Matthew 19:20
in Matthew 19“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I observed: what lack I yet?
KJV
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
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This verse in Matthew 19
Commentary
13 notes on this verse(Verse 20.) The young man said to Him: All these things I have kept from my youth, what do I still lack? Jesus said to him: The young man lies. For if he had fulfilled the commandments: You shall love your neighbor as yourself, how then, upon hearing: Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, did he go away sad, for he had many possessions?
This site's exposition
Thou shalt do no murder
on Matthew 19:18-20
The commandments Jesus lists run from the sixth through the ninth of the ten and add love thy neighbour as thyself from Leviticus 19:18, all of them the horizontal commands governing conduct toward others rather than the first table's commands toward God, a selection the bench takes as deliberate. All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet is the young man's own honest sense of a remaining gap, and the commentators read his question as sincere rather than boastful, a man who has genuinely kept the letter of these commands and still senses something is missing.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
A commentator
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 63 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
Then since Jesus mentioned those out of the law, he saith, "All these things have I kept from my youth up." And neither at this did he stop, but again asks, "What lack I yet?" which itself again was a sign of his very earnest desire.
The Medieval Church2 voices
The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Some accuse him of boasting and arrogance. For how could he have achieved love for neighbor if he were rich? For no one who loves …
The young man said to him: all these have I kept from my youth. After the Lord delivered the doctrine of common salvation, here he delivers the doctrine of perfection. And first he delivers the doctrine; secondly the necessity of this doctrine; thirdly the reward …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Or into life, that spiritual life which is the beginning and earnest of eternal life. He desired to know how he might have eternal life; Christ tells him how he might enter into it; we have it by the merit of Christ, a mystery which was not as yet fully revealed, and therefore Christ waives that; but the way of entering into it, is, by obedience, and Christ directs us in that.
Now concerning this young gentleman, we are told how fair he bid for heaven and came short. How fair he bid for heaven, and how kindly and tenderly Christ treated him, in favour to good beginnings. The gentleman's serious address to Jesus Christ (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The disciples rebuked them - That is, them that brought them: probably thinking such an employ beneath the dignity of their Master. Of such is the kingdom of heaven - Little children, either in a natural or spiritual sense, have a right to enter into my kingdom.
The young man saith unto him,....
His discourse with his disciples upon that occasion, concerning the difficulty of the salvation of those that have much in the world, and the certain recompence of those that leave all for Christ,
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
All these have I kept - I have made these precepts the rule of my life. There is a difference worthy of notice between this and our Lord’s word. He says, Mat 19:17, τηρησον, keep, earnestly, diligently, as with watch and ward; probably referring not only to the letter but to the spirit. The young man modestly says, all these (εφυλαξα) have I observed; I have paid attention to, and endeavored to regulate my conduct by them. I have kept them in custody. From my youth - Several MSS., versions, and fathers, leave out these words.
These verses detail a conversation between our Lord Jesus Christ and a young man who came to him to inquire about the way to eternal life. Like every conversation recorded in the Gospels between our Lord and an individual, it deserves special attention. Salvation is an individual business: every one who wishes to be saved must have private personal dealings with Christ about his own soul. We see for one thing from the case of this young man that a person may have desires after salvation, and yet not be saved.
These verses detail a conversation between our Lord Jesus Christ and a young man who came to him to inquire about the way to eternal life. Like every conversation recorded in the Gospels between our Lord and an individual, it deserves special attention. Salvation is an individual business: every one who wishes to be saved must have private personal dealings with Christ about his own soul. We see for one thing from the case of this young man that a person may have desires after salvation, and yet not be saved. Here is one who in a day of abounding unbelief comes of his own accord to Christ. He comes not to have a sickness healed; he comes not to plead about a child: he comes about his own soul. He opens the conference with the frank question, “Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Surely we might have thought, “This is a promising case: this is no prejudiced ruler or Pharisee: this is a hopeful inquirer.” Yet, by and by, this very young man “goes away sorrowful,” and we never read a word to show that he was converted! We must never forget that good feelings alone in religion are not the grace of God. We may know the truth intellectually; we may often feel pricked in conscience; we may have religious affections awakened within us, have many anxieties about our souls and shed many tears; but all this is not conversion. It is not the genuine saving work of the HolyGhost. Unhappily this is not all that must be said on this point. Not only are good feelings alone not grace, but they are even positively dangerous if we content ourselves with them, and do not act as well as feel .
The words behind it
10 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Λέγει | legei | Says | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| αὐτῷ | auto | to him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| νεανίσκος· | neaniskos | young man; | G3495 → | |
| πάντα | panta | All | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| ταῦτα | tauta | these | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| ἐφύλαξα | ephulaxa | I have kept | G5442 → | |
| τί | ti | What | G5101 → | 563 times |
| ἔτι | eti | yet | G2089 → | 140 times |
| ὑστερῶ;¶ | hustero | do I lack? | G5302 → |
ΛέγειSays
legeiG3004 →1325 times
αὐτῷto him
autoG846 →5565 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
νεανίσκος·young man;
neaniskosG3495 →
πάνταAll
pantaG3956 →1235 times
ταῦταthese
tautaG3778 →1381 times
ἐφύλαξαI have kept
ephulaxaG5442 →
τίWhat
tiG5101 →563 times
ἔτιyet
etiG2089 →140 times
ὑστερῶ;¶do I lack?
husteroG5302 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 8:7When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.”
it leads to
- Matthew 7:1–5
“Do not judge, or you will be judged.
- Romans 2:21–25
you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
- Romans 2:1–3
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
- Deuteronomy 17:6–7
On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.
- Matthew 7:1–5
Through
Galatians 3:24So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
it leads to
- Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
- Acts 13:38–39
Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
- Romans 10:4
Through
Philippians 3:6as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
it leads to
- Galatians 1:13–14
For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
- Acts 8:3
But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
- Galatians 1:13–14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Matthew
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 63; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.