Matthew 19:26 With men this is impossible...

Spoken to: 

Apostles

The apostles were astounded at being told that a rich man has a hard time entering into the realm of the divine.

KJV: 

Matthew 19:26 With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

NIV : 

Matthew 19:26 With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

LISTENERS HEARD: 

Aligned with people, this is impossible. Aligned v, however, divinity everything is possible.

MY TAKE: 

Perpetual life is found only in Eternal Being.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

GREEK ORDER: 

Παρὰ             ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο ἀδύνατόν    ἐστιν, “παρὰ      δὲ           θεῷ        πάντα            δυνατά.”
Aligned with people,       this    impossible. is        Aligned , however, divinity everything is possible.

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

The two "with" prepositions in this verse are not the common word translated as "with." Instead, it is a preposition that means "by the side of," from with we get the word "parallel."  The sense is that there are two sides, men and God and that we align with one or the other.

This is a rare time when Jesus does not use an article with the word translated as "God."

The word "saved" did not have the same meaning in Jesus's time and to the apostles as it does in a religious sense now, but it did have the same general sense of "rescue." We talk today about medicine saving lives, good habits saving lives, a rescue from a burning building saving lives, or spending more money saving lives. But we mean only extending life for a limited time. Everyone who has been born on earth has or will die an earthly death among men. The only way our lives are rescued is by being enfolded in the eternal.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

2
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "with" is not the common word usually translated as "with."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "with" is not the common word usually translated as "with."

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

3
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "with" is not the common word usually translated as "with."
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "man" is translated as singular but the Greek word is plural, "men."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "with" is not the common word usually translated as "with."

EACH WORD of KJV : 

With  - (CW)  The Greek preposition translated as "with" has many meanings, many of which depend on the case of its object. With the dative, used here, the sense is static, "beside," "by the side of," "near," and "before." It can mean "with" but in the sense of "beside."

men  - The Greek word for "men" means "person" and "humanity" in the singular and "people" and "peoples" in the plural. Here it is plural.

this  - -- The word translated as "this" means "from here" or "this/that thing. It is singular, neuter and either the subject or object of verb.

is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.  It is part of the first clause, but it also works as the verb in the second, except for the conjunction, which is always in the second position in the clause,.

impossible; - "Impossible" is from an adjective that means "unable to do a thing," "without power," and "powerless." Of things, it means "impossible," and "unrealizable." It comes from the negative of the word means "having power." A word that is often translated as "can" in Greek. Jesus only uses this word three times.

but -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but," "however," and "on the other hand." It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.  

with  - (CW) "With" is from a preposition that means "besides," "from," "near," and "by the side of." With the dative   as used here, the sense is always static, "by the side of," "near," "in the presence of," and "before." It is not the common preposition that is usually translated as "with."

God -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God," "the Divine" or "the divine one." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.

all  - The word translated as "all things" is one word meaning "all," "the whole," "every," and similar ideas. It is in the plural, so we would say "everything."

things  - There is no word, "things," in the Greek source, but this word comes from the neuter, plural form of the previous adjective.

are -- There is no verb "are" in the Greek source. It is implied by the equating of "all things" with "possible" both in the Greek form of subjects.

possible.  - "Possible" is from an adjective that means "strong," "mighty," and "practicable." Of things, it means "possible." It is the noun form of the verb means "having power." A word that is often translated as "can" in the Greek.

EACH WORD of NIV : 

With  - (CW) "With" is from a preposition that means "besides," "from," "near," and "by the side of."

man - (WN) The Greek word for "man " means "person" and "humanity" in the singular and "people" and "peoples" in the plural. Here it is plural.

this  - -- The word translated as "this" means "from here" or "this/that thing. It is singular, neuter and either the subject or object of verb.

is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. 

impossible; - "Impossible" is from an adjective that means "unable to do a thing," "without power," and "powerless." Of things, it means "impossible," and "unrealizable." It comes from the negative of the word means "having power." A word that is often translated as "can" in Greek. Jesus only uses this word three times.

but -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but," "however," and "on the other hand." It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.  

with  - (CW) "With" is from a preposition that means "besides," "from," "near," and "by the side of."

God -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God," "the Divine" or "the divine one." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.

all  - The word translated as "all things" is one word meaning "all," "the whole," "every," and similar ideas. It is in the plural, so we would say "everything."

things  - There is no word, "things," in the Greek source, but this word comes from the neuter, plural form of the previous adjective.

are -- There is no verb "are" in the Greek source. It is implied by the equating of "all things" with "possible" both in the Greek form of subjects.

possible.  - "Possible" is from an adjective that means "strong," "mighty," and "practicable." Of things, it means "possible." It is the noun form of the verb means "having power." A word that is often translated as "can" in the Greek.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

Παρὰ  [45 verses](prep) "With" is para, has many meanings, which depend on the case of its object and the sense of the verb. With the genitive, the sense is always motion, "from the side of," "from beside," "issuing from", and generally "from." With the dative, the sense is always static, "by the side of," "near," "in the presence of," and "before." With the accusative, its has a number of specialized meanings depending on the character of the verb, with coming/going "near," "beside," with placing "side-by-side," as a metaphor, "like" or "as a parody of, of comparison, "compared with" and many more including "along", "past", "beyond", "parallel (geometry)", "precisely at the moment of (time)," and "throughout (time)."

ἀνθρώποις [209 verses](noun pl masc dat) "Man" is from anthropos, which is "man," and, in plural, "mankind." It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate.

τοῦτο [93 verses](adj sg neut nom/acc) "This" is from touto, which means "from here," "from there," "this [thing]," or "that [thing]."

ἀδύνατόν [3 verses](adj sg masc/fem/neut acc) "Impossible" is adynatos, which means "unable to do a thing," "without power," "powerless," "without strength," "without skill," "(of things) impossible," and "unrealizable." As an adverb, "weakly," and "feebly."

ἐστιν, (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Is" is from eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," and "is possible."

παρὰ (prep) "With" is from para, which means "beside," "from the side of," "from beside,," "from," "issuing from," "near," "by," "with," "along," "past," "beyond," "parallel (geometry)," "like (metaphor)," "a parody of (metaphor)," "precisely at the moment of (time)," and "throughout (time)."

δὲ (partic) "But" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").

θεῷ [144 verses]( noun sg masc dat) "God" is from theos, which means "God," "divine," and "Deity."

πάντα [212 verses](adj pl neut nom) "All things" is from pas, which means "all," "the whole," "every," "anyone," "all kinds," and "anything." In the adverbial form, it means "every way," "on every side," "in every way," and "altogether."

δυνατά.” [9 verses](adj pl neut nom) "Possible" is dynatos, which means "strong," "mighty," (of things) "possible," "powerful," "influential," "able to produce," "productive," (of things) "possible," and "practicable."

Related Verses: 

Possible Symbolic Meaning: 

No matter how long the average person lives, life is short, an eye blink in eternity. In comparison with the vast expanse of time, the longest surviving person doesn't live much longer than a baby who dies at birth. There is no value to any single life or life in general in a physical sense alone. Life only has meaning because life is bigger than the physical world alone. Every life spans the vast distance between the physical world to the timeless realm of God.

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings: 

Saving someone from death is impossible for humans. For God, however, everything is possible.

Front Page Date: 

May 1 2021