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

15Jesus replied, ‘You are happy when people like you. You want them to think that you are good people. But God sees inside you. He knows what you are thinking. The things that many people think are valuable are not valuable to God. He hates those things.’ 16Jesus then said, ‘The books of God's Law and God's prophets spoke God's message until John the Baptist came. Since then, God's servants tell people the good news about the kingdom of God. Everyone is now trying very much to get into that kingdom. But this does not mean that anyone can destroy God's Law. One day, the earth and the sky will finish. But until that time, nobody can remove even a small thing from God's Law. 18A man must not send his wife away and then marry another woman. If he does that, it is the same as if he had sex with another man's wife. Also, if a woman has left her husband, another man must not marry her. That is the same as if he had sex with another man's wife.’ 19Jesus then said, ‘At one time, there was a rich man who wore very expensive clothes. This rich man ate big meals 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 21:33One day, the earth and the sky will have an end. But my words will be there for ever.
• Psalms 102:25Long ago, you built the world on a strong foundation. You created the heavens with your own hands.
• Isaiah 51:6Look up at the sky! Look down at the earth below! One day, the sky will disappear like smoke that blows away. The earth will become useless, like old clothes. The people who live on it will die. They will fall like flies. But I will keep my people safe for ever. I will always rule with righteousness.
• Matthew 5:18I tell you this: One day, even the earth and the sky will finish. But while they remain, God's Law will also remain. Nobody can remove even the smallest thing from it. The Law will remain until everything in it has happened.
• 2 Peter 3:10The great day of the Lord will suddenly happen. That will surprise people, like when someone comes to rob them. There will be a very loud noise in the sky. The whole sky will go away. Fire will burn the whole universe and it will destroy everything. The earth and everything that people have made will then become clear.
• Revelation 20:11Then I saw a great white throne. I saw that God was sitting on it. The earth and the sky rushed away from the place where he sat. There was no longer any place for them.
• Revelation 21:1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had gone away. The sea also was not there any more.
• Isaiah 40:8Grass quickly dies, and flowers fall to the ground. But God's promise will be true for ever.’
• Romans 3:31What does this show us about God's Law which he gave to Moses? When we say that all people need to believe in Jesus, does that mean that God's Law has no purpose? No! When we believe in Jesus, we are showing the true purpose of God's Law.
• 1 Peter 1:25But the Lord God's message will continue for ever.’ That message is the good news about Jesus Christ, which people have taught 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