Matthew 19
19
Jesus' Teaching on Divorce
(Mark 10.1-12; Luke 16.18)
1And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan; 2and great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
3The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4#Gen 1.27; 5.2. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5#Gen 2.24. and said,
For this cause shall a man leave father and mother,
and shall cleave to his wife:
and they twain shall be one flesh?
6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7#Deut 24.1-4; Matt 5.31. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. 9#Matt 5.32; 1 Cor 7.10,11. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
10His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Jesus Blesses Little Children
(Mark 10.13-16; Luke 18.15-17)
13Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 14But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
The Rich Young Ruler
(Mark 10.17-31; Luke 18.18-30)
16And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18#Exod 20.13; Deut 5.17; Exod 20.14; Deut 5.18; Exod 20.15; Deut 5.19; Exod 20.16; Deut 5.20. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19#Exod 20.12; Deut 5.16; Lev 19.18. Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 20The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21Jesus 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. 22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24And 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. 25When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. 27Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28#Matt 25.31; Luke 22.30. And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30#Matt 20.16; Luke 13.30. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
Matthew 19
19
Questions About Divorce
1 Now when#tn Grk “it happened when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River.#tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”). 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Then some Pharisees#tn Grk “And Pharisees.”sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7. came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful#tc ‡ Most mss have either ἀνθρώπῳ (anqrwpw, “for a man” [so א2 C D W Θ 087 Ë1,13 33 Ï latt]) or ἀνδρί (andri, “for a husband” [1424c pc]) before the infinitive ἀπολῦσαι (apolusai, “to divorce”). The latter reading is an assimilation to the parallel in Mark; the former reading may have been motivated by the clarification needed (especially to give the following αὐτοῦ [autou, “his”] an antecedent). But a few significant mss (א* B L Γ 579 [700] 1424* pc) have neither noun. As the harder reading, it seems to best explain the rise of the others. NA27, however, reads ἀνθρώπῳ here. to divorce a wife for any cause?”#sn The question of the Pharisees was anything but sincere; they were asking it to test him. Jesus was now in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (i.e., Judea and beyond the Jordan) and it is likely that the Pharisees were hoping he might answer the question of divorce in a way similar to John the Baptist and so suffer the same fate as John, i.e., death at the hands of Herod (cf. 14:1-12). Jesus answered the question not on the basis of rabbinic custom and the debate over Deut 24:1, but rather from the account of creation and God’s original design. 4 He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female,#sn A quotation from Gen 1:27; 5:2. 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?#sn A quotation from Gen 2:24. 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?”#tc ‡ Although the majority of witnesses (B C W 078 087 Ë13 33 Ï syp,h) have αὐτήν (authn, “her”) after the infinitive ἀπολῦσαι (apolusai, “to divorce”), a variant lacks the αὐτήν. This shorter reading may be due to assimilation to the Markan parallel, but since it is attested in early and diverse witnesses (א D L Z Θ Ë1 579 700 pc lat) and since the parallel verse (Mark 10:4) already departs at many points, the shorter reading seems more likely to be original. The pronoun has been included in the translation, however, for clarity. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating reservations regarding its authenticity.sn A quotation from Deut 24:1. The Pharisees were all in agreement that the OT permitted a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce his wife (not vice-versa) and that remarriage was therefore sanctioned. But the two rabbinic schools of Shammai and Hillel differed on the grounds for divorce. Shammai was much stricter than Hillel and permitted divorce only in the case of sexual immorality. Hillel permitted divorce for almost any reason (cf. the Mishnah, m. Gittin 9.10). 8 Jesus#tc A few important mss (א Φ pc) have the name “Jesus” here, but it is probably not original. Nevertheless, this translation routinely specifies the referents of pronouns to improve clarity, so that has been done here.tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts,#tn Grk “heart” (a collective singular). but from the beginning it was not this way. 9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.” 10 The#tc ‡ Some significant witnesses, along with the majority of later mss (Ì25 C D L W Z 078 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat sy samss bo), read αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after μαθηταί (maqhtai, “disciples”), but this looks to be a clarifying reading. Other early and important witnesses lack the pronoun (Ì71vid א B Θ e ff1 g1 sams mae), the reading adopted here. NA27 includes the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity. disciples said to him, “If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is better not to marry!” 11 He#tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. said to them, “Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth,#tn Grk “from the womb of the mother” (an idiom). and some who were made eunuchs#tn The verb εὐνουχίζω occurs twice in this verse, translated the first time as “made eunuchs” and the second time as “became eunuchs.” The term literally refers to castration. The second occurrence of the word in this verse is most likely figurative, though, referring to those who willingly maintain a life of celibacy for the furtherance of the kingdom (see W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, Matthew [ICC], 3:23). by others,#tn Grk “people.” and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.”
Jesus and Little Children
13 Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray.#tn Grk “so that he would lay his hands on them and pray.” But the disciples scolded those who brought them.#tn Grk “the disciples scolded them.” In the translation the referent has been specified as “those who brought them,” since otherwise the statement could be understood to mean that the disciples scolded the children rather than their parents who brought them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”#sn The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant. 15 And he placed his hands on them and went on his way.#tn Grk “went from there.”
The Rich Young Man
16 Now#tn Grk “And behold one came.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” 17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,#sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20. and love your neighbor as yourself.”#sn A quotation from Lev 19:18. 20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed#tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance. all these laws.#tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.sn While the rich man was probably being sincere when he insisted I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws, he had confined his righteousness to external obedience. The rich man’s response to Jesus’ command – to give away all he had – revealed that internally he loved money more than God. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money#tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. to the poor, and you will have treasure#sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.#tn Grk “he had many possessions.” This term (κτῆμα, kthma) is often used for land as a possession.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth,#tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.” it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! 24 Again I say,#tn Grk “I say to you.” it is easier for a camel#tc A few late witnesses (579 1424 pc) read κάμιλον (kamilon, “rope”) for κάμηλον (kamhlon, “camel”), either through accidental misreading of the text or intentionally so as to soften Jesus’ words. to go through the eye of a needle#sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was saying rhetorically that it is impossible for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom, unless God (v. 26) intervenes. than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 25 The#tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?”#sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved? 26 Jesus#tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans,#tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men, but for God all things are possible”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” in v. 28. but for God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said#tn Grk “Then answering, Peter said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation. to him, “Look,#sn Peter wants reassurance that the disciples’ response and sacrifice have been noticed. we have left everything to follow you!#tn Grk “We have left everything and followed you.” Koine Greek often used paratactic structure when hypotactic was implied. What then will there be for us?” 28 Jesus#tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. said to them, “I tell you the truth:#tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.” In the age when all things are renewed,#sn The Greek term translated the age when all things are renewed (παλιγγενεσία, palingenesia) is understood as a reference to the Messianic age, the time when all things are renewed and restored (cf. Rev 21:5). when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging#sn The statement you…will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel looks at the future authority the Twelve will have when Jesus returns. They will share in Israel’s judgment. the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much#sn Jesus reassures his disciples with a promise that (1) much benefit in this life (a hundred times as much) and (2) eternal life will be given. and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
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