Matthew 19:21

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.”

📖 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

Referenced Verses

• Mark 10:21 : 21 As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said,“You lack one thing. Go, sell whatever you have and give the money 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. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out– a treasure in heaven that never decreases, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
• Acts 2:45 : 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need.
• Luke 16:9 : 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.
• Luke 18:22 : 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him,“One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
• Matt 5:48 : 48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
• Matt 6:19-20 : 19 Lasting Treasure“Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.
• Luke 14:33 : 33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions.
• Matt 19:28 : 28 Jesus said to them,“I tell you the truth: In the age when all things are renewed, 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 went along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax booth.“Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.
• Luke 5:27 : 27 The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth.“Follow me,” he said to him.
• Luke 6:40 : 40 A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.
• Luke 9:23 : 23 A Call to Discipleship Then he said to them all,“If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.
• John 10:27 : 27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
• John 12:26 : 26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
• Acts 4:32-35 : 32 Conditions Among the Early Believers The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. 33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. 34 For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales 35 and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need.
• 1 Tim 6:17-19 : 17 Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. 19 In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.
• Heb 10:34 : 34 For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison, and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly had a better and lasting possession.
• Phil 3:12-15 : 12 Keep Going Forward Not that I have already attained this– that is, I have not already been perfected– but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, 14 with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let those of us who are“perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways.
• Mark 8:34 : 34 Following Jesus Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them,“If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
• Matt 9:9 : 9 The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth.“Follow me,” he said to him. So he got up and followed him.
• Matt 16:24 : 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples,“If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
• Gen 17:1 : 1 The Sign of the Covenant When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him and said,“I am the Sovereign God. Walk before me and be blameless.
• Ps 37:37 : 37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the upright! For the one who promotes peace has a future.
• Matt 4:19 : 19 He said to them,“Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!”
• Matt 5:19-20 : 19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!
• Job 1:1 : 1 ¶ I. The Prologue(1:1-2:13)Job’s Good Life There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.
• Gen 6:9 : 9 The Judgment of the Flood This is the account of Noah. Noah was a godly man; he was blameless among his contemporaries. He walked with God.