Passage
Matthew 6.20
Book: Matthew · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT
Immediate context (±2 verses)
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ASV (ASV)
"18. that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee. 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal:"
"20. but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:"
"21. for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also. 22. The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." (Matthew 6:18-22, ASV)
WEB (WEB)
"18. so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 19. “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;"
"20. but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;"
"21. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light." (Matthew 6:18-22, WEB)
KJV (KJV)
"18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:"
"20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:"
"21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." (Matthew 6:18-22, KJV)
YLT (YLT)
"18. that thou mayest not appear to men fasting, but to thy Father who [is] in secret, and thy Father, who is seeing in secret, shall reward thee manifestly. 19. 'Treasure not up to yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust disfigure, and where thieves break through and steal,"
"20. but treasure up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth disfigure, and where thieves do not break through nor steal,"
"21. for where your treasure is, there will be also your heart. 22. 'The lamp of the body is the eye, if, therefore, thine eye may be perfect, all thy body shall be enlightened," (Matthew 6:18-22, 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
No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)
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.