Matthew 6:19 (YLT)

Passage

`Treasure not up to yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust disfigure, and where thieves break through and steal,

Nearby Context

Matthew 6:17 `But thou, fasting, anoint thy head, and wash thy face,

Matthew 6:18 that thou mayest not appear to men fasting, but to thy Father who <FI>is<Fi> in secret, and thy Father, who is seeing in secret, shall reward thee manifestly.

Matthew 6:19 `Treasure not up to yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust disfigure, and where thieves break through and steal,

Matthew 6:20 but treasure up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth disfigure, and where thieves do not break through nor steal,

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "that thou mayest not appear to men..." into verse 20's "but treasure up to yourselves treasures in...", so "treasure" and "yourselves" 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 "treasure" and "yourselves" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.