Luke 18:19
New International Version
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.

New Living Translation
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good.

English Standard Version
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

Berean Standard Bible
“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.

Berean Literal Bible
And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone.

King James Bible
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

New King James Version
So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

New American Standard Bible
But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

NASB 1995
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

NASB 1977
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

Amplified Bible
Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially and morally] good except God alone.

Christian Standard Bible
“Why do you call me good? ” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good but One—God.

American Standard Version
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, even God.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? Only God is good.

English Revised Version
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, even God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God.

Good News Translation
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "No one is good except God alone.

International Standard Version
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "Nobody is good except for one—God.

Majority Standard Bible
?Why do you call Me good?? Jesus replied. ?No one is good except God alone.

NET Bible
Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

New Heart English Bible
Jesus asked him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one--God.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Jesus said to him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is God.

Weymouth New Testament
"Why do you call me good?" replied Jesus; "there is no one good but One, namely God.

World English Bible
Jesus asked him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, except one: God.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one [is] good, except one—God;

Berean Literal Bible
And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jesus said to him, 'Why me dost thou call good? no one is good, except One -- God;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jesus said to him, Why sayest thou me good? none good except the one God.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jesus said to him: Why dost thou call me good? None is good but God alone.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then Jesus said to him: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

New American Bible
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

New Revised Standard Version
Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? there is no one good, except one, that is God.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Yeshua said to him, “Why do you call me good? There is no one good except the one God.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And Jesus said to him: Why do you call me good? None is good but one, that is God.

Godbey New Testament
And Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good, except One, God.

Haweis New Testament
Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good, but one, even God.

Mace New Testament
Jesus replied, why do you call me good? there is but one who is good, that is God.

Weymouth New Testament
"Why do you call me good?" replied Jesus; "there is no one good but One, namely God.

Worrell New Testament
And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good, but One?God.

Worsley New Testament
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Rich Young Ruler
18Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone. 20You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’ ”…

Cross References
Matthew 19:17
“Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

Mark 10:18
“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

1 John 1:5
And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Psalm 25:8
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He shows sinners the way.

Psalm 86:5
For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.

Psalm 145:9
The LORD is good to all; His compassion rests on all He has made.

Exodus 34:6
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,

Nahum 1:7
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.

Romans 3:12
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Isaiah 45:21
Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.

Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.

1 Samuel 2:2
There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.


Treasury of Scripture

And Jesus said to him, Why call you me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Luke 11:13
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Job 14:4
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Jump to Previous
Alone Except Good Jesus Namely Save
Jump to Next
Alone Except Good Jesus Namely Save
Luke 18
1. Of the importunate widow.
9. Of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
15. Of Children brought to Jesus.
18. A ruler would follow Jesus, but is hindered by his riches.
28. The reward of those who leave all for his sake.
31. He foretells his death;
35. and restores a blind man to sight.














Why do you call Me good?
In this phrase, Jesus addresses the rich young ruler who approached Him with a question about eternal life. The Greek word for "good" here is "ἀγαθός" (agathos), which implies intrinsic goodness or moral excellence. Jesus challenges the young man's understanding of goodness, prompting him to reflect on the nature of true goodness. In a historical context, rabbis were often called "good," but Jesus redirects this title to God alone, emphasizing the divine standard of goodness.

No one is good
This statement underscores the doctrine of human depravity, a key tenet in conservative Christian theology. The Greek word "οὐδείς" (oudeis) means "no one" or "none," indicating the universality of sin. This aligns with Romans 3:23, which states, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Jesus is not denying His own goodness but is pointing to the fact that, apart from God, no human can claim true moral perfection.

except God alone
Here, Jesus affirms the unique holiness and perfection of God. The Greek word "εἰ μή" (ei mē) translates to "except" or "if not," highlighting the exclusivity of God's goodness. This phrase serves as a theological anchor, reminding believers that all goodness originates from God. Historically, this would resonate with Jewish monotheism, which holds that God is the ultimate source of all that is good and righteous. Jesus subtly points to His divine nature, as He shares in this intrinsic goodness, being one with the Father.

(19) Why callest thou me good?--The agreement with St. Mark is again closer than with St. Matthew.

Verse 19. - And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. The title "good" was a singular one for the young ruler to have used. It was never used to the most famous rabbis by their pupils. It implied an intense reverence, but nothing more. The young man distinctly did not then believe the Master was Divine, else he had never made the great refusal recorded directly afterwards. "To be a good man is impossible... God alone could have this honour" (Plate, 'Phaed.,' 27). "You are looking at me," said the Master, "as a man: why give me this strange, lofty title? You are looking on me only as an earthly Teacher." The great Heart-reader was reading the young man's thoughts, thoughts which soon crystallized, as we shall see, into the refused to do what he, whom he chose to style "good," directed him to carry out.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“Why
Τί (Ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

do you call
λέγεις (legeis)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

Me
με (me)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

good?”
ἀγαθόν (agathon)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 18: A primary word; 'good'.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

replied.
Εἶπεν (Eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“No one [is]
οὐδεὶς (oudeis)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3762: No one, none, nothing.

good
ἀγαθὸς (agathos)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 18: A primary word; 'good'.

except
εἰ (ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

God
Θεός (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

alone.
εἷς (heis)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1520: One. (including the neuter Hen); a primary numeral; one.


Links
Luke 18:19 NIV
Luke 18:19 NLT
Luke 18:19 ESV
Luke 18:19 NASB
Luke 18:19 KJV

Luke 18:19 BibleApps.com
Luke 18:19 Biblia Paralela
Luke 18:19 Chinese Bible
Luke 18:19 French Bible
Luke 18:19 Catholic Bible

NT Gospels: Luke 18:19 Jesus asked him Why do you call (Luke Lu Lk)
Luke 18:18
Top of Page
Top of Page