New King James Version
Luke 16:3
3“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.
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 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 His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ “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. 4I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’ 5“So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and 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 18:4And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man,
- Esther 6:6So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?”
- Luke 12:17And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’
- Isaiah 10:3What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory?
- Jeremiah 5:31The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?
- Hosea 9:5What will you do in the appointed day, And in the day of the feast of the Lord?
- Acts 9:6So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
- Proverbs 13:4The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
- Proverbs 15:19The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright is a highway.
- Proverbs 18:9He who is slothful in his work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
- Proverbs 19:15Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, And an idle person will suffer hunger.
- Proverbs 21:25The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.
- Proverbs 24:30I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
- Proverbs 26:13The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!”
- Proverbs 27:23Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds;
- Proverbs 29:21He who pampers his servant from childhood Will have him as a son 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries