Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 16:26
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
26. and lose his own soul ] The Greek word translated “life” in the preceding verse is here translated “soul,” which is life in its highest phase.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mat 16:26
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
The great exchange
1. The text assumes a certain inherent dignity in the human soul itself.
2. The folly of those competing rivalries, on account of which men seem willing that this inestimably precious soul should be lost. (D. Moore. M. A.)
The value of the soul
1. In its origin.
2. In its operations.
3. In its redemption. (J. Sherman.)
Lost
What volumes of meaning there are in that one word lost. A ship lost-a traveller lost-a brother lost-a parent lost-and, notwithstanding every effort to save, all as nothing to a lost soul. (C. T. Pizey, B. A.)
An appeal to the young
I. The nature of the soul.
1. The soul is the seat of thought.
2. The soul is the subject of moral government.
3. The soul is the heir of immortality.
II. The worth of the soul.
1. Refer to the great atonement as the most magnificent proof of the souls worth.
2. To the triumphant joy awakened in heaven by the conversion of one sinner from the error of his ways.
3. To the certain anticipations of misery or bliss which await each soul as it passes into eternity. (J. Morison, D. D.)
The foolish bargain
The man who, for the sake of worldly happiness, shall lose his soul, makes a foolish bargain.
I. Explain and prove this. In order to judge of a bargain we must take into account the thing bought, and the price paid for it. Worldly happiness is considerable, but it must come to an end.
II. The worth of the soul. It is the most excellent part of man. It will never die. The value of a thing is often best known when it is lost. How greatly you are concerned in this. (E. Cooper.)
The worth of the soul
In order to elucidate the meaning of the text-
I. Institute a comparison between the things which are here set in competition with each other.
1. By “the world,” we are to understand pleasure, riches, and honour. This, if considered in itself, is vile. It is earthly in its nature. It is unsatisfying in its use. It is transitory in its continuance. If it be considered as it has been estimated by the best judges, it is worthless (Heb 2:8-9; Ecc 1:14; Php 3:8; Joh 6:15; Joh 17:16).
2. The soul, on the contrary, if considered in itself, is noble. It is exalted in its origin (Heb 12:9). Capacious in its powers. Eternal in its duration. Doomed to everlasting happiness or misery. As estimated by the best judges, it is invaluable (Act 20:24). The gift of Gods Son to die for it-of infinite value in His sight. Such being the disparity between the value of the world and that of the soul, we are prepared to-
II. See the result of the comparison. We suppose, for argument sake, that a man may possess the whole world. We suppose also that, after having possessed it for awhile, he loses his own soul. What, in the issue, would he be profited?
1. Enquire concerning this in general. Would carnal enjoyments compensate for the loss of heaven? Would transient pleasures counterbalance an eternity of glory? Would he have anything to mitigate his pain (Luk 16:24)?
2. Enquire more particularly. These questions are strong appeals to our hearts and consciences. They bid defiance to all the arts of sophistry. Let the lover of pleasure etc., etc., ask, What shall it profit me, etc.? Conclusion: Which have I more regarded hitherto, the world, or my own soul? Which do I intend in future to prefer, etc.? (C. Simeon.)
Caring more for the body than for the soul
Two things a master commits to his servants care, saith one: the child and the childs clothes. It will be a poor excuse for the servant to say, at his masters return, Sir, here are all the childs clothes, neat and clean, but the child is lost! Much so with the account that many will give to God of their souls and bodies at the great day. Lord, here is my body; I was very grateful for it; I neglected nothing that belonged to its content and welfare; but as for my soul, that is lost and cast away for ever. I took little care and thought about it. (Flavel.)
The value and loss of the soul
1. Every man has a soul of his own.
2. It is possible for the soul to be lost; and there is danger of it.
3. If the soul is lost, it is the sinners own losing; and his blood is on his own head.
4. One soul is worth more than all the world.
5. The winning of the world is often the losing of the soul.
6. The loss of the soul cannot be made up by the gain of the whole world.
7. If the soul be once lost, it is lost for ever; and the loss can never be repaired or retrieved. (Matthew Henry.)
What is a man profited?
1. The good in the gain is imaginary and fantastical; the evil in the loss is real and substantial.
2. The good in the gain is convertible into evil; the evil in the loss is never to be improved into good.
3. The good in the gain is narrow and particular; the evil in the loss is large and universal.
4. The good in the gain is mixed and sophisticated; the evil in the loss is pure and unmingled.
5. The good in the gain is full of intermissions; the evil in the loss is continual.
6. The good in the gain is short and transitory; the evil in the loss is eternal. (Dr. J. Scott.)
Profit and loss
I. The souls worth:
(1) nature;
(2) capacities;
(3) immortality;
(4) purchase-price.
II. The souls loss, is loss of
(1) holiness;
(2) happiness;
(3) heaven;
(4) hope.
III. Enforce the question:
(1) gain uncertain, loss inevitable;
(2) gain imaginary, loss positive;
(3) gain temporary, loss irretrievable. (Pulpit Germs.)
Value of souls
A converted Jew, pleading for the cause of the society through whose instrumentality he had been brought to a knowledge of Christianity, was opposed by a learned gentleman, who spoke very lightly of the objects of the society and its efforts, and said he did not suppose they would convert more than a hundred altogether. Be it so, replied the Jew; you are a skilful calculator; take your pen now, and calculate the worth of one hundred immortal souls!
Inestimable value of the soul
Are there not things more precious than gold and bank stocks? When the Central America was foundering at sea, bags and purses of gold were strewn about the deck as worthless-as merest rubbish. Life, life, was the prayer. To some of the wretched survivors, Water, water; bread, bread; it was worth its weight in gold, if it could have been bought. And oh! above all-far above all, the salvation of your soul is precious. Is it not yet lost? Is it saved? (Christian Treasury.)
Insurance of the soul
A little boy on his fathers knee said, Pa, is your soul insured? Why do you ask, my son? I heard Uncle George say that you had your house insured, and your life insured; but he did not believe you had thought about your soul, and he was afraid you would lose it. Wont you get it insured right away? It was all too true; and the question led the father to seek the Divine guarantee of his souls well-being.
Care for the soul
It is recorded concerning one of the martyrs, that when he was going to the stake, a nobleman besought him, in a compassionate manner, to take care of his soul. So I will, he replied; for I give my body to be burned, rather than have my soul defiled. (Archbishop Sacker.)
