Luke 16:1-2

The Parable of the Clever Steward

16:1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his assets. 16:2 So 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.’


tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”

sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.

tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the reports the man received about his manager.

tn Grk “him”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

sn Although phrased as a question, the charges were believed by the owner, as his dismissal of the manager implies.

tn Or “stewardship”; the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) is cognate with the noun for the manager (οἰκονόμος, oikonomo").