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 He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. 2And he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What am I to do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying 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

• And the managerοἰκονόμοςoikonomos · managerG3623
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• to himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• Whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• am I to doποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• sinceὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• masterκύριοςkurios · lord: masterG2962
• is takingἀφαιρέωaphaireō · to removeG851
• the managementοἰκονομίαoikonomia · managementG3622
• from me? I amἰσχύωischuō · be strongG2480
• digσκάπτωskaptō · to digG4626
• I am ashamedαἰσχύνωaischunomai · be ashamedG153
• to begἐπαιτέωepaiteō · to ask/begG1871

Cross-references for Luke 16:3

• Luke 18:4For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect any person,
• Esther 6:6Haman then came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?”
• Luke 12:17And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’
• Isaiah 10:3Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which 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 on their own authority; And My people love it this way! 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 get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.”
• Proverbs 13:4The soul of the lazy one craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made prosperous.
• Proverbs 15:19The way of the lazy one is like a hedge of thorns, But the path of the upright is a highway.
• Proverbs 18:9He also who is lax in his work Is a brother to him who destroys.
• Proverbs 19:15Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And a lazy person will suffer hunger.
• Proverbs 21:25The desire of the lazy one puts him to death, For his hands refuse to work;
• Proverbs 24:30I passed by the field of a lazy one, And by the vineyard of a person lacking sense,
• Proverbs 26:13A lazy one says, “There is a lion on the road! A lion is in the public square!”
• Proverbs 27:23Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds;
• Proverbs 29:21One who pampers his slave from childhood Will in the end find him to be rebellious.

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