Matthew 6 · Verse 19

Matthew 6:19

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Matthew 6:19, King James Version

Matthew 6:19 in other translations

BSB	Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
WEB	“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
ASV	Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal:
YLT	‘Treasure not up to yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust disfigure, and where thieves break through and steal,
DARBY	Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust spoils, and where thieves dig through and steal;
BBE	Make no store of wealth for yourselves on earth, where it may be turned to dust by worms and weather, and where thieves may come in by force and take it away.
Webster	Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

What does Matthew 6:19 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

Mt 6:19-34. Concluding Illustrations of the Righteousness of the Kingdom--Heavenly-Mindedness and Filial Confidence.

19. Lay not up for ourselves treasures upon earth--hoard not. where moth--a "clothes-moth." Eastern treasures, consisting partly in costly dresses stored up (Job 27:16), were liable to be consumed by moths (Job 13:28; Is 50:9; 51:8). In Jas 5:2 there is an evident reference to our Lord's words here. and rust--any "eating into" or "consuming"; here, probably, "wear and tear." doth corrupt--cause to disappear. By this reference to moth and rust our Lord would teach how perishable are such earthly treasures. and where thieves break through and steal--Treasures these, how precarious!

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures, etc. Treasures, or wealth, among the ancients, consisted in clothes, or changes of raiment, as well as in gold, silver, gems, wine, lands, and oil. It meant an abundance of anything that was held to be conducive to the ornament or comfort of life. As the Orientalists delighted much in display, in splendid equipage, and costly garments, their treasures, in fact, consisted much in beautiful and richly ornamented articles of apparel. See Gen 45:22, where Joseph gave to his brethren changes of raiment; Josh 7:21, where Achan coveted and secreted a goodly Babylonish garment. See also Jud 14:12. This fact will account for the use of the word moth. When we speak of wealth, we think at once of gold, and diver, and lands, and houses. When a Hebrew or an Orientalist spoke of wealth, he thought first of what would make display; and included, as an essential part; splendid articles of dress. The moth is a small insect that finds its way to clothes and garments, and destroys them. The moth would destroy their apparel, the rust their silver and gold; thus all their treasure would waste away.

(f) "upon earth" Prov 23:4, Lk 18:24,35, Heb 13:5

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth - What blindness is it for a man to lay up that as a treasure which must necessarily perish! A heart designed for God and eternity is terribly degraded by being fixed on those things which are subject to corruption. "But may we not lay up treasure innocently?" Yes. 1st. If you can do it without setting your heart on it, which is almost impossible: and 2dly. If there be neither widows nor orphans, destitute nor distressed persons in the place where you live. "But there is a portion which belongs to my children; shall I distribute that among the poor?" If it belongs to your children, it is not yours, and therefore you have no right to dispose of it. "But I have a certain sum in stock, etc.; shall I take that and divide it among the poor?" By no means; for, by doing so, you would put it out of your power to do good after the present division: keep your principal, and devote, if you possibly can spare it, the product to the poor; and thus you shall have the continual ability to do good. In the mean time take care not to shut up your bowels of compassion against a brother in distress; if you do, the love of God cannot dwell in you. Rust - Or canker, βρωσις, from βρωσκω, I eat, consume. This word cannot be properly applied to rust, but to any thing that consumes or cankers clothes or metals. There is a saying exactly similar to this in the Institutes of Menu: speaking of the presents made to Brahmins, he says, "It is a gem which neither thieves nor foes take away, and which never perishes." Chapter of Government, Institute 83. Where thieves do not break through - Διορυσσουσι, literally dig through, i.e. the wall, in order to get into the house. This was not a difficult matter, as the house was generally made of mud and straw, kneaded together like the cobb houses in Cornwall, and other places. See Clarke on Mat 7:27 (note).

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 6:19-24

Worldly-mindedness is a common and fatal symptom of hypocrisy, for by no sin can Satan have a surer and faster hold of the soul, under the cloak of a profession of religion. Something the soul will have, which it looks upon as the best thing; in which it has pleasure and confidence above other things. Christ counsels to make our best things the joys and glories of the other world, those things not seen which are eternal, and to place our happiness in them. There are treasures in heaven. It is our wisdom to give all diligence to make our title to eternal life sure through Jesus Christ, and to look on all things here below, as not worthy to be compared with it, and to be content with nothing short of it. It is happiness above and beyond the changes and chances of time, an inheritance incorruptible. The worldly man is wrong in his first principle; therefore all his reasonings and actions therefrom must be wrong. It is equally to be applied to false religion; that which is deemed light is thick darkness. This is an awful, but a common case; we should therefore carefully examine our leading principles by the word of God, with earnest prayer for the teaching of his Spirit. A man may do some service to two masters, but he can devote himself to the service of no more than one. God requires the whole heart, and will not share it with the world. When two masters oppose each other, no man can serve both. He who holds to the world and loves it, must despise God; he who loves God, must give up the friendship of the world.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Matthew 6:19 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ΜὴMēNotG3361

θησαυρίζετεthēsaurizetedo store upG2343

ὑμῖνhuminfor yourselvesG4771

θησαυροὺςthēsauroustreasuresG2344

ἐπὶepiuponG1909

τῆςtēstheG3588

γῆς,gēsearth,G1093

ὅπουhopouwhereG3699

σὴςsēsmothG4597

καὶkaiandG2532

βρῶσιςbrōsisrustG1035

ἀφανίζειaphanizeidestroyG853

καὶkaiandG2532

ὅπουhopouwhereG3699

κλέπταιkleptaithievesG2812

διορύσσουσινdiorussousinbreak inG1358

καὶkaiandG2532

κλέπτουσιν·kleptousinsteal;G2813

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 6:19

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
1 John 2:15-16
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Luke 12:21
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Proverbs 23:4-5
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
James 5:1-3
Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
Proverbs 11:4
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Proverbs 16:16
How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
1 Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
1 Timothy 6:8-10
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Luke 18:22
Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luke 12:33
Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-14
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Job 31:24; Ps 39:6; 62:10; Pr 11:4; 16:16; 23:5; Ec 2:26; 5:10-14
Zep 1:18; Lu 12:21; 18:24; 1Ti 6:8-10,17; Heb 13:5; Jas 5:1-3
1Jo 2:15,16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Matthew 6:18
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:19
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Matthew 6:20
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Read all of Matthew 6

Matthew 6:19 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	No os hagáis tesoros en la tierra, donde la polilla y el orín corrompe, y donde ladrones minan y hurtan;
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Ne vous amassez pas des trésors sur la terre, où la teigne et la rouille gâtent, et où les voleurs percent et dérobent;
German Elberfelder 1871	Sammelt euch nicht Schätze auf der Erde, wo Motte und Rost zerstört, und wo Diebe durchgraben und stehlen;
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Nolite thesaurizare vobis thesauros in terra: ubi ærugo, et tinea demolitur: et ubi fures effodiunt, et furantur.