The value of the soul
I. We possess immortal souls of incalculable value. The incomparable worth of the soul appears from
(1) the nature of its powers;
(2) the price of its redemption;
(3) the efforts for its possession;
(4) the duration of its existence.
II. Our souls are in imminent danger of being lost.
1. The loss of the soul is certainly possible.
2. The loss of the soul is highly probable.
3. The loss of the soul is deplorable.
4. The loss of the soul is utterly irreparable.
III. Nothing can compensate for the loss of the soul.
1. The case supposed-If he gain the whole world.
2. The inquiry instituted-What is a man profited?
3. The exchange proposed-What shall a man give? (Sketches.)
The incomparable worth of the soul will also appear
from the following considerations:-
I. From its essence and capacities. The body is composed of dust, like the bodies of other animals, but the soul was infused by the breath of God. It is capable of the heavenly exercises of love, pity, and mercy. The extent of its capacities is amazing. It is capable of exerting itself like an angel in the employments of the heavenly world. Vast capacities has the soul for happiness and misery. The happiness which appertains to the soul is far the most noble in its kind. If to contemplate the sun and moon produces a delight full of dignity, what does the contemplation of Him who spoke these orbs into being? The soul alone is capable of enjoying God. What is the world to this?
II. From the amazing respect that has been paid to it. God has discovered His high regard for the soul by the pains He has taken to give a written revelation to the world. Angels also discover their high regard for the soul by leaving the realms of glory to consume their time upon this distant planet by daily ministrations to its salvation.
II. What completes the value of the soul is its immortality and perhaps eternal progression.
How may we best know the worth of the soul? By considering-
I. What is meant by the soul.
1. Soul, or , the word here used, is put for life, by a metonymy of the efficient for the effect, because our life depends upon the soul. Thus: Take no thought for your life- (Mat 6:25).
2. The word soul is put for the whole man frequently in Scripture. Thus, the number of persons that came with Jacob into Egypt is reckoned by so many souls (Gen 46:26).
3. This word soul is taken most properly and strictly for the form, constituent, and better part of man; that breath that is breathed into him from God, when man becomes a living soul (Gen 2:7). In this acceptation we proceed to inquire-
II. What this soul is.
(a) The soul is a distinct substance from the body. This will appear if we consider
(1) that such things as are proper to distinct substances-as, to dwell in the body, whilst a man lives; to leave the body when he dies-are attributed to the soul;
(2) that it does substare, i.e., is the subject of accidents-such as are virtue and vice, arts and sciences; which cannot inhere in bare matter;
(3) that it was made after the body;
(4) that it exists separately from the body-Verily I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise (Luk 23:43). It is certain his body was not with our Saviours.
(b) The soul is a spiritual substance.
1. Were it only that the soul is so often called a spirit by God Himself in His Word, it were a very considerable argument to prove that it is a spirit (Ecc 12:7; Zec 12:1; Act 7:59).
2. That the soul is a spiritual substance, is evident in that it is not produced out of matter (Gen 2:7; Ecc 12:7).
3. A third argument to prove that the soul is a spirit, is, because in it man bears the image of God-God is a Spirit (Joh 4:24).
4. The actions or operations of the soul are such as cannot proceed from any bodily being.
5. The soul is a spirit, in that it is in the body, and one body cannot be in another. The soul takes up no place, as bodies do; it is tota in tote.
6. In what the souls excellency does appear.
I. The first thing that speaks the souls prerogative is its original. It is accounted no small privilege to be nobly born.
II. Then again in the end it is designed for.
1. The soul of man is made for to bring glory to God.
2. The soul of man is made capable of enjoying God.
The endeavours that are used for to gain souls.
I. Gods endeavours.
1. His parting with His Son, and Christ with His heart blood and life, for them.
2. I might add unto Gods giving of His Son for our souls, His giving of His Spirit to the soul.
3. Gods valuing of our soul appears in the care and pains which He takes for our souls daily.
(a) In that He hath instituted means whereby He might come to obtain our souls, nay, to strengthen and comfort them, and have communion with them.
(b) He bears with us, and exercises a great deal of patience towards us, if so He might at length gain our souls; and says, when shall it once be?
(c) His bearing with the whole world of wicked men, notwithstanding their blasphemies and open defiances of Him, is only out of love to some few souls who serve and fear Him.
(d) All the providences of God in which He worketh hitherto, are intended by Him for the good of our souls, and done by God out of respect unto them.
II. Endeavours used by Satan for our souls.
(e) The duration of our souls. Application:
1. If the soul be so precious, we have heard enough to make us abhor sin for ever.
2. This does recommend and endear our blessed Saviour to us.
3. This commends holiness in all its parts to us.
4. Have a care that ye do not lose these souls that are so valuable. Consider that-
(1) the danger your souls are in is very great;
(2) the loss of your souls is very great;
(3) the loss is never to be repaired.
(4) Shall I add, that this soul is thine own, and that thou hast not, nor ever shalt have, another, and therefore it behoves thee to keep it safe.
(5) Thou must answer for the loss of thy soul: God hath entrusted it with thee. (P. Vinke, D. D.)
The souls inestimable value
A problem that deserves the study of the longest life. The best medium through which to view this all important question is the following verse. In this light I view this great question, and what do I see?
I. That we have in our possession a jewel called the soul, astonishing in its properties, and inestimable in its value. The soul is-
(1) Divine in its origin;
(2) astonishing in its properties-vitality, rationality, accountability;
(3) an immortal principle;
(4) has fallen from its glory;
(5) has been redeemed by Christ;
(6) angels rejoice over its salvation.
II. The possibility of that soul being lost, the loss will be inexpressibly great.
1. What is the loss of a lost soul? The loss of grace in time. Glory in eternity.
III. The characters who, if they die as they are, will suffer and endure this fearful loss. Is it I? If you are living in open sin, etc., it is you. Have you repented, believed in Christ, etc.? Look at this matter in the light of the judgment day, and read Mat 25:1-46.
IV. The indesirable, inexpressible, inconceivable folly of the man that barters away his soul-get what he will in exchange, riches, honours, pleasures, etc.
V. The wisdom of that man who is determined to have his soul saved-cost what it will.
VI. that next to the salvation of our own souls, it is our highest duty and best interest to promote the salvation of others. (W. Dawson)
.
