“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?”
The full verse · Matthew 16:26 · KJV
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Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, who had just begun to show His disciples that He must suffer, be killed, and be raised (Matthew 16:21)
Asked to
Disciples: "his disciples" (Matthew 16:24), to whom Jesus had begun to show that He "must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer" (Matthew 16:21); He tells them "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself" (Matthew 16:24).
The Scene
After rebuking Peter for resisting the way of the cross, Jesus tells His disciples that anyone who would come after Him must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:22-25).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus gives the reason why losing one's life for Him is the wise choice. The verse begins with "For," explaining Matthew 16:25: "whosoever will save his life shall lose it." The first question weighs the greatest possible gain, "the whole world," against the loss of the soul. The second asks what anyone could pay to get a lost soul back. Barnes explains that losing one's soul "means to be cast away, to be shut out from heaven, to be sent to hell," and that the second question implies "nothing can be given in exchange for it." Peter had just been savouring "those that be of men" rather than "the things that be of God" (Matthew 16:23); these questions measure everything by what lasts.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe answer to both questions is plain: nothing. No gain can make up for a lost soul, and nothing can buy it back. Jesus does not wait for a reply. He gives the reason the stakes are so high: "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" (Matthew 16:27). Mark records both questions (Mark 8:36-37), and Luke has, "what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?" (Luke 9:25).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe word translated "soul" here, psychēn, is the same word translated "life" in Matthew 16:25. Jesus is continuing the same thought: the life a person tries to save, or is willing to lose for Him. "Profited" translates ōphelēthēsetai, to be helped or benefited. "Lose" translates zēmiōthē, to suffer loss or damage, which is why the ESV says "forfeits." "Exchange" translates antallagma, something given in exchange, a purchase price.
Gill draws out the second question: "the redemption of an immortal soul requires a greater price than gold and silver," and "a soul once lost and damned, can never be retrieved."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThese questions come at a turning point. Jesus has just said He must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die, and Peter has tried to stop Him (Matthew 16:21-22). Now Jesus shows His disciples that the way of the cross is not loss but gain. Matthew Henry writes, "Yet one soul is worth more than all the world. This is Christ's judgment upon the matter; he knew the price of souls, for he redeemed them; nor would he underrate the world, for he made it."
The question reveals how highly God values a single person. The One who asks it is the One who will come in His Father's glory to judge (Matthew 16:27). He weighs the soul against the whole world, and the world comes up short.
Look Closer
What led Jesus to ask these questions?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, what am I reaching for that could cost me more than it is worth, and what would following You look like there?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Jesus said the whole world is not worth a soul. Where do you feel the pull to trade what lasts for what doesn't?
- Tell about someone whose life showed that following Jesus was worth more than what they gave up.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Jesus asks you to do the math. Success, comfort, approval, and possessions are real, but none of them can be weighed against your soul. When a choice puts following Jesus on one side and gaining something on the other, let His questions settle it.
This doesn't mean the good things of this world are evil. Matthew Henry notes that Christ would not "underrate the world, for he made it." The point is that nothing in it is worth losing your soul for.
Let the coming of the Son of man (Matthew 16:27) shape how you value what you have now.
Scripture's own application: Philippians 3:7-8
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
“Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
“For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?”