Luke 16:26-31

16:26 Besides all this, ¹  a great chasm ²  has been fixed between us, ³  so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 16:27 So ⁴  the rich man ⁵  said, ‘Then I beg you, father – send Lazarus ⁶  to my father’s house 16:28 (for I have five brothers) to warn ⁷  them so that they don’t come ⁸  into this place of torment.’ 16:29 But Abraham said, ⁹  ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to ¹⁰  them.’ 16:30 Then ¹¹  the rich man ¹²  said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead ¹³  goes to them, they will repent.’ 16:31 He ¹⁴  replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to ¹⁵  Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” ¹⁶ 

[16:26]  ¹ tn Grk “And in all these things.” There is no way Lazarus could carry out this request even if divine justice were not involved.

[16:26]  ² sn The great chasm between heaven and hell is impassable forever. The rich man’s former status meant nothing now.

[16:26]  ³ tn Grk “between us and you.”

[16:27]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the rich man’s response to Abraham’s words.

[16:27]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the rich man, v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:27]  ⁶ tn Grk “Then I beg you, father, that you send him”; the referent (Lazarus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:28]  ⁷ sn To warn them. The warning would consist of a call to act differently than their dead brother had, or else meet his current terrible fate.

[16:28]  ⁸ tn Grk “lest they also come.”

[16:29]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “says.” This is one of the few times Luke uses the historical present.

[16:29]  ¹¹ tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” This recalls the many OT texts calling for a righteous heart to respond to people in need (Deut 14:28-29; Isa 3:14-15; Amos 2:6-8; Mic 2:1-2; Zech 7:9-10).

[16:30]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[16:30]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the rich man, v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:30]  ¹⁵ sn If someone from the dead goes to them. The irony and joy of the story is that what is denied the rich man’s brothers, a word of warning from beyond the grave, is given to the reader of the Gospel in this exchange.

[16:31]  ¹⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[16:31]  ¹⁷ tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” See the note on the phrase “respond to” in v. 29.

[16:31]  ¹⁸ sn The concluding statement of the parable, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead, provides a hint that even Jesus’ resurrection will not help some to respond. The message of God should be good enough. Scripture is the sign to be heeded.