The world an impossible enjoyment
He that hath all the world (if we can suppose such a man), cannot have a dish of fresh summer fruits in the midst of winter, not so much as a green fig: and very much of its possessions is so hid, so fugacious, and of so uncertain purchase, that it is like the riches of the sea to the lord of the shore; all the fish and wealth within all its hollownesses are his, but he is never the better for what he cannot get; all the shell-fishes that produce pearl, produce them not for him; and the bowels of the earth shall hide her treasures in undiscovered retirements: so that it will signify as much to this great purchaser to be entitled to an inheritance in the upper region of the air; he is so far from possessing all its riches, that he does not so much as know of them, nor understand the philosophy of her minerals. (Jeremy Taylor)
The world-gainer more a delight to others than to himself
Nay, those things which he esteems his ornament, and the singularity of his possessions, are they not of more use to others than to himself? For suppose his garments splendid and shining, like the robe of a cherub, or the clothing of the fields, all that he that wears them enjoys, is, that they keep him warm, and clean, and modest; and all this is done by clean and less pompous vestments; and the beauty of them, which distinguishes him from others, is made to please the eyes of the beholders; and he is like a fair bird, or the meretricious painting of a wanton woman, made wholly to be looked on, that is, to be enjoyed by every one but himself: and the fairest face and most sparkling eye cannot perceive or enjoy their own beauties but by reflection. It is I that am pleased with beholding his gaiety; and the gay man, in his greatest bravery, is only pleased because I am pleased with the sight; so borrowing his little and imaginary complacency from the delight that I have, not from any inherency of his own possession. (Jeremy Taylor.)
The world enjoyed by men who do not sell their souls for it
The poorest artizan of Rome walking in Caesars gardens, had the same pleasures which they ministered to their lord: and although, it may be, he was put to gather fruits to eat from another place, yet his other senses were delighted equally with Caesars: the birds made him as good music, the flowers gave him as sweet smells; he there sucked as good air, and delighted in the beauty and order of the place, for the same reason and upon the same perception as the prince himself; save only that Caesar paid, for all that pleasure, vast sums of money, the blood and treasure of a province, which the poor man had for nothing. (Jeremy Taylor.)
The gain of the whole world no benefit
Cannot a man quench his thirst as well out of an urn or chalice, as out of a whole river? It is an ambitious thirst, and a pride of draught, that had rather lay his mouth to the Euphrates than to a petty goblet; but if he had rather, it adds not so much to his content as to his danger and his vanity. (Jeremy Taylor.)
Enjoyment of the world limited by lack of capacity
If any man should give to a lion a fair meadow full of hay, or a thousand quince trees; or should give to the goodly bull, the master and the fairest of the whole herd, a thousand fair stags; if a man should present to a child a ship laden with Persian carpets, and the ingredients of the rich scarlet: all these, being disproportionate either to the appetite or to the understanding, could add nothing of content, and might declare the freeness of the presenter, but they upbraid the incapacity of the receiver. And so it does if God should give the whole world to any man. He knows not what to do with it; he can use no more but according to the capacities of a man; he can use nothing but meat, and drink, and clothes; and infinite riches, that can give him changes of raiment every day, and a full table, do but give him a clean trencher every bit he eats; it signifies no more but wantonness and variety, to the same, not to any new purposes. He to whom the world can be given to any purpose greater than a private estate can minister, must have new capacities created in him: he needs the understanding of an angel, to take the accounts of his estate; he had need have a stomach like fire or the grave, for else he can eat no more than one of his healthful subjects; and unless he hath an eye like the sun, and a motion like that of a thought, and a bulk as big as one of the orbs of heaven, the pleasures of his eye can be no greater than to behold the beauty of a little prospect from a hill, or to look upon the heap of gold packed up in a little room, or to dote upon a cabinet of jewels, better than which there is no man, that sees at all, but sees every day. (Jeremy Taylor.)
Knowledge has a greater enjoyment of the world than mere possession
But then, although they only have power to relish any pleasure rightly, who rightly understand the nature; and degrees and essences, and ends of things; yet they that do so, understand also the vanity and the unsatisfyingness of the things of this world, so that the relish, which could not be great but in a great understanding, appears contemptible because its vanity appears at the same time; the understanding sees all, and sees through it. (Jeremy Taylor.)
The gain of the world outweighed by a sharp pain
The greatest vanity of this world is remarkable in this, that all its joys summed up together are not big enough to counterpoise the evil of one sharp disease, or to allay a sorrow. (Jeremy Taylor.)
The world a poor reward for the pain of getting it
But in the supposition it is, If a man could gain the whole world, which supposes labour and sorrow, trouble and expense, venture and hazard, and so much time expired in its acquist and purchase, that, besides the possession is not secured to us for the term of life, so our lives are almost expired before we become estated in our purchases. And indeed, it is a sad thing to see an ambitious or a covetous person make his life unpleasant, troublesome, and vexatious, to grasp a power bigger than himself, to fight for it with infinite hazards of his life, so that it is a thousand to one but he perishes in the attempt, and gets nothing at all but an untimely grave, a reproachful memory, and an early damnation. (Jeremy Taylor.)
The mad exchange
And this I observe to be intimated in the word, lose. For he that gives gold for cloth, or precious stones for bread, serves his needs of nature, and loses nothing by it; and the merchant that found a pearl of great price, and sold all that he had to make the purchase of it, made a good venture; he was no loser: but here the case is otherwise; when a man gains the whole world, and his soul goes in the exchange, he hath not done like a merchant, but like a child or a prodigal; he hath given himself away, he hath lost all that can distinguish him from a slave or a miserable person,he loses his soul in the exchange. For the soul of a man all the world cannot be a just price; a man may lose it, or throw it away, but he can never make a good exchange when he parts with this jewel; and therefore our blessed Saviour rarely well expresses it by , which is fully opposed to , gain; it is such an ill market a man makes, as if he should proclaim his riches and goods vendible for a garland of thistles decked and trimmed up with the stinking poppy. (Jeremy Taylor.)
The soul exchanged for a paltry convenience
But we must come far lower yet. Thousands there are that damn themselves; and yet their purchase, at long-running, and after a base and weary life spent, is but five hundred pounds a-year: nay, it may be, they only cozen an easy person out of a good estate, and pay for it at an easy rate, which they obtain by lying, by drinking, by flattery, by force; and the gain is nothing but a thousand pounds in the whole, or, it may be, nothing but a convenience. (Jeremy Taylor.)
