Bible Strands
Matthew 19:20
“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The young man addresses Jesus immediately after being given a list of commandments, asking what he still lacks.
The words — The Greek νεανίσκος (neaniskos) literally means "young man," and ἐφύλαξα (ephulaxa) translates to "I have kept."
The thread — This exchange parallels Mark 10:20, where the same figure claims to have kept all commandments from his youth, while Galatians 3:24 and Philippians 3:6 frame the law as a temporary guardian and a standard of human righteousness.
Why it lands — The text states a claim of complete obedience and follows it with a question about remaining deficiency, demanding a direct inventory of personal compliance against divine standards.
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
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Cross-references
- Galatians 3:24 So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
- Mark 10:20 “Teacher,” he replied, “all these I have kept from my youth.”
- Philippians 3:6 as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
- Luke 15:7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent.
- Luke 15:29 But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
- Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
- Luke 18:21 “All these I have kept from my youth,” he said.
- John 8:7 When they continued to question Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.”
- Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
- Romans 7:9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.