Matthew 19:22 — ExegesisTAB

The verse forms a single sentence in which the main action is carried by the aorist verb apelthen {ἀπῆλθεν | a-pêl-then} ‘went away.’ Preceding it, the aorist participle akousas {ἀκούσας | a-koú-sas} functions as a circumstantial temporal participle, indicating an action completed prior to the main verb, so it is rendered as “when he heard.” The subject is expressed by the articular noun ho neaniskos {ὁ νεανίσκος | hó ne-a-nís-kos}, “the young man,” while the object of his hearing is the phrase ton logon {τὸν λόγον | tón ló-gon}, an anaphoric reference to the specific saying of Jesus in the immediately preceding context. The postpositive conjunction de {δὲ | dè} provides a mild contrast or continuation, which is best reflected by “but” in English. The participle lypoumenos {λυπούμενος | ly-poú-me-nos}, placed after apelthen, is a present middle/passive participle functioning adverbially to describe manner or attendant circumstance, depicting his ongoing emotional state as he departs; this justifies an English rendering like “he went away sorrowful.” The clause introduced by gar {γὰρ | gár} is explicitly explanatory, giving the reason for his sorrowful departure. Within this clause, the imperfect en {ἦν | ên} combined with the present participle echon {ἔχων | é-khōn} creates a periphrastic verbal idea, emphasizing the durative nature of his condition, literally “he was having,” idiomatically “he had.” The object ktemata polla {κτήματα πολλά | ktê-ma-ta pol-lá} puts “possessions” first and “many” second, with the adjective intensifying the abundance of his property. In translation, the participles are converted into temporal (“when he heard”) and descriptive (“went away sorrowful”) clauses, while gar is rendered with “for” or “because” to preserve the explicit causal relationship between his wealth and his grief-stricken departure.