Bible Strands
Mark 10:24
And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples immediately after identifying the rich as the primary example of spiritual difficulty, repeating His declaration to emphasize the point.
The words — The Greek ἐθαμβοῦντο (ethambounto) records the disciples’ astonishment, and αὐτοῦ (autou) specifies that their wonder targets Jesus’ immediate teaching.
The thread — This theme of wealth’s spiritual danger recurs in Proverbs 11:28, James 5:1, and Psalms 52:7, which warn against trusting in riches rather than God.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that spiritual entry requires abandoning self-sufficient reliance on material security, regardless of one’s status.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
Cross-references
- Proverbs 11:28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
- James 5:1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
- Psalms 52:7 “Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.”
- 1 Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.
- Revelation 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
- Proverbs 18:11 A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; it is like a high wall in his imagination.
- Psalms 62:10 Place no trust in extortion or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
- Luke 12:16 Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance.
- Luke 16:14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.
- Job 31:24 If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security,