complete verse (Matthew 6:21)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 6:21:

  • Uma: “For wherever the storing-place of our (incl.) goods, there also is our (incl.) heart.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For wherever your wealth is stored that is also where your liver stays.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And where your wealth is, there also is your breath.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because the place of your wealth, that also is the place of your mind/thoughts.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because it’s true that whevever your (sing.) wealth is, of course there is where your mind will always be.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “If you think that in heaven there is what is of greatest value, then only that will fill your hearts.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Matthew 6:19-21)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Matthew 6:19-21:

Don’t accumulate treasures here on earth,
where they can be destroyed by insects and rust,
       or stolen by thieves.

Instead, store up your treasures in heaven,
       where no harm can come to them.

Translation commentary on Matthew 6:21

Jesus does not give an indication how one stores up treasures in heaven or what they consist of; he does indicate that it is a matter of the proper orientation of one’s heart. The real question is whether God or riches rules a person’s heart, and behind Jesus’ words stands the demand for singleness of devotion. Good News Translation reverses the order of the two Greek clauses by translating “For your heart will always be where your riches are.” The same order is followed by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch.

Heart here refers to your concerns, interests, your feelings about things. The idea, then, is that you devote time and concern to the things that are valuable to you. Thus the verse can be rendered “For your devotion will be to what is valuable to you,” “Make the things in heaven the ones you value, because the thing you always think of is the place where your valuables are,” or “Because if the things of greatest value to you are the things of God, then those are what you will always be concerned with.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 6:21

6:21

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the basis for the commands in 6:19–20. Jesus commanded his followers:

19aDo not lay up treasures on earth, 20abut lay up treasures in heaven. 21For/Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In some languages, it is more natural to put the basis for the commands (in 6:21) before the commands. For example:

21Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 19⌊So/Therefore,⌋ do not lay up for yourselves…

In some languages, no conjunction or phrase is needed to introduce 6:21.

where your treasure is, there your heart will be also: This sentence refers to the fact that a person’s thoughts and actions will be focused on those things that he values most. A person who desires material things will spend his life trying to accumulate material things. A person who desires things that please God will spend his life trying to please God.

Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:

The place where your treasures are stored, at that same place will also be your heart/thoughts

-or-

Your thoughts will want to be at the place where the things you value are.

heart: The word the Berean Standard Bible translates as heart refers to your inner life, your thoughts and desires. For the word heart, use a term that is normally used in your language for “inner life.” It may be a different organ such as “liver” or “throat.” Or it may be a more general term such as “insides” or “spirit.” See how you translated heart in 5:8.

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