Matthew 6:19

New Testament

19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and devouring insect destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Jerusalem Peah

Jerusalem Talmud
Rabbinic

It happened that Manobaz had squandered his father’s wealth to charity. His brothers admonished him: “Your father gathered treasure and you wasted it all!” He replied: “My father laid up treasure where human hands control it; I laid it up where no hands control it. My father laid up a treasure of money; I laid up a treasure of souls. My father laid up treasure for this world; I laid up treasure for the heavenly world.”

 Notes and References

"... Allen cited the Testament of Levi 13:6, “Do righteousness, my sons, upon earth, that you may have treasure in heaven.” By way of commentary Albright and Mann (1971: 79) cited from Bava Batra 11a and Tosefta Peah 4:18 two sayings of King Monobaz of Adiabene who had embraced Judaism: “My fathers stored in a place where the hand can reach, but I have stored in a place where the hand cannot reach,” and “My fathers gathered for this world, but I have gathered for the future world.” Davies and Allison provide a few more lines in their quotation of King Monobaz and call attention to Tobit 4:8–9, Psalms of Solomon. 9:5, 2 Baruch 24:1; Sirach 29:10–13; Gospel of Thomas 76; and a number of other texts. Keener also provides a very helpful survey, with full bibliography, on the attitudes toward wealth and possessions in the Graeco-Roman and Jewish literature ..."

McDaniel, Thomas F. How did “rust” get into Matt 6:19–20 and “purses” get into Luke 12:33? (pp. 1-19) Palmer Theological Seminary, 2006

 User Comments

Do you have questions or comments about these texts? Please submit them here.