Mat 19:16 | NET2full | STEP | Now someone came up to him and said , “ Teacher , what good thing must I do to gain eternal life ?”

‏ Matthew 19:16

The Rich Young Man

16 Now ^{▼▼tn Grk “And behold one came.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.} someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” ^{▼▼sn Here the questioner asks how to gain eternal life. In several places Matthew uses “life” or “eternal life” in proximity with “the kingdom of heaven” or merely “the kingdom,” suggesting a close relationship between the two concepts (compare Matt 25:34 with v. 46; Matt 19:16, 17, 29 with vv. 23, 24). Matthew consistently portrays “eternal life” as something a person enters in the world to come, whereas the Gospel of John sees “eternal life” as beginning in the present and continuing into the future (cf. John 5:24).}