# Matthew 19.23

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-06-01 | updated: 2026-06-01 -->

**Book:** [Matthew](/codex/matthew-the-apostle/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 21. Jesus said unto him, <span class="rl-speech">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.</span> 22. <span class="rl-speech">But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions.</span>
>
> **23. And Jesus said unto his disciples, <span class="rl-speech">Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.</span>**
>
> 24. <span class="rl-speech">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.</span> 25. <span class="rl-speech">And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved?</span> (Matthew 19:21-25, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 21. Jesus said to him, <span class="rl-speech">“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.”</span> 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, <span class="rl-speech">“Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.</span>**
>
> 24. <span class="rl-speech">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.”</span> 25. <span class="rl-speech">When the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”</span> (Matthew 19:21-25, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 21. Jesus said unto him, <span class="rl-speech">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.</span> 22. <span class="rl-speech">But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.</span>
>
> **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? (Matthew 19:21-25, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 21. Jesus said to him, <span class="rl-speech">'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.'</span> 22. And the young man, having heard the word, went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions;
>
> **23. and Jesus said to his disciples, <span class="rl-speech">'Verily I say to you, that hardly shall a rich man enter into the reign of the heavens;</span>**
>
> 24. <span class="rl-speech">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.'</span> 25. <span class="rl-speech">And his disciples having heard, were amazed exceedingly, saying, 'Who, then, is able to be saved?'</span> (Matthew 19:21-25, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_

<!-- BACKLINKS:START -->
## Quoted in

**Concepts:**

- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [Matthew 19](/codex/matthew-19/)
- [Kingdom Business](/codex/kingdom-business/)

<!-- BACKLINKS:END -->
---

_Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_

## 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](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/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](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.