Section 10:17–31
Jesus taught about entering the kingdom of God
A young man asked Jesus how he could obtain eternal life. Jesus gave an answer that was well known to Jews. He told the man to obey God’s commands. The man said that he had been obeying God’s commands since he was a child.
Jesus then told the young man that he still needed to do one thing (10:21). He needed to give away his riches and follow Jesus. But the young man did not follow Jesus’ advice. The man was rich (10:22). He valued his riches too highly to give them up to follow Jesus.
Jesus used the young man as an example to explain that it is hard for rich people to devote themselves to God and his kingdom (10:23–25). He said that unless God makes it possible, neither a rich person nor anyone else is able to enter heaven (10:27).
Jesus promised that those who had left their possessions and family behind to serve him would receive great rewards (10:29–31).
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus taught that riches make it difficult to obtain eternal life
-or-
A Rich Young Man’s Question (New Century Version)
-or-
The rich young man (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Riches hinder rather than help in seeking to enter the kingdom of God
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 19:16–30 and Luke 18:18–30.
Paragraph 10:17–22
10:17a
The events in the story in 10:17–31 happened sometime after the events in 10:13–16. The Greek text does not indicate how much time passed between these two stories. In some languages, it is natural to begin a story with a time word or phrase. If this is true in your language, use an expression here that is not too specific. For example:
Then
-or-
After that
In other languages, a time word or phrase is not necessary. Introduce this story in a natural way in your language.
As Jesus started on His way: The expression As Jesus started on His way indicates that Jesus began a journey. Soon after he started, the events in 10:17b occurred.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
As Jesus started to leave (New Century Version)
-or-
He was beginning a journey when
Jesus: Here the Greek text is literally the pronoun “he” (as in the Revised Standard Version). The pronoun “he” refers to Jesus. Since this is the beginning of a new section, it may be natural in your language to use the name Jesus here.
It is clear from 10:23 that Jesus’ disciples were with him. In some languages it may be clearer to make this information explicit here at the beginning of the story. For example:
Jesus and his disciples
10:17b
a man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a man is literally “one.” It refers to a man who is mentioned here for the first time in this story. Introduce him in a natural way in your language.
ran up: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ran up is literally “ran.” It indicates that the man ran to Jesus. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word up to make the clause sound more natural in English.
knelt before Him: The expression knelt before Him means to kneel or bow down in front of someone to show respect. It often indicates also that a person wanted to make an earnest request.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
knelt before him to show humility
-or-
bowed low before him
A similar expression occurs in 5:22b and 5:33b.
10:17c
Good Teacher: The phrase Good Teacher means “teacher who is morally good, upright, or holy.” It does not refer to a teacher who teaches well.
In some languages it may not be natural to use a description like “good” as part of a person’s title when you are addressing that person. If that is true in your language, you may want to put the word “good” in a different phrase. For example:
Sir teacher, you are a good person.
Teacher: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Teacher was a polite title for a Jewish religious leader. It was a title of respect for a Jewish man who had authority to teach the things about God. In some languages the appropriate way to address a religious teacher may be:
Sir Teacher
-or-
Sir
-or-
Master
Be careful not to use a term that can refer only to a school teacher. See how you translated this word in 4:38c or 9:17b.
he asked: The Berean Standard Bible places the words he asked in the middle of the man’s words. In Greek, he asked occurs before the man’s words. Put the words he asked in a place that is natural in your language.
what must I do to inherit eternal life?: This is a real question. The man was asking what religious duty or deed he should perform in order to receive eternal life.
Here are some other ways to translate this question:
…what can I do to have eternal life? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
…what deed should I do so that I may live eternally?
to inherit: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as inherit means “acquire, obtain.” The man wanted to know what deed would cause God to give him eternal life in heaven.
Here i another way to translate this:
so that I may receive
In some languages, it may be necessary to say from whom the man expected to obtain eternal life. If that is true in your language, you may need to supply the information that it is God who gives that life. For example:
so that God will give me eternal life
eternal life: The word eternal refers to something that does not end. The phrase eternal life refers to life in heaven with God.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
unending life
-or-
life that never ends
In some languages, a literal translation of eternal life would wrongly mean that the man hoped to live forever without dying. If that is true in your language, it may be necessary to supply some implied information. For example:
unending life in heaven
-or-
to live forever with God after I die
In some languages, it may be best to translate life as a verb. For example:
to live eternally/forever
-or-
so that God will cause me to live forever in heaven
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