Matthew 6:19 (KJV)

Passage

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Nearby Context

Matthew 6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

Matthew 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "yourselves", "treasures", "upon", "earth", "where", "moth", "rust", and "doth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "yourselves" and "treasures", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "That thou appear not unto men to..." into verse 20's "But lay up for yourselves treasures in...", so "yourselves" and "treasures" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "yourselves" and "treasures" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.