and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything 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.
- KJV Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, 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.
- 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 18:28–30Peter said, “Look, we have left everything, and followed you.”
- Eph 3:8To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
- Col 2:3in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.
- Prov 2:4If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:
- Acts 20:24But these things don’t count; nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to fully testify to the Good News of the grace of God.
- Matt 13:44“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
- 1 Jn 5:11–12The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
- Mark 10:28–31Peter began to tell him, “Behold, we have left all, and have followed you.”
- Isa 33:6There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.
- 1 Cor 3:21–23Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,
- Gal 6:14But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
- Rev 21:21The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like 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.