Luke 16:3 kjv
Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
Luke 16:3 nkjv
"Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.
Luke 16:3 niv
"The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg?
Luke 16:3 esv
And the manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
Luke 16:3 nlt
"The manager thought to himself, 'Now what? My boss has fired me. I don't have the strength to dig ditches, and I'm too proud to beg.
Luke 16 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 16:1-2 | There was a rich man who had a manager... calling him he said to him... | Immediate context: beginning of the parable. |
| Lk 12:42-48 | Who then is the faithful and wise manager whom his master will set... | Stewardship and accountability. |
| Matt 25:14-30 | Parable of the talents: master entrusted assets to servants. | Accountability for entrusted resources. |
| 1 Cor 4:2 | Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. | Core expectation for those entrusted. |
| Rom 14:12 | So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. | Universal accountability to God. |
| Heb 4:13 | No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked... | God's omnipresence and knowing. |
| Gen 3:19 | By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the... | The toil of manual labor. |
| Eccl 9:10 | Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is... | Diligence in labor. |
| 2 Thess 3:10 | For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If... | Work ethic; consequences of idleness. |
| Prov 13:4 | The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul... | Consequences of sloth. |
| Ps 37:25 | I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous... | Trust in God's provision. |
| Acts 3:2-6 | A man crippled from birth was being carried, whom people laid... | Example of a beggar at the temple gate. |
| Mk 10:45 | For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to... | Humility and service over status. |
| Phil 4:13 | I can do all things through him who strengthens me. | Divine empowerment for trials. |
| 2 Cor 12:10 | For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses... | Strength found in weakness/dependence on God. |
| Lk 16:8 | The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness... | Steward's shrewdness contrasted later. |
| Matt 10:16 | Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves... | Wisdom and shrewdness in difficult situations. |
| Lk 14:28-30 | For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down... | Importance of planning and foresight. |
| Prov 6:6 | Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. | Learning from diligence. |
| Matt 7:7-8 | Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock... | Seeking solutions in times of need. |
| Ps 23:1 | The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. | God as the ultimate provider. |
| Lk 18:13 | But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his... | Example of humility, contrasting with pride. |
Luke 16 verses
Luke 16 3 Meaning
Luke 16:3 presents the immediate dilemma of a steward who has been informed by his master that he is about to be dismissed from his position of financial management. Faced with this imminent loss of livelihood and social standing, the steward grapples internally with his grim prospects. He acknowledges his physical inability or social disinclination to perform strenuous manual labor like digging, and he views begging as a deeply shameful and dishonorable alternative, beneath his former status. This verse vividly captures his crisis and the impetus for his subsequent strategic, albeit morally ambiguous, actions described in the rest of the parable.
Luke 16 3 Context
Luke chapter 16 begins with Jesus addressing his disciples, narrating the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (16:1-13), often called the Parable of the Shrewd Steward. This parable follows closely after a series of parables (the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Prodigal Son) which highlight God's compassion and the importance of repentance, specifically aimed at the grumbling Pharisees and scribes. Luke 16:3 itself encapsulates the manager's personal crisis. Stewards in the Roman/Hellenistic world were often trusted, highly skilled household administrators, sometimes slaves or freedmen, managing estates and finances. Losing such a position meant losing all income, social status, and future prospects. Manual labor like 'digging' (likely agricultural work) was viewed as beneath a manager's station, and 'begging' was considered profoundly humiliating, marking an individual as a public disgrace, especially one accustomed to authority. This cultural backdrop intensifies the manager's desperate internal dialogue, setting the stage for his ingenious plan to secure his future.
Luke 16 3 Word analysis
- Then the steward said to himself (εἶπεν δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῷ): Reveals an internal monologue. The decision-making process is private, reflecting intense personal struggle and strategic thinking before any action. It signifies his grappling with the grim reality.
- 'What shall I do? (Τί ποιήσω;): A classic expression of desperate uncertainty and quandary. This rhetorical question highlights his predicament and the urgent need for a solution. It emphasizes the lack of clear, acceptable options.
- For (ὅτι): Connects his internal question directly to the cause of his distress. It explains why he is asking what he should do.
- my master (ὁ κύριός μου): Reinforces his subordinate status and the master's absolute authority over his livelihood. The dismissal is decreed from above.
- is taking the management away from me (ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ): "Aphaireitai" (taking away) is in the present tense, indicating the action is imminent, underway, or a confirmed certainty, not a distant threat. "Oikonomian" refers to his official function as a household manager or administrator of affairs. It's the total loss of his position and source of income.
- I cannot dig (σκάπτειν οὐκ ἰσχύω): "Skaptein" means to dig, often implying hard manual or agricultural labor. "Ouk ischyō" means "I lack strength" or "I am not able." This could imply physical unfitness (unaccustomed to such work), or, more likely in this context, social or personal aversion and unwillingness; it's seen as beneath his dignity or too arduous compared to his previous work. It speaks to his reluctance for hard, unrefined labor.
- I am ashamed to beg (ἐπαιτεῖν ἐπαισχύνομαι): "Epaitein" means to beg publicly. "Epaischynomai" means "I feel shame" or "I am disgraced." This reveals a strong sense of pride and social status. Begging was the ultimate social degradation, especially for someone who had managed significant assets. This double negative choice frames his dilemma, forcing him to look for a third way out.
Luke 16 3 Bonus section
The steward's dismissal represents an "eschatological" reality for him: the end of his comfortable way of life. His self-reflection and subsequent planning mirror the necessity for all individuals to consider their own "eschaton" – their end – whether it be the end of their lives or the ultimate judgment. His unwillingness to perform 'undignified' labor or to beg showcases a common human tendency to cling to a certain status or image, even when faced with dire necessity. This stubbornness drives his inventive (if unethical) solution, highlighting the extraordinary lengths people will go to secure their future, a lesson Jesus applies to spiritual preparation.
Luke 16 3 Commentary
Luke 16:3 acts as the pivotal moment where the manager's crisis crystallizes. Stripped of his authority, he faces an existential threat. His internal soliloquy, "What shall I do?", articulates a universal human experience of profound uncertainty when livelihood or security is jeopardized. The options he rejects – strenuous manual labor ("dig") and public humiliation ("beg") – underscore his pride, his former status, and his urgent need for a different path. This verse sets the stage for Jesus' deeper message: just as this manager, a "son of this world," acts with shrewd foresight in a temporal crisis, believers, the "sons of light," should likewise apply similar astuteness and urgency in managing their spiritual lives and resources in preparation for their eternal future. The shrewdness here is not commended for its ethical validity but for its decisive foresight in anticipating an end.