the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Read the Bible
King James Version
Luke 16:8
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedParallel Translations
"After all of this, the rancher still fired the bean counter, but he admired the way he collected the debts and set himself up for the future.
And his master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly, for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.
"And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.
And his lord was pleased with the false servant, because he had been wise; for the sons of this world are wiser in relation to their generation than the sons of light.
And the lord praised the unrighteous steward because he had done prudently. For the sons of this world are, for their own generation, more prudent than the sons of light.
So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
"The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age are more astute than the sons of light in dealing with their own people.
"His lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely, for the sons of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the sons of the light.
And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely; for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.
"And the master praised the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for, in relation to their own contemporaries, the men of this age are shrewder than the sons of Light.
And the lord commended the vniust Steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser then the children of light.
And the lord praised the unrighteous steward, because he acted prudently. For the sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of light themselves are in their generation.
And the lorde comended the vnrighteous stewarde, because he had done wysely. For the children of this worlde are in their kynde wyser, the the children of light.
and this unfaithful steward was commended by his master for being so provident. for they who look to this world, manage their affairs with more prudence, than those who have a prospect of a better.
"Now here's a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior."
"And his master commended the unjust manager [not for his misdeeds, but] because he had acted shrewdly [by preparing for his future unemployment]; for the sons of this age [the non-believers] are shrewder in relation to their own kind [that is, to the ways of the secular world] than are the sons of light [the believers].
And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light.
The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
And the lorde comended the vniust stewarde because he had done wysly. For ye chyldren of this worlde are in their kynde wyser then ye chyldren of lyght.
And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light.
And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
So, the master praised the dishonest manager for being clever. Yes, worldly people are more clever with their own kind than spiritual people are.
The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light.
The master praised his dishonest manager for looking out for himself so well. That's how it is! The people of this world look out for themselves better than the people who belong to the light.
"And the employer of this dishonest manager applauded him for acting so shrewdly! For the worldly have more sekhel than those who have received the light — in dealing with their own kind of people!
And the Lorde commended the vniust stewarde, because he had done wisely. Wherefore the children of this worlde are in their generation wiser then the children of light.
And the lord praised the unjust steward because he had done wisely; for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.
"His lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely, for the sons of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the sons of the light.
The master praised the dishonest manager for being so clever. For worldly peoplethe sons of this age">[fn] are more clever than enlightened peoplethe sons of light">[fn] in dealing with their own generation.John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5;">[xr]
And praised our Lord the house-chief who was unjust, in that he had done wisely; for the sons of this world are wiser than the sons of light in this their generation.
And our Lord praised the unrighteous steward, for having acted sagaciously: for the children of this world are more sagacious than the children of light, in this their generation.
"The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light.
Then the rich man said that this sinful boss had been wise to plan for himself for the days ahead. For the people of the world are wiser in their day than the children of light.
And his lord commended the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light.
The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.
And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
And the lord praised the unrighteous steward, in that with forethought he acted: - Because, the sons of this age, have more forethought than the sons of light, respecting their own generation.
And the lord commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.
And the master praised the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are shrewder than the sons of light with regard to their own generation.
And the Lord commended the vniuste stewarde, because he had done wisely. For the chyldren of this worlde are in their nation, wiser then the chyldren of lyght.
"Later, the master told the dishonest manager that he had done a smart thing. Yes, worldly people are smarter in their business with each other than spiritual people are.
The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
"And his master complimented the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.
As a result the master of this dishonest manager praised him for doing such a shrewd thing; because the people of this world are much more shrewd in handling their affairs than the people who belong to the light."
And the lord preiside the baili of wickydnesse, for he hadde do prudentli; for the sones of this world ben more prudent in her generacioun than the sones of liyt.
