Matthew 19:21

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.

📖 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

• 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."

• 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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• 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 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
• Luke 12:33 : 33 Sell what you have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags that do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches, nor moth destroys.
• Acts 2:45 : 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
• Luke 16:9 : 9 And I say to you, Make friends for yourselves using the wealth of unrighteousness; that, when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.
• Luke 18:22 : 22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said to him, Yet you lack one thing: sell all that you have, and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
• Matt 5:48 : 48 Therefore be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
• Matt 6:19-20 : 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
• Luke 14:33 : 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.
• Matt 19:28 : 28 And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
• Mark 2:14 : 14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and said to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
• Luke 5:27 : 27 And after these things, he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, Follow me.
• Luke 6:40 : 40 The disciple is not above his master: but everyone who is perfect shall be as his master.
• Luke 9:23 : 23 And he said to them all, If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
• John 10:27 : 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
• John 12:26 : 26 If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him.
• Acts 4:32-35 : 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
• 1 Tim 6:17-19 : 17 Charge those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share; 19 Storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
• Heb 10:34 : 34 For you had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.
• Phil 3:12-15 : 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not count myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us, therefore, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think differently, God will reveal even this to you.
• Mark 8:34 : 34 And when he had called the people to him, with his disciples also, he said to them, Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
• Matt 9:9 : 9 And as Jesus passed from there, he saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the tax office: and he said to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
• Matt 16:24 : 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
• Gen 17:1 : 1 And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, I am Almighty God; walk before me and be perfect.
• Ps 37:37 : 37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright, for the end of that man is peace.
• Matt 4:19 : 19 And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
• Matt 5:19-20 : 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
• Job 1:1 : 1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and avoided evil.
• Gen 6:9 : 9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.