Discovery BoxLuke 16:2-4 
Context16:2 So 1 he called the manager 2 in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? 3 Turn in the account of your administration, 4 because you can no longer be my manager.’ 16:3 Then 5 the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position 6 away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, 7 and I’m too ashamed 8 to beg. 16:4 I know 9 what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’ 10
Luke 16:19-25
Context16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple 11 and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously 12 every day. 16:20 But at his gate lay 13 a poor man named Lazarus 14 whose body was covered with sores, 15 16:21 who longed to eat 16 what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs 17 came and licked 18 his sores.
16:22 “Now 19 the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. 20 The 21 rich man also died and was buried. 22 16:23 And in hell, 23 as he was in torment, 24 he looked up 25 and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. 26 16:24 So 27 he called out, 28 ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus 29 to dip the tip of his finger 30 in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish 31 in this fire.’ 32 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, 33 remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. 34
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the reports the man received about his manager.
2 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 sn Although phrased as a question, the charges were believed by the owner, as his dismissal of the manager implies.
4 tn Or “stewardship”; the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) is cognate with the noun for the manager (οἰκονόμος, oikonomo").
5 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the parable.
6 tn Grk “the stewardship,” “the management.”
7 tn 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.
8 tn Grk “I do not have strength to dig; I am ashamed to beg.”
sn To beg would represent a real lowering of status for the manager, because many of those whom he had formerly collected debts from, he would now be forced to beg from.
9 tn This is a dramatic use of the aorist and the verse is left unconnected to the previous verse by asyndeton, giving the impression of a sudden realization.
10 sn Thinking ahead, the manager develops a plan to make people think kindly of him (welcome me into their homes).
11 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.
12 tn Or “celebrated with ostentation” (L&N 88.255), that is, with showing off. Here was the original conspicuous consumer.
13 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).
14 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.
15 tn Or “was covered with ulcers.” The words “whose body” are implied in the context (L&N 23.180).
16 tn Grk “to eat his fill,” but this phrase has been simplified as “to eat” for stylistic reasons.
17 tn The term κύνες (kunes) refers to “wild” dogs (either “street” dogs or watchdogs), not house pets (L&N 4.34).
18 sn When the dogs came and licked his sores it meant that he was unclean. See the negative image of Rev 22:15 that draws on this picture.
19 tn Grk “Now it happened that the.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
20 tn Grk “to Abraham’s bosom.” The phrase “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” describes being gathered to the fathers and is a way to refer to heaven (Gen 15:15; 47:30; Deut 31:16).
21 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
22 sn The shorter description suggests a different fate, which is confirmed in the following verses.
23 sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).
24 sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.
25 tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).
26 tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”
27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.
28 tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”
29 sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)
30 sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.
31 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).
32 sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.
33 tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.
34 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.
