Luke 16:23

Easy-to-Read Version

He was sent to the place of death and was in great pain. He saw Abraham far away with Lazarus in his arms.

Parallel Translations

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And beinge in hell in tormetes he lyfte vp his eyes and sawe Abraham a farre of and Lazarus in his bosome

Hebrew Names Version
In She'ol, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Avraham far off, and El'azar at his bosom.

International Standard Version
In Hades,[fn] where he was in constant torture, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus by his side.

New American Standard Bible
"And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms.

New Century Version
In the place of the dead, he was in much pain. The rich man saw Abraham far away with Lazarus at his side.

Update Bible Version
And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Webster's Bible Translation
And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Amplified Bible
"In Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom (paradise).

English Standard Version
and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

World English Bible
In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And in hell lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

Weymouth's New Testament
And in Hades, being in torment, he looked and saw Abraham in the far distance, and Lazarus resting in his arms.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the riche man was deed also, and was biried in helle. And he reiside hise iyen, whanne he was in turmentis, and say Abraham afer, and Lazarus in his bosum.

English Revised Version
And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Berean Standard Bible
In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

Contemporary English Version
He went to hell and was suffering terribly. When he looked up and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side,

American Standard Version
And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Bible in Basic English
And in hell, being in great pain, lifting up his eyes he saw Abraham, far away, and Lazarus on his breast.

Complete Jewish Bible
"In Sh'ol, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Avraham far away with El‘azar at his side.

Darby Translation
And in hades lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Etheridge Translation
And, tormented in shiul, he lifted up his eyes afar, and seeth Abraham, and Loózar in his bosom.

Murdock Translation
And being tormented in hell, he raised his eyes from afar off, and saw Abraham, and Lazarus in his bosom.

King James Version (1611)
And in hell he lift vp his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afarre off, and Lazarus in his bosome:

New Living Translation
and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

New Life Bible
In hell the rich man was in much pain. He looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus beside him.

New Revised Standard
In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And being in hell in torments, he lift vp his eyes, and sawe Abraham a farre off, and Lazarus in his bosome.

George Lamsa Translation
And while he was tormented in Sheol, he lifted up his eyes from a distance, and saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his bosom.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, in hades, lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom:

Revised Standard Version
and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz'arus in his bosom.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And beyng in hell in tormentes, he lyft vp his eyes, and sawe Abraham a farre of, and Lazarus in his bosome,

Good News Translation
and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side.

Christian Standard Bible®
And being in torment

King James Version
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Lexham English Bible
And in Hades he lifted up his eyes as he was in torment and saw Abraham from a distance, and Lazarus at his side.

Literal Translation
And being in torments in hell, lifting up his eyes, he sees Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

Young's Literal Translation
and in the hades having lifted up his eyes, being in torments, he doth see Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now whan he was in the hell, he lift vp his eyes in the payne, and sawe Abraham afarre of, and Lazarus in his bosome:

Mace New Testament (1729)
and being in the infernal regions of torments, he lift up his eyes, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bower.

New English Translation
And in hell, as he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side.

New King James Version
And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Coincidentally, the rich guy died at the same time, but he ended up in hell. While his flesh burned, he saw the beggar Lazarus sitting with Abraham in heaven.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

Legacy Standard Bible
And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ Jesus said, "There was a rich man who always dressed in the finest clothes. He was so rich that he was able to enjoy all the best things every day. ²⁰ There was also a very poor man named Lazarus. Lazarus' body was covered with sores. He was often put by the rich man's gate. ²¹ Lazarus wanted only to eat the scraps of food left on the floor under the rich man's table. And the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² "Later, Lazarus died. The angels took him and placed him in the arms of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ He was sent to the place of death and was in great pain. He saw Abraham far away with Lazarus in his arms. ²⁴ He called, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to me so that he can dip his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am suffering in this fire!' ²⁵ "But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember when you lived? You had all the good things in life. But Lazarus had nothing but problems. Now he is comforted here, and you are suffering. ²⁶ Also, there is a big pit between you and us. No one can cross over to help you, and no one can come here from there.' ²⁷ "The rich man said, ‘Then please, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house on earth. ²⁸ I have five brothers. He could warn my brothers so that they will not come to this place of pain.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

in hell: Psalms 9:17, Psalms 16:10, Psalms 49:15, Psalms 86:13, Proverbs 5:5, Proverbs 7:27, Proverbs 9:18, Proverbs 15:24, Isaiah 14:9, Isaiah 14:15, Matthew 5:22, Matthew 5:29, Matthew 18:9, Matthew 23:33, 1 Corinthians 15:55, *marg. 2 Peter 2:4, Revelation 20:13, Revelation 20:14

being: Luke 16:28, Luke 8:28, Matthew 8:29, Revelation 14:10, Revelation 14:11, Revelation 20:10

