Section 86 of 13516:19–16:31Luke

Go to another section

Jump to a verse

King James VersionLuke 16:19–16:31

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

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

And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Luke 16:19–16:31

Lazarus at the Gate Exposes Wealth's Chasm

The man at the gate has a name; the man at the table does not

A rich man dresses in purple and fine linen and feasts every day. Lazarus lies at his gate, full of sores, wanting crumbs. Dogs lick his sores. Death reverses them: Lazarus is carried to Abraham's bosom; the rich man is in torment and still tries to send Lazarus as a servant with water, then as a messenger to five brothers. Abraham refuses. A great gulf is fixed. They already have Moses and the prophets. Someone rising from the dead would not persuade people who will not hear those writings.

The afterlife scenery exposes a present chasm: wealth that can see a named sufferer and still do nothing. It is not a map of Hades, not a license to enjoy an enemy's pain, and not a promise that riches prove God's favor. The rich man's problem is not that he lacked a spiritual experience. He lacked mercy at his own gate, and he wants extra warning after the time for it has closed.

How this should shape us

Learn the name of the person at your actual gate — the one you already step around — and let Moses and the prophets judge that neglect now. Do not turn this parable into a tour of hell or into comfort that your comfort is a blessing.

Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

Luke 16:19–16:31, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations; the edition is not treated as a complete apparatus.

Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Luke.txt, 16:19–16:31

STEP Bible Data

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges only where the unit discusses them; local syntax controls sense.

STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Matthew-Acts rows for Luke 16:19–16:31

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Luke

Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, KJV-language clarification, historical notes, Synoptic parallels, and textual alternatives.

NET Bible First Edition Luke PDF, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to Luke 16:19–16:31

The Gospel of Luke Course and Study Guides

Supports: Critical orientation to the unit's place in Luke-Acts, narrative structure, sources, social questions, Passion, or resurrection.

Yale Bible Study Gospel of Luke course, Lost and Found study guide, Luke 15:1-19:27; applied to Luke 16:19–16:31

Luke: Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and Bible in the World

Supports: Current reader-oriented synthesis of anonymity, date, Jewish setting, salvation, marginalized people, parables, wealth, and whole-book movement.

Enter the Bible Luke course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, Bible in the World, and linked passage index; applied to Luke 16:19–16:31

Luke

Supports: One complete confessional reading of the unit, independently checked against critical, textual, and ethical controls.

Bolt, “Luke,” commentary heading and paragraphs explicitly covering Luke 16:19–16:31

The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze

Supports: Literary relationship evidence and material alternatives among Luke, Mark, and Matthew without treating dependence as a historicity verdict.

Goodacre, The Synoptic Problem, chapters 1-5 on Synoptic data and Markan priority and chapters 6-10 on Q and Farrer alternatives; applied to Luke 16:19–16:31

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

Supports: Abstract-supported control against simple anti-Jewish or replacement summaries; not a settlement of every scene.

Smith, JTS 72.2 (2021), official abstract and bibliographic range pp. 738-765; applied only to Jewish continuity and Gentile-inclusion framing in Luke 16:19–16:31

Commentary on Luke 16:19-31

Supports: Focused ethical control for wealth and poverty without converting one commentary into a full economic history.

Mitzi J. Smith, “Commentary on Luke 16:19-31,” complete sections on Luke's wealth sequence, Lazarus, bodily poverty, reversal, and present justice; applied to Luke 16:19–16:31

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and coverage.

Exact location: Luke 16:19–16:31, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

Greek textual evidence

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos

Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010

Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations; the edition is not treated as a complete apparatus.

Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Luke.txt, 16:19–16:31

Open the Luke Greek text file ↗

Lexical and grammatical evidence

STEP Bible Data

Tyndale House Cambridge

Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026

Supports: Greek forms, morphology, and lexical ranges only where the unit discusses them; local syntax controls sense.

Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Matthew-Acts rows for Luke 16:19–16:31

Open source ↗

open translation and translator notes

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Luke

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2006

Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, KJV-language clarification, historical notes, Synoptic parallels, and textual alternatives.

Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Luke PDF, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to Luke 16:19–16:31

Open source ↗

open university bible study course

The Gospel of Luke Course and Study Guides

Yale Divinity School faculty

Yale Bible Study, 2020; current online edition

Supports: Critical orientation to the unit's place in Luke-Acts, narrative structure, sources, social questions, Passion, or resurrection.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study Gospel of Luke course, Lost and Found study guide, Luke 15:1-19:27; applied to Luke 16:19–16:31

Open source ↗

modern scholarly book introduction

Luke: Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and Bible in the World

Matthew L. Skinner

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, 2024 revision; current course inspected 2026

Supports: Current reader-oriented synthesis of anonymity, date, Jewish setting, salvation, marginalized people, parables, wealth, and whole-book movement.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Luke course, Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, Bible in the World, and linked passage index; applied to Luke 16:19–16:31

Open source ↗

open confessional commentary

Luke

Peter G. Bolt

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023

Supports: One complete confessional reading of the unit, independently checked against critical, textual, and ethical controls.

Exact location: Bolt, “Luke,” commentary heading and paragraphs explicitly covering Luke 16:19–16:31

Open source ↗

modern scholarly open monograph

The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze

Mark Goodacre

T&T Clark; open access supplied by the author and Duke University, 2001; open release 2011

Supports: Literary relationship evidence and material alternatives among Luke, Mark, and Matthew without treating dependence as a historicity verdict.

Exact location: Goodacre, The Synoptic Problem, chapters 1-5 on Synoptic data and Markan priority and chapters 6-10 on Q and Farrer alternatives; applied to Luke 16:19–16:31

Open source ↗

peer reviewed article abstract and metadata

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

Joshua Paul Smith

The Journal of Theological Studies 72.2, 2021

Supports: Abstract-supported control against simple anti-Jewish or replacement summaries; not a settlement of every scene.

Exact location: Smith, JTS 72.2 (2021), official abstract and bibliographic range pp. 738-765; applied only to Jewish continuity and Gentile-inclusion framing in Luke 16:19–16:31

Open source ↗

modern scholarly pastoral passage commentary

Commentary on Luke 16:19-31

Mitzi J. Smith

Working Preacher, Luther Seminary, 2021

Supports: Focused ethical control for wealth and poverty without converting one commentary into a full economic history.

Exact location: Mitzi J. Smith, “Commentary on Luke 16:19-31,” complete sections on Luke's wealth sequence, Lazarus, bodily poverty, reversal, and present justice; applied to Luke 16:19–16:31

Open source ↗

Luke 16:19–16:31, King James Version

The man at the gate has a name; the man at the table does not

How this should shape us

Go deeper

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition

STEP Bible Data

NET Bible First Edition Notes: Luke

The Gospel of Luke Course and Study Guides

Luke: Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and Bible in the World

Luke

The Synoptic Problem: A Way Through the Maze

The Jewishness of Luke-Acts: How Recent Scholarship Has Challenged the View that Luke-Acts Is Pro-Gentile and Anti-Jewish

Commentary on Luke 16:19-31