The Meaning of Luke 18:22 Explained

Luke 18:22

KJV: Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

YLT: and having heard these things, Jesus said to him, 'Yet one thing to thee is lacking; all things -- as many as thou hast -- sell, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, be following me;'

Darby: And when Jesus had heard this, he said to him, One thing is lacking to thee yet: Sell all that thou hast and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in the heavens, and come, follow me.

ASV: And when Jesus heard it, he said unto him, One thing thou lackest yet: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now  when Jesus  heard  these things,  he said  unto him,  Yet  lackest  thou  one  thing: sell  all  that  thou hast,  and  distribute  unto the poor,  and  thou shalt have  treasure  in  heaven:  and  come,  follow  me. 

What does Luke 18:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Having passed the first test to his satisfaction, Jesus now presented him with the higher hurdle of not coveting, the tenth commandment (cf. Romans 7:7-8). Jesus" command exposed the man"s greed, which is idolatry ( Colossians 3:5). Thus this man had really violated the first and the tenth commandments, though he thought he had kept them. If he had been willing to give away his possessions, he would have shown that he was repudiating his greed. By following Jesus, he would have shown that he was repudiating his own self-righteousness. These would have been the appropriate fruits of his repentance. Treasure in heaven implies eternal reward (cf. Luke 12:33-34). Rabbinism prohibited giving away all of one"s possessions. [1]

Context Summary

Luke 18:18-30 - The One Thing Needful
The young ruler was a man of irreproachable character. He might have said of himself all that the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:4, etc. But he was restless and unsatisfied. He felt that Jesus had the key to a life deeper than he had experienced, and he longed to possess it. He was so much in earnest that he knelt in the crowded thoroughfare before the despised Nazarene, Mark 10:17.
He did not know himself. He thought he possessed that love which fulfills the Law, Romans 13:10. Our Lord desired to prove to him that he was deficient in that love, and therefore could not have the eternal life which is love. He did this by suggesting that the young ruler should renounce all and accompany Him in a self-giving for others that must end in a cross. But he shrank back. He dared not face a life of simple faith in God for the supply of temporal needs, and of absolute self-giving to a cross. For all who dare this, whatever is right and good is given back to be held and used under God's direction. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 18

1  Of the importunate widow
9  Of the Pharisee and the tax collector
15  Of Children brought to Jesus
18  A ruler would follow Jesus, but is hindered by his riches
28  The reward of those who leave all for his sake
31  He foretells his death;
35  and restores a blind man to sight

Greek Commentary for Luke 18:22

One thing thou lackest yet [ετι εν σοι λειπει]
Literally, one thing still fails thee or is wanting to thee. An old verb with the dative of personal interest. Mark 10:21 has here υστερει σε — husterei se which see note. It was an amazing compliment for one who was aiming at perfection (Matthew 19:21). The youth evidently had great charm and was sincere in his claims. [source]
Distribute [διαδος]
Second aorist active imperative of διαδιδωμι — diadidōmi (give to various ones, δια — dia -). Here Mark and Matthew simply have δος — dos (give). The rest the same in all three Gospels. [source]
Yet lackest thou one thing [ἔτι ἕν σοι λείπει]
Lit., still one thing is lacking to thee. Mark alone adds that Jesus, looking upon him, loved him. [source]
Come [δεῦρο]
Lit., hither. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 18:22