`And the lord commended the unrighteous steward that he did prudently, because the sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of the light, in respect to their generation.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
unjust: Luke 16:10, Luke 18:6
done: Luke 16:4, Genesis 3:1, Exodus 1:10, 2 Samuel 13:3, 2 Kings 10:19, Proverbs 6:6-8
children of this: Luke 20:34, Psalms 17:14, 1 Corinthians 3:18, Philippians 3:19
in: Psalms 49:10-19, Matthew 17:26
children of light: John 12:36, Ephesians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:5, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 John 3:10
Reciprocal: Genesis 38:17 - Wilt thou Joshua 9:4 - work wilily 1 Samuel 29:4 - Make this fellow 2 Samuel 16:23 - all the counsel 2 Samuel 17:14 - good counsel 1 Kings 20:33 - the men 2 Kings 5:20 - my master 2 Chronicles 11:23 - he dealt Esther 1:22 - according Job 28:3 - searcheth Proverbs 2:4 - searchest Proverbs 12:8 - commended Ecclesiastes 2:19 - wise under Ecclesiastes 7:11 - good with an inheritance Jeremiah 4:22 - they are wise Acts 12:20 - because Acts 27:18 - the next Acts 27:32 - General 1 Corinthians 2:6 - not Ephesians 2:2 - walked according Philippians 3:7 - General Colossians 3:2 - not James 3:15 - but 1 John 4:5 - are
Cross-References
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.
And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord ; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord , saying, Go, serve other gods.
If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And the Lord commended the unjust steward,.... Not the Lord Jesus Christ, who delivered this parable, as the Syriac version seems to suggest, rendering it, "our Lord"; but the Lord of the steward, or "God", as the Ethiopic version reads: not that he commended him for the fact he did, or the injustice of it for this is contrary to his nature and perfections; but for his craft and cunning in providing himself a maintenance for time to come: for he is on that account branded as an "unjust steward", as he was, in wasting his Lord's goods; putting false glosses on the Scriptures; doing damage both to the souls and worldly estates of men: and in neglecting and despising lawful and honest ways of living, by digging or begging, asking favours at the hand of God, and doing good works; and in falsifying accounts; breaking the least of the commandments, and teaching men so to do; and in corrupting others, making proselytes twofold more the children of hell than himself; and in being liberal with another's property, to wrong objects, and for a wrong end. It was not therefore because he had done justly to his Lord, or right to others, that he is commended; but
became he had done wisely for himself: the wit, and not the goodness of the man is commended; which, in the language and sense of the Jews, may be thus expressed p:
"because a man, עושה טובה לעצמו, "does good" for himself with "mammon" which is not his own.''
For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light: by "the children of this world" may be meant the Israelites, who belonged to the Jewish nation and church, called the "world", and "this world", 1 Corinthians 10:11 especially the princes of it, the ecclesiastical doctors and rulers: and who also were the men of this present world; in general they were such who were, as they were born into the world; in their sins, in the pollution, and under the guilt of them; were carnal, in the flesh, or unregenerate, and in darkness and blindness: they were such as were not only in the world, but of it; they belonged to it, having never been called out of it; and were under the influence of the God of it; and were taken with the things of it, its riches, honours, and pleasures; and had their portion in it, and were of worldly spirits; all which agrees with the Scribes and Pharisees; see Psalms 17:14 and Aben Ezra on it, who has the very phrase here used: דעלמא
איניש, a "man of the world", is sometimes q distinguished from a scholar, or a wise man; but בני עלמא, "the children of the world", as they frequently intend the inhabitants of the world r, are sometimes distinguished from בן עלמא דאתי, "a son of the world to come" s; and from "the children of faith" t, the same as "the children of light" here; by whom are meant the children of the Gospel dispensation; or persons enlightened by the Spirit and grace of God, to see the sinfulness of sin, and their wretched state my nature; the insufficiency of their own righteousness to justify them before God; the way of life, righteousness, and salvation by Christ; who see that the several parts of salvation, and the whole, are of grace; have some light into the Scriptures of truth, and doctrines of the Gospel; and some glimpse of heaven, and the unseen glories of another world, though attended with much darkness in the present state: and who shall enjoy the light of glory. Now, the men of the world, or carnal men, are, generally speaking, wiser than these; not in things spiritual, but in things natural, in the affairs of life, in worldly matters. The phrase seems to answer to תולדות, "generations" used in Genesis 6:9 "these are the generations of Noah", c. and "the generations of Jacob" by which are meant, not the genealogies of them, but their affairs; what befell them in life: as so the Jewish writers u explain the phrase by הקורות, "the things which happened" unto them in this world, in the course of their pilgrimage: or they are wise, εις την γενεαν την εαυτων, "for their own generation": for the temporal good of their posterity, than saints are for the spiritual good of theirs: or they are wiser for the time that is to come in this life, than good men are concerning themselves for the time to come in the other world: or they are wiser, and more prudent in disposing of their worldly substance for their own secular good, and that of their offspring, than men of spiritual light and knowledge are, in disposing of their worldly substance for the glory of God, the interest of Christ, the honour of religion, their own spiritual good, and that of their posterity.
