English Standard Version
Luke 16:3
3And 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.
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—
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg.
Context of Luke 16:3
1He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2And he called him and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.' 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. 4I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.' 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
Read all of Luke 16Luke 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 while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
- Esther 6:6So Haman came in, and the king said to him, "What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?" And Haman said to himself, "Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?"
- Luke 12:17and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'
- Isaiah 10:3What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?
- Jeremiah 5:31the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; 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?
- Acts 9:6But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."
- Proverbs 13:4The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
- Proverbs 15:19The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.
- Proverbs 18:9Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.
- Proverbs 19:15Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.
- Proverbs 21:25The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
- Proverbs 24:30I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
- Proverbs 26:13The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!"
- Proverbs 27:23Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds,
- Proverbs 29:21Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his heir.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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Commentaries