The soul now ignorant of its capability
If the elephant knew his strength, or the horse the vigorousness of his own spirit, they would be as rebellious against their rulers as unreasonable men against government; nay, the angels themselves, because their light reflected home to their orbs, and they understood all the secrets of their own perfection, they grew vertiginous, and fell from the battlements of heaven. But the excellency of a human soul shall then be truly understood, when the reflection will make no distraction of our faculties, nor enkindle any irregular fires; when we may understand ourselves without danger. (Jeremy Taylor.)
The loss of the soul an insupportable calamity
But yet from these considerations it would follow, that to lose a soul, which is designed to be an immense sea of pleasures, even in its natural capacities, is to lose all that whereby a man can possibly be, or be supposed, happy. And so much the rather is this understood to be an insupportable calamity, because losing a soul in this sense is not a mere privation of those felicities, of which a soul is naturally designed to be a partaker, but it is an investing it with contrary objects and cross effects, and dolorous perceptions: for the will, if it misses its desires, is afflicted; and the understanding, when it ceases to be ennobled with excellent things, is made ignorant as a swine, dull as the foot of a rock; and the affections are in the destitution of their perfective actions made tumultuous, vexed and discomposed to the height of rage and violence. (Jeremy Taylor.)
A foolish choice
The old rabbins, those poets of religion, report of Moses, that when the courtiers of Pharaoh were sporting with the child Moses, in the chamber of Pharaohs daughter, they presented to his choice an ingot of gold in one hand and a coal of fire in the other, and that the child snatched at the coal, thrust it into his mouth, and so singed and parched his tongue, that he stammered ever after. And certainly it is infinitely more childish in us, for the glittering of the small glow-worms and the charcoal of worldly possessions, to swallow the flames of hell greedily in our choice: such a bit will produce a worse stammering than Moses had: for so the accursed and lost souls have their ugly and horrid dialect, they roar and blaspheme, blaspheme and roar, for ever. (Jeremy Taylor.)
A wicked barter
You wonder at the folly of that rude and naked savage who would barter a coronet of gold for small worthless trinkets, and buy the wonders of a mirror, the tinkling of a bell, or the string of coloured beads, with a handful of pearls, fit ornaments of a crown. Yet what is that compared with the folly of him who, in exchange for the toys of earth, gives his soul? (Dr. Guthrie)
The folly of hazarding eternal life for temporal enjoyment
I. How inconsiderable the purchase.
1. If we had it all, yet the great uncertainty of holding it, or any part of it.
2. The impossibility of using and enjoying it all.
3. If we had it, and could use it all, the improbability of being contented with it.
II. How great a price is paid for it.
1. The loss is great.
2. Irreparable.
3. The severe reflection men will make upon themselves for their folly. (J. Tillotson, D. D.)
The world gainer destitute of the joy of hope
God hath so contrived things that, ordinarily, the pleasures of human life do consist more in hope than enjoyment: so that if a man had gained all the world, one of the chief pleasures of life would be gone, because there would be nothing more left for him to hope for in this world. (J. Tillotson, D. D.)
Prosperity an aggravation of subsequent misery
If the happiness were true and real, it were an imprudent method. As if a man should choose to enjoy a great estate for a few days, and to be extremely poor the remaining part of his life. If there were any necessity of making so unequal a bargain, surely, a man would reserve the best condition to the last; for precedent sufferings and trouble do mightily recommend the pleasures that are to ensue, and render them more tasteful than they would otherwise have been; whereas the greatest heightening of misery, the saddest aggravation of an unhappy condition, is to fall into it from the height of a prosperous fortune. It is comfortable for a man to come out of the cold to a warm fire; but if a man in a great heat shall leap into the cold water, it will strike him to the heart. Such is the fond choice of every sinner, to pass immediately out of a state of the greatest sensual pleasure, into the most quick and sensible torments. (J. Tillotson, D. D.)
The after reflection of a lost soul
With what indignation will he look upon himself, and censure his own folly! Like a man who, in a drunken fit, hath passed away his estate for a trifling consideration: the next morning, when he is sober and come to himself, and finds himself a beggar, how does he rate himself for being such a beast and a fool, as to do that in a blind and rash heat which he will have cause to repent as long as he hath a day to live. (J. Tillotson, D. D.)
Is life worth living?
What shall a man give in exchange, for his life? This question has been largely on the lips of the world of late.
I. Life in its origin and destiny, is a deep mystery. Its only solution, as its only worth, is found in faith and religion. Life is growth under a force and principle guided by intelligence. To be, to act, and to suffer or enjoy, is to live.
II. Its unfolding may take place around either of two centres-self or god. Life offers us, in this direction, either bondage or freedom. It is determined by choice. He who decides to live to himself, becomes the slave of sin, passion, and lust. He who chooses God, attains to freedom, etc.
III. Whether life will secure worth will depend upon what we believe.
1. In natural science.
2. In mental philosophy.
3. In morals.
4. In religion.
IV. Belief and knowledge will have their effect upon character and conduct, and will manifest themselves. In what we become ourselves, and in what we help others to become.
V. Reasons. Why we should make the most of life and fill it with worth.
1. God gave it and upholds it.
2. God has redeemed it in order to give it worth.
3. God has a plan for each life, which, if followed, will lead from grace to glory, and from the utilities of time to the rewards and inheritance of eternity. Unless we do so, most assuredly, in the light of our text, life will not be worth the living, and indeed it were far better never to have been born. (L. O. Thompson)
The loss of the soul irreparable
If the soul perish, it is, once more, an irreparable loss-a loss that cannot be retrieved. A man may lose health, and yet, by the blessing of Providence upon medical aid, he may become more healthy than before; a man may lose property-his all in the world, and yet, by industry and the smile of Providence, he may become richer than before; a man may lose friends-God may raise up others in their room; but, Oh, if the soul is lost, it is lost not for a day a month, or a year, but for eternity; and it is that word eternity which gives emphasis to bliss or woe, to ease or pain, to hell or heaven. (R. Newton. D. D.)