Mark 10:21 One thing thou lackest [εν σε υστερει]
Luke 18:22 has it: “One thing thou lackest yet” Possibly two translations of the same Aramaic phrase. Matthew 19:20 represents the youth as asking “What lack I yet?” The answer of Jesus meets that inquiry after more than mere outward obedience to laws and regulations. The verb υστερω — husterō is from the adjective υστερος — husteros (behind) and means to be too late, to come short, to fail of, to lack. It is used either with the accusative, as here, or with the ablative as in 2 Corinthians 11:5, or the dative as in Textus Receptus here, σοι — soi f0). [source]
Titus 1:5 Left I thee in Crete [απελειπον σε εν Κρητηι]
This is the imperfect active of απολειπω — apoleipō though MSS. give the aorist active also Late and rare double compound (inscriptions, here only in N.T.), first aorist middle subjunctive (final clause with ινα — hina) of επιδιορτοω — epidiorthoō to set straight (ορτοω — orthoō) thoroughly (δια — dia) in addition (επι — epi), a clean job of it. The things that were wanting “The things that remain.” See note on 2 Timothy 3:13; Luke 18:22. Either things left undone or things that survive. In both senses the new pastor faces problems after the tornado has passed. Parry takes it “of present defects” in Cretan character. And appoint (και καταστησηις — kai katastēsēis). Final clause still and first aorist active subjunctive of κατιστημι — kathistēmi the word used in Acts 6:13 about the deacons. The word does not preclude the choice by the churches (in every city, κατα πολιν — kata polin distributive use of κατα — kata). This is a chief point in the επιδορτωσις — epidorthōsis (White). Elders See note on 1 Timothy 3:2; 1 Timothy 4:14. As I gave thee charge (ως εγω σοι διεταχαμην — hōs egō soi dietaxamēn). First aorist (constative) middle imperative of διατασσω — diatassō clear reference to previous personal details given to Titus on previous occasions. [source]
Titus 1:5 The things that were wanting [τα λειποντα]
“The things that remain.” See note on 2 Timothy 3:13; Luke 18:22. Either things left undone or things that survive. In both senses the new pastor faces problems after the tornado has passed. Parry takes it “of present defects” in Cretan character. And appoint (και καταστησηις — kai katastēsēis). Final clause still and first aorist active subjunctive of κατιστημι — kathistēmi the word used in Acts 6:13 about the deacons. The word does not preclude the choice by the churches (in every city, κατα πολιν — kata polin distributive use of κατα — kata). This is a chief point in the επιδορτωσις — epidorthōsis (White). Elders See note on 1 Timothy 3:2; 1 Timothy 4:14. As I gave thee charge (ως εγω σοι διεταχαμην — hōs egō soi dietaxamēn). First aorist (constative) middle imperative of διατασσω — diatassō clear reference to previous personal details given to Titus on previous occasions. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 18:22 mean?

Having heard then - Jesus said to him Yet one thing to you is lacking All as much as you have sell and distribute to [the] poor you will have treasure in the heavens come follow Me
Ἀκούσας δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἔτι ἕν σοι λείπει πάντα ὅσα ἔχεις πώλησον καὶ διάδος πτωχοῖς ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι

Ἀκούσας  Having  heard 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
εἶπεν  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ἔτι  Yet 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἔτι  
Sense: yet, still.
ἕν  one  thing 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: εἷς  
Sense: one.
σοι  to  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
λείπει  is  lacking 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λείπω  
Sense: to leave, leave behind, forsake, to be left behind.
ὅσα  as  much  as 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: ὅσος  
Sense: as great as, as far as, how much, how many, whoever.
ἔχεις  you  have 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἔχω  
Sense: to have, i.e. to hold.
πώλησον  sell 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: πωλέω  
Sense: to barter, to sell.
διάδος  distribute 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: διαδίδωμι  
Sense: to distribute, divide among several.
πτωχοῖς  to  [the]  poor 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: πτωχός  
Sense: reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms.
ἕξεις  you  will  have 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἔχω  
Sense: to have, i.e. to hold.
θησαυρὸν  treasure 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: θησαυρός  
Sense: the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up.
οὐρανοῖς  heavens 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: οὐρανός  
Sense: the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it.
δεῦρο  come 
Parse: Verb, Imperative, 2nd Person Singular
Root: δεῦρο  
Sense: of place,.
ἀκολούθει  follow 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἀκολουθέω  
Sense: to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him.
μοι  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.