, and you will bless the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. 11 Be careful not to forget the Lord your God by failing to keep His commandments, judgments, and statutes that I am commanding you today. 12 Otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built fine houses and settled in them, 13 When your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and all that you have has multiplied, 14 then your heart may grow proud, and you might forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 15 He led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, filled with venomous snakes, scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water. He brought water for you out of a rock of flint. 16 He fed you manna in the wilderness, which your fathers had never known, to humble and test you so that He might do good for you in the end. 17 You may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand have produced this wealth for me.' 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to gain wealth, so that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is today.
• Job 31:24-25 : 24 If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my security, 25 if I rejoiced because my wealth was abundant or because my hand had obtained much,
• Ps 49:6-7 : 6 Why should I fear in evil days, when iniquity surrounds me, at my heels? 7 Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches—
• Ps 49:16-19 : 16 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah. 17 Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the glory of his house increases. 18 For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his glory will not follow him down. 19 Though he blesses himself during his lifetime, and people praise you when you prosper,
• Prov 11:28 : 28 Whoever trusts in his wealth will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
• Prov 30:8-9 : 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
• Matt 5:20 : 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.
• Jas 1:9-9 : 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat, and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. In the same way, the rich person will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
• Jas 2:6 : 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you and drag you into court?
• Jas 5:1-4 : 1 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look, the wages that you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
• Matt 18:3 : 3 And he said, "Truly, I tell you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
• Matt 21:31 : 31 Which of the two did the will of his father? They said, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.'