The loss of the soul eternal
There is no proportion between the one and the other. There is some proportion between a particle of matter and the globe-there is some proportion between a drop of water and the ocean; but there can be none between the little drop of time and the shoreless, fathomless ocean of eternity. The man, then, that gains the whole world for time and loses his soul for eternity, can gain no profit. (R. Newton. D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 26. Lose his own soul] Or, lose his life, . On what authority many have translated the word , in the 25th verse, life, and in this verse, soul, I know not, but am certain it means life in both places. If a man should gain the whole world, its riches, honours, and pleasures, and lose his life, what would all these profit him, seeing they can only be enjoyed during life? But if the words be applied to the soul, they show the difficulty – the necessity-and importance of salvation. The world, the devil, and a man’s own heart are opposed to his salvation; therefore it is difficult. The soul was made for God, and can never be united to him, nor be happy, till saved from sin: therefore it is necessary. He who is saved from his sin, and united to God, possesses the utmost felicity that the human soul can enjoy, either in this or the coming world: therefore, this salvation is important. See also Clarke’s note on “Lu 9:25“.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Our interpreters, by translating the same word soul in this verse which they had translated life Mat 16:25, let us know that they understood it here of that essential part of man which we call the soul, in which sense it could not be understood in that verse, for it is impossible in that sense to lose our soul for Christs sake. Some think that it hath the same sense here as in that verse, and that our Saviour argues here from the less to the greater, thus: Men will lose any thing rather than their lives; skin for skin, and all that a man hath, for his life; and this is but reasonable, for if a man lose his life to get the world, what will the world gotten do him good? What can be a proportionable exchange or compensation to him for that? Now if you value your temporary life at that rate, how much more ought you to value your eternal being and existence! It cometh much to the same, only the sense is plainer if we take it as our translators have taken it, for otherwise part of the argument is not expressed, but left to be understood, or supplied from the next verse. So as the sense is this: Besides bodies which may be killed by persecutors, you carry about with you immortal souls of infinitely more value; and besides a temporal life, of which you are in possession, there is an eternal state, which awaits you. You are creatures ordained to an eternal existence, either in misery or in happiness. Admit you could, by pleasing yourselves, denying me, shifting the cross, declining a life according to my precepts and example, prolong your temporal life, yet what will you get by it, considering that by it you must suffer loss as to your eternal happy existence, for I shall then deny you before my Father and his angels? Can any thing you can get or save in this world be a proportionable exchange for eternal happiness?
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
26. For what is a man profited, ifhe shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soulor forfeithis own soul?
or what shall a man give inexchange for his soul?Instead of these weighty words, which wefind in Mr 8:36 also, it isthus expressed in Lu 9:25: “Ifhe gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away,” orbetter, “If he gain the whole world, and destroy or forfeithimself.” How awful is the stake as here set forth! If a manmakes the present worldin its various forms of riches, honors,pleasures, and such likethe object of supreme pursuit, be it thathe gains the world; yet along with it he forfeits his own soul. Notthat any ever did, or ever will gain the whole worlda very smallportion of it, indeed, falls to the lot of the most successful of theworld’s votariesbut to make the extravagant concession, that bygiving himself entirely up to it, a man gains the whole world; yet,setting over against this gain the forfeiture of his soulnecessarilyfollowing the surrender of his whole heart to the worldwhat is heprofited? But, if not the whole world, yet possibly something elsemay be conceived as an equivalent for the soul. Well, what is it?”Orwhat shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Thus, inlanguage the weightiest, because the simplest, does our Lord shut upHis hearers, and all who shall read these words to the end of theworld, to the priceless value to every man of his own soul. In Markand Luke (Mar 8:38; Luk 9:26)the following words are added: “Whosoever therefore shall beashamed of Me and of My words [shall be ashamed of belonging to Me,and ashamed of My Gospel] in this adulterous and sinful generation”(see on Mt 12:39), “of himshall the Son of man be ashamed when He cometh in the glory of HisFather, with the holy angels.” He will render back to that manhis own treatment, disowning him before the most august of allassemblies, and putting him to “shame and everlastingcontempt” (Da 12:2).”O shame,” exclaims BENGEL,”to be put to shame before God, Christ, and angels!” Thesense of shame is founded on our love of reputation,which causes instinctive aversion to what is fitted to lower it, andwas given us as a preservative from all that is properly shameful.To be lost to shame is to be nearly past hope. (Zep 3:5;Jer 6:15; Jer 3:3).But when Christ and “His words” are unpopular, the sameinstinctive desire to stand well with others begets thattemptation to be ashamed of Him which only the expulsive power of ahigher affection can effectually counteract.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For what is a man profited,…. Such persons, though they are only seeking their own profit, will find themselves most sadly mistaken; for of what advantage will it be to such a man,
if he shall gain the whole world; all that is precious and valuable in it; all the power, pleasures, and riches of it; if with Alexander, he had the government of the whole world, and with Solomon, all the delights of it; and was possessed with the wealth of Croesus, and Crassus,
and lose his own soul? If that should be consigned to everlasting torment and misery, be banished the divine presence, and continually feel the gnawings of the worm of conscience that never dies, and the fierceness of the fire of God’s wrath, that shall never be quenched, he will have a miserable bargain of it.
Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Or, “for the redemption” of it, as the Ethiopic version renders it: see Ps 49:8. If he had the whole world to give, and would give it, it would not be a sufficient ransom for it; the redemption of an immortal soul requires a greater price than gold and silver, or any corruptible thing; nothing short of the blood and life of Christ, is a proper exchange, or ransom price for it. But in the other world there will be no redemption; the loss of a soul is irrecoverable: a soul once lost and damned, can never be retrieved. This passage is thought to be proverbial; what comes nearest to it, is the following x.
“If a scholar dies, we never find an exchange for him; there are four things which are the ministry or service of the world, , if they are lost, they may be changed; and they are these, gold, silver, iron, and brass, Job 28:1 but if a scholar dies,
, who will bring us his exchange? or an exchange for him: we lost R. Simon, “who will bring us his exchange?”.”
x Midrash Kohelet, fol. 72. 3, 4. T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 5. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Gain () and
profit (). Both aorist subjunctives (one active, the other passive) and so punctiliar action, condition of third class, undetermined, but with prospect of determination. Just a supposed case. The verb for “forfeit” occurs in the sense of being fined or mulcted of money. So the papyri and inscriptions.
Exchange (). As an exchange, accusative in apposition with . The soul has no market price, though the devil thinks so. “A man must give, surrender, his life, and nothing less to God; no is possible” (McNeile). This word occurs twice in the Wisdom of Sirach: “There is no exchange for a faithful friend” (6:15); “There is no exchange for a well-instructed soul” (26:14).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Gain – lose [] . Note that both words are in the past (aorist) tense : ” if he may have gained or lost. The Lord looks back to the details of each life as the factors of the final sum of gain or loss. For lose, Rev. gives forfeit. The verb in the active voice means to cause loss or damage. Often in the classics, of fining or mulcting in a sum of money. Compare 2Co 7:9.
