Luke 16:17

Luke 16:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
• New International Version (NIV)It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

Context of Luke 16:17

15So He said to them, “You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts [your thoughts, your desires, your secrets]; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. 16“The Law and the [writings of the] Prophets were proclaimed until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God has been and continues to be preached, and everyone tries forcefully to go into it. Yet it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a letter of the Law to fail and become void. 18“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. 19“Now there was a certain rich man who was habitually dressed in expensive purple and fine linen, and celebrated and lived joyously in splendor every day.

Luke 16:17 word by word

εὐκοπώτερον δέ ἐστιν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν παρελθεῖν ἢ τοῦ νόμου μίαν κεραίαν πεσεῖν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• it isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• easierεὐκοπώτεροςeukopōteros · easyG2123
• for heavenὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• for heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• to passπαρέρχομαιparerchomai · to pass byG3928
• thanἤē · orG2228
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• tittleκεραίαkeraia · tittleG2762
• of the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• to failπίπτωpiptō petō · to collapseG4098

Cross-references for Luke 16:17

• Luke 21:33Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
• Psalms 102:25At the beginning You founded the earth; The heavens are the work of Your hands.
• Isaiah 51:6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, Then look to the earth beneath; For the heavens will be torn to pieces and vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner. But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness (justice) [and faithfully fulfilled promise] will not be broken.
• Matthew 5:18For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished.
• 2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish with a [mighty and thunderous] roar, and the [material] elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and the works that are on it will be burned up.
• Revelation 20:11And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away].
• Revelation 21:1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (vanished), and there is no longer any sea.
• Isaiah 40:8The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
• Romans 3:31Do we then nullify the Law by this faith [making the Law of no effect, overthrowing it]? Certainly not! On the contrary, we confirm and establish and uphold the Law [since it convicts us all of sin, pointing to the need for salvation].
• 1 Peter 1:25But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word [the good news of salvation] which was preached to you.

Commentaries on Luke 16:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17For heaven and earth to pass - See on Matthew 5:17, Matthew 5:18; (note).Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17See the notes at Matthew 5:18.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 To this parable our Lord added a solemn warning. Ye cannot serve God and the world, so divided are the two interests. When our Lord spoke thus, the covetous Pharisees treated his instructions with contempt. But he warned them, that what they contended for as the law, was a wresting of its meaning: this our Lord showed in a case respecting divorce. There are many covetous sticklers for the forms of godliness, who are the bitterest enemies to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17This does not mean the Law has lost its power. The new covenant fulfilled the Old Testament laws and prophets, but the Law remains (however, compare Acts 15:23–29). God will cause heaven and earth to pass away and replace them with a new heaven and earth at the end of the age (Revelation 21:1). But God's word lasts forever (Psalm 119:89, 160; Isaiah 40:8; 55:10–11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1814-18. covetous ... derided him--sneered at Him; their master sin being too plainly struck at for them to relish. But it was easier to run down than to refute such teaching.Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 16:17

• Law
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Account
• Beg
• Beside
• Cool
• Deride
• Dig
• Fare
• Put
• Riches
• Tittle

Commentaries on Luke 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings