Matthew 19:23

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!

📖 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

Referenced Verses

• Matt 13:22 : 22 The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing.
• 1 Cor 1:26 : 26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position.
• 1 Tim 6:9-9 : 9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.
• Mark 10:23 : 23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
• Luke 18:24 : 24 When Jesus noticed this, he said,“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
• John 3:3 : 3 Jesus replied,“I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• John 3:5 : 5 Jesus answered,“I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
• Acts 14:22 : 22 They strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying,“We must enter the kingdom of God through many persecutions.”
• Luke 12:15-21 : 15 Then he said to them,“Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 He then told them a parable:“The land of a certain rich man produced an abundant crop, 17 so he thought to himself,‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said,‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to myself,“You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ 20 But God said to him,‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God.”
• Luke 16:13-14 : 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” 14 More Warnings about the Pharisees The Pharisees(who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed him.
• Luke 16:19-28 : 19 The Rich Man and Lazarus“There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 But at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus whose body was covered with sores, 21 who longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And in Hades, as he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. 24 So he called out,‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this fire.’ 25 But Abraham said,‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 So the rich man said,‘Then I beg you, father– send Lazarus to my father’s house 28 (for I have five brothers) to warn them so that they don’t come into this place of torment.’
• Deut 6:10-12 : 10 Exhortation to Worship the Lord Exclusively Then when the LORD your God brings you to the land he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you– a land with large, fine cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with choice things you did not accumulate, hewn out cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant– and you eat your fill, 12 be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, that place of slavery.
• Deut 8:10-18 : 10 You will eat your fill and then praise the LORD your God because of the good land he has given you. 11 Exhortation to Remember That Blessing Comes from God Be sure you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. 12 When you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses, 13 when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and when you have abundance of everything, 14 be sure you do not feel self-important and forget the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery, 15 and who brought you through the great, fearful wilderness of venomous serpents and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow from a flint rock and 16 fed you in the wilderness with manna(which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you and eventually bring good to you. 17 Be careful not to say,“My own ability and skill have gotten me this wealth.” 18 You must remember the LORD your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to your ancestors, even as he has to this day.
• Job 31:24-25 : 24 “If I have put my confidence in gold or said to pure gold,‘You are my security!’ 25 if I have rejoiced because of the extent of my wealth, or because of the great wealth my hand had gained,
• Ps 49:6-7 : 6 They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches. 7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price
• Ps 49:16-19 : 16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and his wealth multiplies! 17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies; his wealth will not follow him down into the grave. 18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:“May men praise you, for you have done well!” 19 But he will join his ancestors; they will never again see the light of day.
• Prov 11:28 : 28 The one who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
• Prov 30:8-9 : 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; do not give me poverty or riches, feed me with my allotted portion of bread, 9 lest I become satisfied and act deceptively and say,“Who is the LORD?” Or lest I become poor and steal and demean the name of my God.
• Matt 5:20 : 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!
• Jas 1:9-9 : 9 Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position. 10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. 11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away.
• Jas 2:6 : 6 But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?
• Jas 5:1-4 : 1 Warning to the Rich Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! 4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
• Matt 18:3 : 3 and said,“I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!
• Matt 21:31 : 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said,“The first.” Jesus said to them,“I tell you the truth, tax collectors and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!