But when the ruler heard this, he became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy.
Parallel translations
- WEB But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was very rich.
- KJV And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
- NKJV But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
- NASB But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely wealthy.
- NLT But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.
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
Hearing this, the ruler becomes very sad because he was very rich. His wealth holds his heart.
Overview
The man's grief reveals that his riches, not God, held first place. Faced with surrendering his idol to follow Jesus, he cannot let go. The verse soberly shows that earthly treasure can keep someone from the only treasure that lasts, even when they are drawn to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ezek 33:31So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.
- 1 Jn 2:15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- 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.”
- Luke 8:14The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.
- Mark 10:22But the man was saddened by these words and went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
- Matt 19:22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
- Job 31:24–25If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security,
- Luke 21:34But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- Judg 18:23–24When they called out after them, the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
- Phil 3:8More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
- Col 3:5Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
- Eph 5:5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
- Luke 19:8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 18:23 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.