Soul [] . Rev., life, with soul in margin. This will be specially considered in the discussion of the psychological terms in the Epistles.
In exchange [] . Lit., as an exchange.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
26. For what doth it profit a man? The word soul is here used in the strictest sense. Christ reminds them that the soul of man was not created merely to enjoy the world for a few days, but to obtain at length its immortality in heaven. What carelessness and what brutal stupidity is this, that men are so strongly attached to the world, and so much occupied with its affairs, as not to consider why they were born, and that God gave them an immortal soul, in order that, when the course of the earthly life was finished, they might live eternally in heaven! And, indeed, it is universally acknowledged, that the soul is of higher value than all the riches and enjoyments of the world; but yet men are so blinded by carnal views, that they knowingly and willfully abandon their souls to destruction. That the world may not fascinate us by its allurements, let us remember the surpassing worth of our soul; for if this be seriously considered, it will easily dispel the vain imaginations of earthly happiness.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(26) what is a man profited . . .?It is not without a purpose that what may be called the argument of expediency is here brought in. Even the self-denial of Mat. 16:24 does not exclude the thought, for those who are still within the range of its influence, of what, in the long-run, will profit us most. There is a self-love which, in spite of the strained language of an exaggerated and unreal philanthropy, is ennobling and not debasing.
In exchange for his soul.The English introduces an apparent antithesis of language (as has just been noticed) in place of the identity of the original. It would be better to keep life in both verses. If there is no profit in bartering even the lower life for the whole world, how much less in bartering the higher,
Et propter vitam vivendi perdere causas!
And when that forfeiture has been incurred, what price can he then pay to buy it back again? No. It costs more to redeem their souls, so that he must let that alone for ever (Psa. 49:8, Prayer Book version).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
26. Gain the whole world, and lose his own soul As Peter, in his preference for a worldly monarchy, would in fact do, and even persuade Jesus to do.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“For what will a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?” ’
So He puts to those who were following Him (and to us) the ultimate challenge. Of what advantage is there for anyone to gain the whole world and as a result forfeit eternal life? And if he failed to follow Christ what could a man possibly offer to God in exchange for his life? Jesus knew the temptation. He had been offered the whole world by Satan (Mat 4:8-9). But He had turned it down. In a lesser way men have stood astride their world many times in history, and have received much glory and wealth, but in the end all have died, and perished. Not one is alive today. And thus ultimately, if their living had not been for Christ, they had lost all. They may be famous names in the history books, but if their names were not written in Heaven, they have nothing. Are they, asks Jesus, the gainers or the losers? But to the one who comes to Him, yielding himself to Him, He gives eternal life. By giving up what they cannot finally keep, they gain what they cannot lose. In return, however, they must be ready to lay their lives on the line for Him, and to follow Him utterly. This is a constant theme in the New Testament (Joh 3:17; Joh 3:19 ; 1Co 1:18-31; 2Co 4:18; Gal 2:20 ; 2Pe 1:4; 1Jn 2:15-16). It is not that by this they buy themselves life. It is because they cannot find life apart from following the One Who will give His life a ransom for many (Mat 20:28).
Some have seen this verse as partly based on Psalms 49. ‘Those who trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the huge amount of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him — that he should still live always, that he should not see corruption — but God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Do not be afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased, for when he dies he will carry nothing away’ (Psa 49:6-9; Psa 49:15-17). In that Psalm it was clearly indicated that there was no way by which men could redeem themselves, however rich they were. There was nothing that they could give in exchange for true life. Only God could redeem them.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
True gain:
v. 26. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
v. 27. For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.
v. 28. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Christ places the other alternative before His disciples. Supposing it to be possible that a man, by constant, unceasing labor, should gain the whole world; but, if in doing so, he forfeit his soul, his soul be made a forfeit, by the bargain, would it really be a gain? Could he take all his goods and give them as an exchange for his soul? Could he use them as a price to buy back the true life which he has lost with his soul? And there is not merely the negative disagreeable feature of losing the soul for this life, but there is the prospect of positive punishment. It will be, it is certain: The Son of Man will come, no longer in poverty and lowliness, as in the days of His earthly sojourn, but in the full glory of His Godhead, which He will exercise also according to His human nature. Accompanied by His angels, He will come to judgment, and He will give, give back, return, to every one according to his doing, as every person has given proof of the faith in his heart by the works of his hands. That will be the Judgment, which no one can escape. Mat 25:31-46. In the manner peculiar to prophets, Christ makes no distinction between the events near at hand and those afar off; for the eternal God, who inspires prophecy, has no time. Before Him all things are happening in the great now , in the present. Christ gives His disciples the assurance that some of them will not die, will not taste of the cup which yields death, until they see Him coming in His kingdom. This refers either to the glorification of Jesus through His death and resurrection, which introduced the actual beginning of His Church on earth, with the festival of Pentecost, or it points to the day when God began His judgment upon Jerusalem. That was the dawn of the day which will finally bring Jesus back in all His glory. Some of the disciples of Christ actually lived until long after the destruction of Jerusalem, thus becoming further living examples and proofs for the truth of Christ’s words.
Summary. Christ refuses the demand of the Pharisees for a, sign, warns against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, hears the confession of His disciples, and rebukes Peter for interfering with His Messianic ministry.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mat 16:26. For what is a man profited, &c. To carry home the argument more closely, he puts them in mind of the method according to which men estimate things. If God should offer the riches of Solomon, the strength of Samson, the policy of Ahithophel, the beauty of Absalom, the eloquence of Apollos, universal monarchy, and all kinds of pleasures, and say, Take them for one hour, and then die,who is the man that would not immediately reject the proposed condition, and reply that life is better than them all? But will men forego every earthly thing for life,the life of the body? and will they not part with them, nay, and with life itself, for their souls? since the longest any one can enjoy this life with all its pleasures is, in comparison of eternity, no longer than he enjoys the good things before mentioned, who dies in the same hour that he receives them. The latter part of this verse may be rendered, and lose his own life; , (the same word is used, Mat 16:25.) or what shall a man give as a ransom for his life? The Greek word , properly signifies a ransom; and in this connection leads us to reflect, how willing a condemned malefactor would be, to give up all that he had gotten by his crimes to buy his pardon, and how vain his attempt must in this case prove. The phrase , does not merely signify to lose the life, which might be applied to a man who accidentally met death in the pursuit of gain,as a merchant who should be lost in his voyage; but it properly imports the undergoing a capital execution; which is an idea of much greater terror, as well as of much stricter propriety in the present case. See Job 2:4. Luk 9:25. Raphelius’s Annotations, and Archbishop Tillotson’s Sermons, vol. 3.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Mat 16:26 . Mat 16:25 , compared with Mat 16:24 , involved the thought that the earthly life must be sacrificed for sake of gaining the eternal. The reason of this thought is now brought forward.
