Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Parallel translations
- WEB who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
- BSB When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.
- NKJV who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
- NASB and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.
- NLT When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
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
Finding one priceless pearl, the merchant sells all he has to buy it. The Kingdom is worth more than everything else combined.
Overview
Upon discovering a single pearl of supreme value, the merchant liquidates all his possessions to acquire it. Like the hidden treasure, this pictures the incomparable worth of the Kingdom and the fitting response of total investment. To possess Christ and His reign is to gain what makes all other holdings worth surrendering.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Luke 18:28–30Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
- Eph 3:8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
- Col 2:3In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
- Prov 2:4If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
- Acts 20:24But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
- Matt 13:44Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
- 1 Jn 5:11–12And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
- Mark 10:28–31Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
- Isa 33:6And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
- 1 Cor 3:21–23Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
- Gal 6:14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
- Rev 21:21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 13:46 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.