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

1Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. 2So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’ “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. 4Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’ 5“So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’

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 18:4The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,
• Esther 6:6So Haman came in, and the king said, “What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?” Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?”
• Luke 12:17He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’
• Isaiah 10:3What will you do when I punish you, when I send disaster upon you from a distant land? To whom will you turn for help? Where will your treasures be safe?
• Jeremiah 5:31the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?
• Hosea 9:5What then will you do on festival days? How will you observe the Lord’s festivals?
• Acts 9:6Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
• Proverbs 13:4Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.
• Proverbs 15:19A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers, but the path of the upright is an open highway.
• Proverbs 18:9A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things.
• Proverbs 19:15Lazy people sleep soundly, but idleness leaves them hungry.
• Proverbs 21:25Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work.
• Proverbs 24:30I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense.
• Proverbs 26:13The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
• Proverbs 27:23Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds,
• Proverbs 29:21A servant pampered from childhood will become a rebel.

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