] represents as already present the man’s condition at the day of judgment, not an Attic future (Bleek).
. ] but will have lost his soul , that is to say, by his having rendered himself unfit for eternal life, by having, therefore, lost his soul as far as the Messianic is concerned, and become liable to eternal death. is the opposite of . It must not on this ground, and because of the which follows, be explained as meaning, to sustain damage in his soul (Luther), but: animae detrimentum pati (Vulgate), comp. Herod. vii. 39: , thou wilt lose thine only one through death.
] It avails a man nothing if he, and so on, it might be that (at the judgment) he would have something to give to God with which to purchase back his lost soul ( , Eur. Or . 1157, frequently met with in the LXX. and Apocrypha). There exists no such means of exchange ( commutationem , Vulgate), nothing which, in the sight of God and according to His holy standard, would be of such value as to serve as an for the soul. “Non sufficit mundus,” Bengel. Comp. Ritschl in the Jahrb. f. D. Th . 1863, p. 234 ff.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1377
THE WORTH OF THE SOUL
Mat 16:26. What is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
THE precepts of the Gospel oppose our natural inclination. They are also in many respects adverse to our worldly interests. The whole of Christianity is a system of self-denial. Hence none cordially embrace it till they have learned to take eternity into their estimate of present things. Our Lord therefore, having prescribed the line of duty to be regarded by all his followers (ver. 24.) and having urged the observance of it from the consideration of eternity, enforces it yet further by these pointed interrogatories; What shall it profit, &c.
In order to elucidate the meaning of the text, we shall,
I.
Institute a comparison between the things which are here set in competition with each other
By the world we are to understand pleasure, riches, and honour [Note: 1Jn 2:15-16,]
This, if considered in itself, is vile
[It is altogether earthly in its nature. It is utterly unsatisfying in its use. It is short and transitory in its continuance.]
If it be considered as it has been estimated by the best judges, it is worthless
[Abraham, though opulent, left all to sojourn in a strange land [Note: Heb 11:8-9.]. Moses relinquished the splendour of a court, to participate the lot of Gods people [Note: Heb 11:24-26.]. Solomon, after much experience, declared the world to be mere vanity [Note: Ecc 1:14.]. St. Paul counted those things as dung, which he once thought his gain [Note: Php 3:8.]. Christ himself despised the proffered titles of royalty [Note: Joh 6:15.]. All true Christians resemble their Master in their contempt of the world [Note: Joh 17:16.].]
The soul, on the contrary, if considered in itself, is noble
[It is exalted in its origin [Note: Heb 12:9. God himself is the Father of our Spirits, without the intervention of any second cause.], capacious in its powers, eternal in its duration; and it is doomed to everlasting happiness or misery. Already therefore its superior importance abundantly appears.]
Moreover, as estimated by the best judges, it is invaluable
[Many have thought nothing too much to do or suffer for its welfare [Note: Act 20:24. Heb 11:35.]. But that which most stamps its value beyond all possible calculation, is, the gift of Gods Son to die for it. Surely God would never have redeemed it at such a price, if it had not been of infinite value in his sight ]
Such being the disparity between the value of the world and that of the soul, we are prepared to,
II.
See the result of the comparison
We suppose, for argument sake, that a man may possess the whole world. We suppose also that, after having possessed it for a while, he loses his own soul. What in the issue would he be profited?
Let us inquire concerning this in general
[Would carnal enjoyments compensate for the loss of Heaven? Would transient pleasures counterbalance an eternity of glory? Would he have any thing remaining to mitigate his pain? [Note: Luk 16:24.] Would a momentary possession of the whole world be so high a gratification, that any reasonable man would be content to lose even his animal life for it [Note: compare ver. 25 and 26. in the Greek.]? How much less could it be a sufficient price for the soul!]
Let us inquire also more particularly
[The questions in the text are strong appeals to our hearts and consciences: they bid defiance, as it were, to all the arts of sophistry. Let the lover of pleasure then ask, what sensual gratifications, or vain amusements, will profit him? Let the lover of this present evil world ask, what will his honours and preferments profit him [Note: Pro 11:4.]? Let the learned ask, what, even learning itself, the most excellent of all human attainments, will profit them [Note: Ecc 2:16.]?]
We conclude with suggesting some interesting subjects of self-examination
[Which have I more regarded hitherto, the world, or my own soul? Which do I intend in future to prefer? What will be my thoughts respecting them in the day of judgment? What answer shall I make to Christ, when he shall call me to account for despising that, for which he paid so great a price? What would I not gladly give in exchange for my soul, if ever it should be lost through my present neglect? And, if ever my soul should be saved, shall I not then account as dung all which I had lost in order to promote its salvation? If these questions be duly weighed, we shall soon be like-minded with the great Apostle [Note: Php 3:13-14.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Ver. 26. Yet what is a man profited ] Francis Xanerius counselled John the Third, King of Portugal, to meditate every day a quarter of an hour on this divine sentence. If there could, saith a reverend divine, be such a bargain made, that he might have the whole world for the sale of his soul, he should, for all that, be a loser by it. a For he might, notwithstanding, be a bankrupt, a beggar, begging in vain, though but for a drop of cold water to cool his tongue. Is it nothing then to lose an immortal soul, to purchase an ever-living death? The loss of the soul is in this verse set forth to be 1. incomparable; 2. irreparable. If, therefore, to lose the life for money be a madness, what then the soul? What wise man could fetch gold out of a fiery crucible? hazard himself to endless woes for a few waterish pleasures? give his soul to the devil, as some popes did for the short enjoyment of the Papal dignity? What was this but to wilt Venice, and then to be hanged at the gates thereof, as the proverb is. b In great fires men look first to their jewels, then to their lumber; so should these see first to their souls, to secure them, and then take care of the outward man. The soldier cares not how his buckler speeds, so his body be kept thereby from deadly thrusts. The pope persuading Maximilian (king of Bohemia, afterwards emperor) to be a good Catholic, with many promises of profits and preferments, was answered by the king that he thanked his Holiness; but that his soul’s health was more dear to him than all the things in the world. Which answer they said in Rome was a Lutheran form of speech, and signified an alienation from the obedience of that see; and they began to discourse what would happen after the old emperor’s death.
