Luke 18:19

19 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

Luke 18:19 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 18:19

And Jesus said unto him
In answer to his question, beginning with the character he gave him:

why callest thou me good?
it being unusual to address men, even their Rabbins, under such a title:

none is good, save one, [that is], God:
or "but God alone"; as the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions render it; or, "but the one God", as read the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions; (See Gill on Matthew 19:17).

Luke 18:19 In-Context

17 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."
18 A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
20 You know the commandments: "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.' "
21 He replied, "I have kept all these since my youth."
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.