New English Translation
Luke 16:3
3Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too 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—
- 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
1Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his assets. 2So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.’ Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg. 4I know what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one. He asked 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 later on he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people,
- Esther 6:6So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?” Haman thought to himself, “Who is it that the king would want to honor more than me?”
- Luke 12:17so he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
- Isaiah 10:3What will you do on judgment day, when destruction arrives from a distant place? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your wealth?
- Jeremiah 5:31The prophets prophesy lies. The priests exercise power by their own authority. And my people love to have it this way. But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes!
- Hosea 9:5So what will you do on the festival day, on the festival days of the Lord?
- Acts 9:6But stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.”
- Proverbs 13:4The appetite of the sluggard craves but gets nothing, but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied.
- Proverbs 15:19The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is like a highway.
- Proverbs 18:9The one who is slack in his work is a brother to one who destroys.
- Proverbs 19:15Laziness brings on a deep sleep, and the idle person will go hungry.
- Proverbs 21:25What the sluggard desires will kill him, for his hands refuse to work.
- Proverbs 24:30I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of one who lacks wisdom.
- Proverbs 26:13The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! A lion in the streets!”
- Proverbs 27:23Pay careful attention to the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds,
- Proverbs 29:21If someone pampers his servant from youth, he will be a weakling 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
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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