Luke 16:1-3

Context

The Parable of the Clever Steward

16:1 Jesus¹ also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations² that his manager³ was wasting⁴ his assets. 16:2 So⁵ he called the manager⁶ in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you?⁷ Turn in the account of your administration,⁸ because you can no longer be my manager.’ 16:3 Then⁹ the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position¹⁰ away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig,¹¹ and I’m too ashamed¹² to beg.

[16:1] ¹tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:1] ²tn 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.”

[16:1] ³sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.

[16:1] ⁴tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

[16:2] ⁵tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the reports the man received about his manager.

[16:2] ⁶tn Grk “him”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:2] ⁷sn Although phrased as a question, the charges were believed by the owner, as his dismissal of the manager implies.

[16:2] ⁸tn Or “stewardship”; the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) is cognate with the noun for the manager (οἰκονόμος, oikonomo").

[16:3] ⁹tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the parable.

[16:3] ¹⁰tn Grk “the stewardship,” “the management.”

[16:3] ¹¹tn Here “dig” could refer (1) to excavation (“dig ditches,” L&N 19.55) or (2) to agricultural labor (“work the soil,” L&N 43.3). In either case this was labor performed by the uneducated, so it would be an insult as a job for a manager.

[16:3] ¹²tn Grk “I do not have strength to dig; I am ashamed to beg.”