Or what shall a man give in exchange ] He would give anything in the world, yea, 10,000 worlds if he had them, to be delivered. But out of hell there is no redemption. Hath the extortioner pillaged, or the robber spoiled thy goods? By labour and leisure thou mayest recover thyself again. But the soul once lost is irrecoverable. Which when the guilty soul at death thinks of, oh, what a dreadful shriek gives it, to see itself launching into an infinite ocean of scalding lead, and must swim naked in it for ever! How doth it, trembling, warble out that doleful ditty of dying Adrian the emperor:
” Animula, vagula, blandula,
Hospes comesque corporis,
Quae nunc abibis in loca
Horridula, sordida, tristia,
Nec, ut soles, dabis iocos?
a Mr Ley’s Monitor of Mortality.
b Non magis iuvabitur, quam qui acquirat Venetias, ipse vero suspendatur ad Portam ut est in proverbio. Par. in loc.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
26. ] There is apparently a reference to Psa 48:1-14 (LXX) in this verse. Compare especially the latter part with Mat 16:8 of that Psalm.
. = Luke. Compare also 1Pe 1:18 . In the latter part of the verse, and refer to the same person: = , . Psa 48:7-8 . What shall a man give to purchase back his life? , not soul , but life, in the higher sense.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 16:26 . This and the following verses suggest aids to practice of the philosophy of “dying to live”. The statement in this verse is self-evident in the sphere of the lower life. It profits not to gain the whole world if you lose your life, for you cannot enjoy your possession; a life lost cannot be recovered at any price. Jesus wishes His disciples to understand that the same law obtains in the higher life: that the soul, the spiritual life, is incommensurable with any outward possession however great, and if forfeited the loss is irrevocable. This is one of the chief texts containing Christ’s doctrine of the absolute worth of man as a moral subject. For the man who grasps it, it is easy to be a hero and face any experience. To Jesus Christ it was a self-evident truth. , not suffer injury to, but forfeit. Grotius says that the verb in classics has only the dative after it = mulctare morte , but Kypke and Elsner cite instances from Herod., Dion., Hal., Themis., etc., of its use with accusative. : something given in exchange. Cf. 1Ki 21:2 , Job 28:15 (Sept [102] ), a price to buy back the life lower or higher; both impossible.
[102] Septuagint.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
if he shall, &c. = if he should. Expressing an impossible condition.
world. Greek. kosmos. See App-129.
his own soul = his life, as in Mat 16:25.
soul. Greek. psuche. App-110.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
26.] There is apparently a reference to Psa 48:1-14 (LXX) in this verse. Compare especially the latter part with Mat 16:8 of that Psalm.
. = Luke. Compare also 1Pe 1:18. In the latter part of the verse, and refer to the same person:- = , . Psa 48:7-8. What shall a man give to purchase back his life? , not soul, but life, in the higher sense.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 16:26. , the whole world) No one has ever yet gained the whole world; yet, if he should gain it, what would it profit him?-, soul) True wisdom refers everything to the interest of the soul; false, to that of the body.- , what shall he give?) The world is not enough.[769]-, as an equivalent, lat. redhostimentum) which ought not to be of less value than the soul for which it is given.
[769] The whole world is not enough as a ransom to redeem the one soul of even one man. But what a vast multitude, in truth, Christ redeemed by His own blood, namely, the whole world!-V. g.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
world
kosmos = world-system. Joh 7:7 (See Scofield “Rev 13:8”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
what is: Mat 5:29, Job 2:4, Mar 8:36, Luk 9:25
gain: Mat 4:8, Mat 4:9, Job 27:8, Luk 12:20, Luk 16:25
or: Psa 49:7, Psa 49:8, Mar 8:37
Reciprocal: Gen 37:26 – What profit Gen 37:27 – sell him Gen 47:19 – buy us Num 22:17 – I will promote 2Ki 1:14 – let my life 2Ki 7:15 – had cast away Job 1:9 – Doth Job Job 20:28 – and his goods Job 33:27 – it profited Psa 120:3 – What shall Pro 3:14 – General Pro 8:11 – wisdom Pro 11:4 – Riches Pro 13:8 – ransom Pro 16:16 – General Pro 19:1 – Better Pro 19:16 – keepeth his Pro 23:23 – sell Ecc 1:3 – profit Ecc 2:22 – and of the Ecc 3:6 – time to get Ecc 3:9 – General Isa 47:14 – they shall Jer 2:8 – do not Jer 26:21 – he was Jer 41:8 – Slay Eze 7:19 – shall cast Amo 4:3 – them into the palace Zep 1:18 – their silver Mat 10:39 – General Mat 13:45 – like Mat 18:9 – rather Mat 19:22 – for Luk 17:31 – he which Act 27:18 – the next Act 27:38 – they lightened Rom 2:9 – soul 1Co 14:6 – what shall I Phi 3:7 – General 2Ti 2:14 – to no
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6:26
World and soul are used in the same sense as the two kinds of life in the preceding verse. The thought is that the things of this world are altogether not as valuable as the soul of man, and that if one were to exchange his soul to gain this world it would be a transaction without profit.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 16:26. What shall a man be profited. In view of this saving and losing.
Forfeit his life. Same word as in Mat 16:25. The variation in the common version is unfortunate. It has the double meaning life and soul. But here life in the higher sense is meant, not soul in distinction from body. It is plainly implied that gaining the world in a selfish manner involves the loss of true life, that such a gain is really only an apparent gain of the world, while the loss is real, irreparable, irretrievable. The usual inferences, based on the sense soul, are true enough, but not suggested here. (See further on Mar 8:37.)
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Learn, 1. That God has intrusted everyone of us with a soul of inestimable worth and preciousness, capable of being saved or lost, and that to all eternity.
2. That the gain of the whole world is not comparable with the loss of one precious soul. The soul’s loss is an incomprehensible and irrecoverable loss.