Luke 16:19-20

The Rich Man and Lazarus

16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple ¹  and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously ²  every day. 16:20 But at his gate lay ³  a poor man named Lazarus ⁴  whose body was covered with sores, ⁵ 

[16:19]  ¹ sn Purple describes a fine, expensive dye used on luxurious clothing, and by metonymy, refers to clothing colored with that dye. It pictures someone of great wealth.

[16:19]  ² tn Or “celebrated with ostentation” (L&N 88.255), that is, with showing off. Here was the original conspicuous consumer.

[16:20]  ³ tn The passive verb ἐβέβλητο (ebeblhto) does not indicate how Lazarus got there. Cf. BDAG 163 s.v. βάλλω 1.b, “he lay before the door”; Josephus, Ant. 9.10.2 (9.209).

[16:20]  ⁴ sn This is the one time in all the gospels that a figure in a parable is mentioned by name. It will become important later in the account.

[16:20]  ⁵ tn Or “was covered with ulcers.” The words “whose body” are implied in the context (L&N 23.180).