New Living Translation
Luke 16:17
17But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.
Luke 16:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
- New International Version (NIV)It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.
Context of Luke 16:17
15Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God. 16“Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in. But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned. 18“For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.” 19Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.
Read all of Luke 16Luke 16:17 word by word
εὐκοπώτερον δέ ἐστιν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν παρελθεῖν ἢ τοῦ νόμου μίαν κεραίαν πεσεῖν.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andδέde · thenG1161
- it isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- easierεὐκοπώτεροςeukopōteros · easyG2123
- for heavenὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- for heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
- to passπαρέρχομαιparerchomai · to pass byG3928
- thanἤē · orG2228
- oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
- tittleκεραίαkeraia · tittleG2762
- of the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
- to failπίπτωpiptō petō · to collapseG4098
Cross-references for Luke 16:17
- Luke 21:33Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
- Psalms 102:25Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.
- Isaiah 51:6Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth below. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end!
- Matthew 5:18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.
- 2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
- Revelation 20:11And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.
- Revelation 21:1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.
- Isaiah 40:8The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”
- Romans 3:31Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
- 1 Peter 1:25But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
Commentaries on Luke 16:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17For heaven and earth to pass - See on Matthew 5:17, Matthew 5:18; (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17See the notes at Matthew 5:18.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 To this parable our Lord added a solemn warning. Ye cannot serve God and the world, so divided are the two interests. When our Lord spoke thus, the covetous Pharisees treated his instructions with contempt. But he warned them, that what they contended for as the law, was a wresting of its meaning: this our Lord showed in a case respecting divorce. There are many covetous sticklers for the forms of godliness, who are the bitterest enemies to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17This does not mean the Law has lost its power. The new covenant fulfilled the Old Testament laws and prophets, but the Law remains (however, compare Acts 15:23–29). God will cause heaven and earth to pass away and replace them with a new heaven and earth at the end of the age (Revelation 21:1). But God's word lasts forever (Psalm 119:89, 160; Isaiah 40:8; 55:10–11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1814-18. covetous ... derided him--sneered at Him; their master sin being too plainly struck at for them to relish. But it was easier to run down than to refute such teaching.Read the comment
Topics related to Luke 16:17
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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