Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 16:26

"For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? or what shall a man give in exchange for his life?" — Matthew 16:26 (ASV)

For the sense of v.25, see comment on 10:39. Verse 26 furthers the argument by asking twin rhetorical questions, showing the folly of possessing all created abundance and wealth at the expense of one’s “soul.” The focus is eschatological, and the loss of one’s soul is the eternal loss of one’s life or self.