Matthew 19:23

BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

What this verse means

A short, plain-language explanation of Matthew 19:23 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.

Compare translations
BSBPD

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)
KJVPD

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

King James Version · Public Domain
ASVPD

“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.”

American Standard Version · Public Domain
YLTPD

“and Jesus said to his disciples, `Verily I say to you, that hardly shall a rich man enter into the reign of the heavens;”

Young's Literal Translation · Public Domain
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Cross references

Other passages that echo Matthew 19:23 — 24 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  1. Deuteronomy 6:10And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build,
  2. Deuteronomy 8:10When you eat and are satisfied, you are to bless the LORD your God for the good land that He has given you.
  3. Job 31:24If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security,
  4. Psalms 49:6They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
  5. Psalms 49:16Do not be amazed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
  6. Proverbs 11:28He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
  7. Proverbs 30:8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.
  8. Matthew 5:20For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
  9. Matthew 13:22The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
  10. Matthew 18:3“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
  11. Matthew 21:31Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
  12. Mark 10:23Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
  13. Luke 12:15And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
  14. Luke 16:13No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and money.”
  15. Luke 16:19Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.
  16. Luke 18:24Seeing the man’s sadness, Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
  17. John 3:3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
  18. John 3:5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.
  19. Acts 14:22strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
  20. 1 Corinthians 1:26Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth.
  21. 1 Timothy 6:9Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
  22. James 1:9The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position.
  23. James 2:6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
  24. James 5:1Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.

Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

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