What Does Luke 18:18 Mean?
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to receive as my portion the life of the ages?
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?THE KEY
The question asks for a task, but its own word “inherit” describes life as a share received.
THE MEANING
You reach for life that belongs to the ages, and frame your longing as a question about what action will secure it. Yet “inherit” speaks of receiving a share; the sentence holds the urge to achieve beside the language of belonging.
THE ROOT
κληρονομήσω
klēronomēsō
GROWS FROM
κληρ- (klēr-), from κλῆρος
A lot, portion, or share allotted to someone.
“receive as my portion” in this verse is klēronomēsō. The verb for inheriting grows from the language of an allotted share. Beside the question’s “what shall I do,” it brings receiving and achieving into tension.
ALSO GROWS
klēros: lot; allotted share
κλῆρος
The share at the root of inheritance makes the verse’s language of receiving concrete.
klēronomos: heir
κληρονόμος
An heir receives a share through belonging to the household, not by making the inheritance.
klēronomia: inheritance; allotted possession
κληρονομία
This related noun names the portion itself, keeping the focus on what is received.
αἰώνιον
aiōnion
GROWS FROM
αἰών-
aiōn-
Age, era, or span of time.
The adjective belongs to the word for an age. “Eternal life” can therefore open onto the life of the ages, describing its belonging and quality as well as its duration.
ALSO GROWS
aiōn: age; era
αἰών
This is the core word beneath “eternal,” bringing the ages into view.
aiōnios: of the age; age-related
αἰώνιος
The adjective used here links the life in question to the age.
aiōnes: ages
αἰῶνες
The plural form keeps the language of life connected to the ages, rather than reducing it to a measure of duration.
ποιήσας
poiēsas
GROWS FROM
ποιε-
poie-
Do, make, or bring about.
The question reaches for something to do that will secure life. Beside the root of “inherit,” this verb reveals the tension between making an outcome and receiving a share.
ALSO GROWS
poiēma: a thing made; workmanship
ποίημα
This related word names what has been made, showing the root’s sense of producing or forming.
poiētēs: doer; maker
ποιητής
This branch describes one who acts or makes, echoing the question’s search for a decisive deed.
THE PATTERN
Life and inheritance are pictured as a received share grounded in relation, rather than a reward manufactured by a task.
And the LORD spoke unto Aaron, You shall have no holding in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your holding among the children of Israel.And this is the life of the ages, that they might know you, the only God of truth, and Jesus, the Anointed One, whom you have sent.And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and co-heirs with the Anointed One; if indeed we suffer together with him, so that we may also be clothed in weight with him.THE THREAD
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and co-heirs with the Anointed One; if indeed we suffer together with him, so that we may also be clothed in weight with him.The Greek word translated “heirs” comes from the same κληρ- family as “inherit” here. The verse answers the question’s tension by placing the share within the language of being children.
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