Verse Lens · Context pointer
Luke 16:3 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 3. 3Then 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Luke 16:3 records the speech or response at Luke 16:3 within Luke 16:1–16:13: “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”.
Read It With
- Luke 16:1–16:13
Read Luke 16:3 with 16:1–16:13. In isolation, this contribution—records the speech or response at Luke 16:3 within Luke 16:1–16:13: “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”—can be detached from its speaker, audience, scene or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: A manager facing dismissal reduces debtors' bills, wins social obligations, and is commended for shrewd foresight; Jesus then calls for faithful use of unrighteous wealth and insists no one can serve both God and mammon.
Why It Needs Context
Luke 16:3 records the speech or response at Luke 16:3 within Luke 16:1–16:13: “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”. Its short connective, pronoun, reply, or scene detail depends on Luke 16:1–16:13; isolation would detach the selected wording from the actor, referent, or development that explains it.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Luke 16:1–16:13 — A Dishonest Manager Forces a Decision about WealthSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
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 16:1–16:13, 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, 16:1–16:13
Open the Luke Greek text file ↗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 16:1–16:13
Open source ↗