The Meaning of Matthew 19:29 Explained

Matthew 19:29

KJV: And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

YLT: and every one who left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for my name's sake, an hundredfold shall receive, and life age-during shall inherit;

Darby: And every one who has left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit life eternal.

ASV: And every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  every  one  that hath forsaken  houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for my  name's  sake,  shall receive  an hundredfold,  and  shall inherit  everlasting  life. 

What does Matthew 19:29 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Not only the12Apostles but every self-sacrificing disciple will receive a reward for his or her sacrifice. Jesus meant that everyone who makes a sacrifice to follow Him will receive much more than he or she sacrificed as a reward. He did not mean that if one sacrifices one house he or she will receive100 houses, much less100 mothers or100 fathers, etc. If a disciple leaves a parent to follow Jesus, he or she will find many more people who will be as a parent to him or her in the kingdom. God is no man"s debtor. Additionally that person will inherit eternal life. That Isaiah , he or she will enter into the enjoyment of his or her eternal life in the kingdom as heirs for whom their heavenly Father has prepared many blessings.
"We must remember that eternal life in the Bible is not a static entity, a mere gift of regeneration that does not continue to grow and blossom. No, it is a dynamic relationship with Christ Himself [1]." [2]
Other passages that present eternal life as something the believer must work to obtain are Matthew 19:16; Mark 10:17; Mark 10:30; Luke 10:25; Luke 18:18; Luke 18:30; John 12:25-26; Romans 2:7; Romans 6:22; and Galatians 6:8. Eternal life is quantitative as well as qualitative.

Context Summary

Matthew 19:23-30 - Riches In The Kingdom
Money is not an unmixed good. It brings in its train many temptations. It is easier to bear poverty than wealth-easier to be a saint when life is hard than when prosperity lavishes her gifts.
When the Pope was showing St. Francis of Assisi the treasures of the Vatican, he remarked: "We can hardly say with the Apostle, "˜Silver and gold have we none.'" Francis replied aptly and incisively: "Yes, holy father, and I suppose we can hardly say either, "˜Rise up and walk.'" Often it is in the poverty of earthly circumstances that the soul becomes possessed of an authority which wealth cannot buy.
What compensations there will be hereafter in the times of the restitution of all things! See Acts 3:21. Then the unsatisfied yearnings for husband, wife, or child; the love which craved for love; the lonely, the homeless, the pilgrim, will neither hunger nor thirst, because the Lamb will lead him to the fountains of waters of life. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 19

1  Jesus heals the sick;
3  answers the Pharisees concerning divorce;
10  shows when marriage is necessary;
13  receives the little children;
16  instructs the young man how to attain eternal life;
20  and how to be perfect;
23  tells his disciples how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God;
27  and promises reward to those who forsake all to follow him

Greek Commentary for Matthew 19:29

A hundredfold [εκατονπλασιονα]
But Westcott and Hort read πολλαπλασιονα — pollaplasiona manifold. Eternal life is the real reward. [source]
Every one [πᾶς]
Compare 2 Timothy 4:8, “toall them that love his appearing.” “Not only apostles, nor ought Peter to have inquired only concerning them” (Bengel). The promise hitherto restricted to the apostles now becomes general. [source]
A hundred-fold [ἑκατονταπλασίονα]
But many very high authorities read πολλαπλασίονα , manifold. So Rev. in margin. Compare Mark 10:30, where there is added “houses and brethren,” etc. Also the Arabic proverb: “Purchase the next world with this; so shalt thou win both.” [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 19:29