p T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 121. 1. q T. Bab Bava Netzia, fol. 27. 2. r Zohar in Exod. fol. 26. 2. & 58. 3, 4. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 99. 3. & 101. 2. & 102. 4. s Zohar in Exod. fol. 59. 4. t Zohar in Num. fol. 50. 4. u Aben Ezra in Gen. vi. 9. & xxxvii. 2. Sol. Urbin Obel Moed, fol. 85. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The lord commended - Praised, or expressed admiration at his wisdom. These are not the words of Jesus, as commending him, but a part of the narrative or parable. His “master” commended him - saw that he was wise and considerate, though he was dishonest.
The unjust steward - It is not said that his master commended him because he was “unjust,” but because he was “wise.” This is the only thing in his conduct of which there is any approbation expressed, and this approbation was expressed by “his master.” This passage cannot be brought, therefore, to prove that Jesus meant to commend his dishonesty. It was a commendation of his “shrewdness or forethought;” but the master could no more “approve” of his conduct as a moral act than he could the first act of cheating him.
The children of this world - Those who are “devoted” to this world; who live for this world only; who are careful only to obtain property, and to provide for their temporal necessities. It does not mean that they are especially wicked and profligate, but only that they are “worldly,” and anxious about earthly things. See Mat 13:22; 2 Timothy 4:10.
Are wiser - More prudent, cunning, and anxious about their particular business. They show more skill, study more plans, contrive more ways to provide for themselves, than the children of light do to promote the interests of religion.
In their generation - Some have thought that this means “in their manner of living, or in managing their affairs.” The word “generation” sometimes denotes the manner of life, Genesis 6:9; Genesis 37:2. Others suppose that it means “toward or among the people of their own age.” They are more prudent and wise than Christians in regard to the people of their own time; they turn their connection with them to good account, and make it subserve their worldly interests, while Christians fail much more to use the world in such a manner as to subserve their spiritual interests.
Children of light - Those who have been enlightened from above - who are Christians. This may be considered as the application of the parable. It does not mean that it is more wise to be a worldly man than to be a child of light, but that those who “are” worldly show much prudence in providing for themselves; seize occasions for making good bargains; are active and industrious; try to turn everything to the best account, and thus exert themselves to the utmost to advance their interests; while Christians often suffer opportunities of doing good to pass unimproved; are less steady, firm, and anxious about eternal things, and thus show less wisdom. Alas! this is too true; and we cannot but reflect here how different the world would be if all Christians were as anxious, and diligent, and prudent in religious matters as others are in worldly things.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Luke 16:8. The lord commended — Viz. the master of this unjust steward. He spoke highly of the address and cunning of his iniquitous servant. He had, on his own principles, made a very prudent provision for his support; but his master no more approved of his conduct in this, than he did in his wasting his substance before. From the ambiguous and improper manner in which this is expressed in the common English translation, it has been supposed that our blessed Lord commended the conduct of this wicked man: but the word κυριος, there translated lord, simply means the master of the unjust steward.
The children of this world — Such as mind worldly things only, without regarding God or their souls. A phrase by which the Jews always designate the Gentiles.
Children of light. — Such as are illuminated by the Spirit of God, and regard worldly things only as far as they may subserve the great purposes of their salvation, and become the instruments of good to others. But ordinarily the former evidence more carefulness and prudence, in providing for the support and comfort of this life, than the latter do in providing for another world.
