Luke 16:3

Luke 16:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
• New International Version (NIV)“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.

Context of Luke 16:3

1Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master’s] possessions. 2So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management [of my affairs], for you can no longer be [my] manager.’ The manager [of the estate] said to himself, ‘What will I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig [for a living], and I am ashamed to beg. 4I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management, people [who are my master’s debtors] will welcome me into their homes.’ 5So he summoned his master’s debtors one by one, and he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

Luke 16:3 word by word

εἶπεν δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὁ οἰκονόμος· τί ποιήσω, ὅτι ὁ κύριός μου ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ; σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω, ἐπαιτεῖν αἰσχύνομαι.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thenδέde · thenG1161
• the stewardὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the stewardοἰκονόμοςoikonomos · managerG3623
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• withinἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• Whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• shall I doποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• lordκύριοςkurios · lord: masterG2962
• taketh awayἀφαιρέωaphaireō · to removeG851
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• the stewardshipοἰκονομίαoikonomia · managementG3622
• I cannotἰσχύωischuō · be strongG2480
• ·οὐou · noG3756
• digσκάπτωskaptō · to digG4626
• to begἐπαιτέωepaiteō · to ask/begG1871
• I am ashamedαἰσχύνωaischunomai · be ashamedG153

Cross-references for Luke 16:3

• Luke 18:4For a time he would not; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,
• Esther 6:6So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?”
• Luke 12:17And he began thinking to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place [large enough in which] to store my crops?’
• Isaiah 10:3Now what will you do in the day of [God’s] punishment, And in the storm of devastation which will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth [for safekeeping]?
• Jeremiah 5:31The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love [to have] it so! But what will you do when the end comes?
• Hosea 9:5What will you do on the day of the appointed festival And on the day of the feast of the Lord [when you are in exile]?
• Acts 9:6now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
• Proverbs 13:4The soul (appetite) of the lazy person craves and gets nothing [for lethargy overcomes ambition], But the soul (appetite) of the diligent [who works willingly] is rich and abundantly supplied.
• Proverbs 15:19The way of the lazy is like a hedge of thorns [it pricks, lacerates, and entangles him], But the way [of life] of the upright is smooth and open like a highway.
• Proverbs 18:9He who is careless in his work Is a brother to him who destroys.
• Proverbs 19:15Laziness casts one into a deep sleep [unmindful of lost opportunity], And the idle person will suffer hunger.
• Proverbs 21:25The desire of the lazy kills him, For his hands refuse to labor;
• Proverbs 24:30I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man lacking understanding and common sense;
• Proverbs 26:13The lazy person [who is self-indulgent and relies on lame excuses] says, “There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square [and if I go outside to work I will be killed]!”
• Proverbs 27:23Be diligent to know the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds;
• Proverbs 29:21He who pampers his slave from childhood Will find him to be a son in the end.

Commentaries on Luke 16:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3I cannot dig - He could not submit to become a common day-laborer, which was both a severe and base employment: To beg I am ashamed. And as these were the only honest ways left him to procure a morsel of bread, and he would not submit to either, he found he must continue the system of knavery, in order to provide for his idleness and luxury, or else starve. Wo to the man who gets his bread in this way! The curse of the Lord must be on his head, and on his…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Said within himself - Thought, or considered. My lord - My master, my employer. I cannot dig - This may mean either that his employment had been such that he could not engage in agriculture, not having been acquainted with the business, or that he was “unwilling” to stoop to so low an employment as to work daily for his support. “To dig,” here, is the same as to till the earth, to work at daily labor. To beg - These were the only two ways that presented…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3too ashamed to beg: The Jewish wisdom writer Sirach said, “It is better to die than to beg” (Sirach 40:28). This reflects how many Jews viewed begging.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. cannot dig ... to beg, ashamed--therefore, when dismissed, shall be in utter want.Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 16:3

• Beggars
• Covetousness
• Dishonesty
• Embezzlement
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Malfeasance in Office
• Probation
• Servant
• Steward
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

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

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