Matthew 10:22 For my name‘s sake [δια το ονομα μου]
In the O.T. as in the Targums and the Talmud “the name” as here stands for the person (Matthew 19:29; Acts 5:41; Acts 9:16; Acts 15:26). “He that endureth to the end” Effective aorist participle with future indicative. [source]
Matthew 18:8  []
In Matthew 18:8 and Matthew 18:9 we have one of the dualities or doublets in Matthew ( Matthew 5:29-30 ). Jesus repeated his pungent sayings many times. Instead of εις γεενναν — eis geennan ( Matthew 5:29 ) we have εις το πυρ το αιωνιον — eis to pur to aiōnion and at the end of Matthew 18:9 του πυρος — tou puros is added to την γεενναν — tēn geennan This is the first use in Matthew of αιωνιος — aiōnios We have it again in Matthew 19:16 , Matthew 19:29 with ζοη — zoē in Matthew 25:41 with πυρ — pur in Matthew 25:46 with κολασιν — kolasin and ζοην — zoēn The word means ageless, without beginning or end as of God ( Romans 16:26 ), without beginning as in Romans 16:25 , without end as here and often. The effort to make it mean “ αεονιαν — aeonian ” fire will make it mean “ αεονιαν — aeonian ” life also. If the punishment is limited, ipso facto the life is shortened. In Matthew 18:9 also μονοπταλμον — monophthalmon occurs. It is an Ionic compound in Herodotus that is condemned by the Atticists, but it is revived in the vernacular Koiné . Literally one-eyed. Here only and Mark 9:47 in the New Testament. [source]
Luke 18:30 Shall not receive [ουχι μη λαβηι]
Very strong double negative with aorist active subjunctive of λαμβανω — lambanō more Late Greek word, here alone in the N.T. save Matthew 19:29 where Westcott and Hort have it though many MSS. there read εκατονπλασιονα — hekatonplasiona (a hundredfold) as in Mark 10:30. [source]
Romans 4:13 Heir of the world [κληρονόμον κόσμου]
See on divided by lot, Acts 13:19; and see on inheritance, 1 Peter 1:4. “Paul here takes the Jewish conception of the universal dominion of the Messianic theocracy prefigured by the inheritance of Canaan, divests it of its Judaistic element, and raises it to a christological truth.” Compare Matthew 19:28, Matthew 19:29; Luke 22:30. The idea underlies the phrases kingdom of God, kingdom of Heaven. [source]
1 Peter 4:14 For the name of Christ [εν ονοματι Χριστου]
“In the matter of the name of Christ.” For the idea see Matthew 5:11.; Matthew 19:29; Acts 5:41; Acts 9:16; Acts 21:13. This is the only N.T. example of just ονομα Χριστου — onoma Christou here used because of the use of Χριστιανος — Christianos in 1 Peter 4:16. For the beatitude μακαριοι — makarioi see Matthew 5:11.The Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God (το της δοχης και το του τεου πνευμα — to tēs doxēs kai to tou theou pneuma). Note repetition of the article (το — to) though πνευμα — pneuma only once. The reference is to the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Glory and of God.Resteth upon you Quotation from Isaiah 11:2. Present middle indicative of αναπαυω — anapauō to give rest, refresh (Matthew 11:28). “He rests upon the Christian as the Shechinah rested upon the tabernacle” (Bigg). Cf. 1 Peter 1:8; Matthew 3:16. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 19:29 mean?

And everyone who has left houses or brothers sisters father mother or wife children lands for the sake of - My name a hundredfold will receive life eternal will inherit
καὶ πᾶς ὅστις ἀφῆκεν οἰκίας ἀδελφοὺς ἀδελφὰς πατέρα μητέρα ‹ἢ γυναῖκα› τέκνα ἀγροὺς ἕνεκεν τοῦ μου ὀνόματός ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήμψεται ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσει

πᾶς  everyone 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
ἀφῆκεν  has  left 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀφίημι 
Sense: to send away.
οἰκίας  houses 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: οἰκία  
Sense: a house.
ἀδελφοὺς  brothers 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀδελφός  
Sense: a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother.
ἀδελφὰς  sisters 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: ἀδελφή  
Sense: a full, own sister.
πατέρα  father 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
μητέρα  mother 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: μήτηρ  
Sense: a mother.
γυναῖκα›  wife 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: γυνή  
Sense: a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow.
τέκνα  children 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: τέκνον  
Sense: offspring, children.
ἀγροὺς  lands 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀγρός  
Sense: land.
ἕνεκεν  for  the  sake  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἵνεκεν 
Sense: on account of, for the sake of, for.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μου  My 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ὀνόματός  name 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: ὄνομα  
Sense: name: univ.
ἑκατονταπλασίονα  a  hundredfold 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: ἑκατονταπλασίων  
Sense: hundredfold, a hundred times as much.
λήμψεται  will  receive 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λαμβάνω  
Sense: to take.
ζωὴν  life 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ζωή  
Sense: life.
αἰώνιον  eternal 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: αἰώνιος  
Sense: without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be.
κληρονομήσει  will  inherit 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: κληρονομέω  
Sense: to receive a lot, receive by lot.