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

1Then Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a business manager. The manager was accused of wasting the rich man’s property. 2So the rich man called for his manager and said to him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Let me examine your books. It’s obvious that you can’t manage my property any longer.’ “The manager thought, ‘What should I do? My master is taking my job away from me. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg. 4I know what I’ll do so that people will welcome me into their homes when I’ve lost my job.’ 5“So the manager called for each one of his master’s debtors. 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 18:4“For a while the judge refused to do anything. But then he thought, ‘This widow really annoys me. Although I don’t fear God or respect people,
• Esther 6:6So Haman came in. The king then asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king wishes to reward?” Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to reward more than me?”
• Luke 12:17He thought, ‘What should I do? I don’t have enough room to store my crops.’
• Isaiah 10:3What will you do on the day you are called to account ⌞for these things⌟, when the disaster comes from far away? Where will you run for help? Where will you leave your wealth?
• Jeremiah 5:31Prophets prophesy lies. Priests rule under the prophets’ directions, and my people love this. But what will you do in the end?”
• Hosea 9:5What will they do on the day of an appointed festival or on the Lord’s festival days?
• Acts 9:6Get up! Go into the city, and you’ll be told what you should do.”
• Proverbs 13:4A lazy person craves food and there is none, but the appetite of hard-working people is satisfied.
• Proverbs 15:19The path of lazy people is like a thorny hedge, but the road of decent people is an ⌞open⌟ highway.
• Proverbs 18:9Whoever is lazy in his work is related to a vandal.
• Proverbs 19:15Laziness throws one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will go hungry.
• Proverbs 21:25The desire of a lazy person will kill him because his hands refuse to work.
• Proverbs 24:30I passed by a lazy person’s field, the vineyard belonging to a person without sense.
• Proverbs 26:13A lazy person says, “There’s a ferocious lion out on the road! There’s a lion loose in the streets!”
• Proverbs 27:23Be fully aware of the condition of your flock, and pay close attention to your herds.
• Proverbs 29:21Pamper a slave from childhood, and later he will be ungrateful.

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