ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Matthew 19.23-24

Book: Matthew · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"21. 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. 22. But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions."

"23. 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. 24. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

"25. And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved? 26. And Jesus looking upon them said to them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:21-26, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"21. 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.” 22. But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions."

"23. Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty. 24. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”"

"25. When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26. Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”" (Matthew 19:21-26, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"21. 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. 22. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."

"23. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

"25. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:21-26, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"21. 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.' 22. And the young man, having heard the word, went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions;"

"23. and Jesus said to his disciples, 'Verily I say to you, that hardly shall a rich man enter into the reign of the heavens; 24. and again I say to you, it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to go, than for a rich man to enter into the reign of God.'"

"25. And his disciples having heard, were amazed exceedingly, saying, 'Who, then, is able to be saved?' 26. And Jesus having earnestly beheld, said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (Matthew 19:21-26, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: Matthew (traditionally) the tax-collector-apostle / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
  • Audience: Jewish-Christian audience (heavy OT-fulfillment emphasis)
  • Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Antioch (composition)
  • Time period: events c. 4 BC, AD 30/33; composed c. AD 60-80

Theological reading

Key words

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.