seeth: Luke 13:28, Luke 13:29, Matthew 8:11, Matthew 8:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:7 - And the 1 Samuel 28:15 - therefore 1 Kings 13:31 - lay my bones 2 Kings 6:20 - opened Job 3:19 - The small Job 4:21 - excellency Job 11:20 - their hope Job 14:10 - where is he Job 14:22 - his soul Job 21:20 - see Psalms 49:9 - That he Psalms 49:19 - He Psalms 73:17 - then Psalms 112:10 - wicked Proverbs 10:2 - Treasures Proverbs 10:28 - but Proverbs 19:10 - Delight Ecclesiastes 2:1 - I will Ecclesiastes 3:21 - knoweth Ecclesiastes 5:13 - riches Isaiah 26:11 - they shall Isaiah 33:14 - everlasting Jeremiah 3:2 - Lift Ezekiel 32:21 - strong Joel 1:5 - for Zephaniah 1:18 - their silver Matthew 12:32 - it shall not Matthew 13:42 - cast Luke 3:8 - We Luke 12:20 - God Luke 15:17 - when Luke 16:25 - remember John 1:18 - in the Acts 2:27 - leave Romans 4:12 - to them 1 Timothy 6:7 - certain Revelation 11:12 - and their

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,.... Which may design the place of torment, and the miserable state the Scribes and Pharisees, as all wicked men, enter immediately into upon death, Psalms 9:17 who in their lifetime were blind, and are called blind guides, blind watchmen, blind leaders of the blind, and who were given up to judicial blindness and hardness of heart; but in hell their eyes are opened, and they see their mistakes about the Messiah, and find themselves in torments, under dreadful gnawings, and remorse of conscience; and having a terrible sensation of divine wrath, their worm dies not, and their fire is not quenched: or this may regard the vengeance of God on the Jews, at the destruction of Jerusalem; when a fire was kindled against their land, and burned to the lowest hell; and consumed the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains; and the whole land became brimstone, salt, and burning; and they were rooted out of it in anger, wrath, and great indignation; see Deuteronomy 29:23 or rather, the dreadful calamities which came upon them in the times of Adrian at Bither; when their false Messiah Bar Cochab was taken and slain, and such multitudes of them were destroyed in the most miserable manner z, when that people, who before had their eyes darkened, and a spirit of slumber and stupidity fallen upon them, in those calamities began to be under some convictions:

and seeth Abraham afar off: the covenant of circumcision given to him, and to them his natural seed, now of no use to them; their descent from him, of which they boasted, and in which they trusted, now of no avail; and him in the kingdom of heaven, and themselves thrust out; see Luke 13:28.

And Lazarus in his bosom; they now found the Messiah was come, and was gone to heaven, whither they could not come, John 7:33. The Jews are convinced that the Messiah is born, though not revealed; and they sometimes confess, that he was born the same day Jerusalem was destroyed; and sometimes they say, he sits at the gates of Rome among the lepers, and at other times, that he is in the walks of paradise a. This is said in agreement with the notions of the Jews, that wicked men will see the righteous in happiness, and themselves in torment; by which the latter will be aggravated, to which the allusion is; for they say b,

"the gates of paradise are fixed over against the gates of hell, so that they can see the righteous in rest, and themselves in distress.''

z Vid. Buxtorf. Lex. Talmud. col. 372. a Synagog. Jud. c. 50. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 1. Aben Ezra in Cant. vii. 5. T. Hieros Beracot, fol. 5. 1. b Tzeror Hammor, fol. 125. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In hell - The word here translated hell (“Hades”) means literally a dark, obscure place; the place where departed spirits go, but especially the place where “wicked” spirits go. See the Job 10:21-22 notes; Isaiah 14:9 note. The following circumstances are related of it in this parable:

1. It is “far off” from the abodes of the righteous. Lazarus was seen “afar off.”
2. It is a place of torment.
3. There is a great gulf fixed between that and heaven, Luke 16:26.
4. The suffering is great. It is represented by “torment” in a flame, Luke 16:24.
5. There will be no escape from it, Luke 16:26.

The word “hell” here means, therefore, that dark, obscure, and miserable place, far from heaven, where the wicked shall be punished forever.

He lifted up his eyes - A phrase in common use among the Hebrews, meaning “he looked,” Genesis 13:10; Genesis 18:2; Genesis 31:10; Deuteronomy 8:3; Luke 6:20.

Being in torment - The word “torment” means “pain, anguish” Matthew 4:24; particularly the pain inflicted by the ancients in order to induce people to make confession of their crimes. These “torments” or tortures were the keenest that they could inflict, such as the rack, or scourging, or burning; and the use of the word here denotes that the sufferings of the wicked can be represented only by the extremest forms of human suffering.

And seeth Abraham ... - This was an aggravation of his misery. One of the first things that occurred in hell was to look up, and see the poor man that lay at his gate completely happy. What a contrast! Just now he was rolling in wealth, and the poor man was at his gate. He had no expectation of these sufferings: now they have come upon him, and Lazarus is happy and forever fixed in the paradise of God. It is more, perhaps, than we are authorized to infer, that the wicked will “see” those who are in paradise. That they will “know” that they are there is certain; but we are not to suppose that they will be so near together as to be seen, or as to make conversation possible. These circumstances mean that there will be “a separation,” and that the wicked in hell will be conscious that the righteous, though on earth they were poor or despised, will be in heaven. Heaven and hell will be far from each other, and it will be no small part of the misery of the one that it is far and forever removed from the other.