What Does Luke 18:19 Mean?
And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good, except the one, God.
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 Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.THE KEY
Jesus makes “good” point beyond a passing compliment to its source and measure: God.
THE MEANING
The question makes the word “good” stop functioning as casual praise. Its fullest measure is God, the one named as good here. The verse leaves the reader looking more closely at what goodness means when it is attributed to anyone.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It unsettles the idea that goodness is a self-contained human possession or an easy compliment detached from its source.
THE ROOT
ἀγαθόν
agathon
GROWS FROM
ἀγαθ-
Greek adjective stem
Good, beneficial, or sound in quality.
English can make “good” sound like a free-standing compliment. The Greek word family carries goodness into being good and doing good, while Jesus’ answer presses the praise back to its source and measure: God.
ALSO GROWS
agathōsynē: Goodness
ἀγαθωσύνη
The related noun shows that the word family names goodness as a quality, not only a polite compliment.
agathopoieō: Do good
ἀγαθοποιέω
This related verb carries the same stem into action, linking goodness with what is done.
THE PATTERN
Scripture anchors goodness in God: God is good, good gifts come from above, and God’s will is called good.
O taste and see that the LORD is good. Flourishing is the strong one who takes shelter in him.Every good giving and every complete gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shifting and no shadow cast by turning.Do not take the shape of this age, but be reshaped by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test what is the good, well-pleasing, and complete will of God.THE THREAD
Every good giving and every complete gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no shifting and no shadow cast by turning.“Good” in Luke and “good” in James share the Greek stem ἀγαθ-. Luke names God as the source and measure of goodness; James uses that same word family for gifts that come from above.
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