Bible Strands
Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the disciples immediately after they voice astonishment over the impossibility of a rich man’s salvation. He speaks to them in direct response to their question about who can ultimately be saved.
The words — The participle ἐμβλέψας (emblepsas) means “having looked on [them],” marking a deliberate gaze before speech. The preposition παρὰ (para) literally translates to “with” or “from the standpoint of,” structuring the contrast between human and divine capacity.
The thread — This declaration aligns with Jeremiah 32:27, which identifies God as the Lord over all flesh with no task too difficult, and Luke 1:37, which guarantees no word from God will fail. It parallels Job 42:2’s acknowledgment that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted.
Why it lands — The text states human inability as the premise before declaring divine capability as the only resolution. It requires the reader to cease relying on personal resourcefulness and submit to God’s power for salvation.
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
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?
- Luke 1:37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
- Job 42:2 “I know that You can do all things and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted.
- Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
- Luke 18:27 But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
- Jeremiah 32:17 “Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!
- Genesis 18:14 Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”
- Psalms 62:11 God has spoken once; I have heard this twice: that power belongs to God,
- Numbers 11:23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not My word will come to pass.”
- Zechariah 8:6 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “If this is impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be impossible in My eyes?” declares the LORD of Hosts.