And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “I have observed all these things from my youth up.”
- BSB “All these I have kept from my youth,” he said.
- NKJV And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
- NASB And he said, “All these things I have kept since my youth.”
- NLT The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The ruler claims he has kept all these commands from his youth. He is confident in his own righteousness.
Overview
The ruler sincerely believes he has fully obeyed the Law, revealing a shallow self-assessment that overlooks the heart's true demands. His confidence resembles the Pharisee's earlier in the chapter. Jesus will gently expose that outward conformity has not touched the love of money that rules him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Phil 3:6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
- Luke 18:11–12The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
- Rom 10:2–3For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
- Luke 15:7I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
- Mark 10:20–21And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
- Matt 19:20–21The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
- Luke 15:29And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 18:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.