Luke 12:13–21
The parable of the rich man who fills his barns and doesn't count on life ending
Study it word by word13And someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14But he said to him, “Man, who appointed me judge or arbitrator over you?”
15And he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourselves from all greed, because even when someone has abundance, his life is not from his possessions.”
16And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man produced abundantly.
17And he was reasoning within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to gather my crops?’
18And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will gather all my grain and my goods.
19And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; rest, eat, drink, be merry.”’
20But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night they demand your soul from you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
21So it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
In its context
11And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry how or what you will say in your defense or what you will say;
12for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you must say.”
…
22And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will wear.
23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Its words in the original
- ΕἶπενEipen· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- ὄχλουochlou· crowd
Crowd, throng; the people.
- ΔιδάσκαλεDidaskale· teacher
Teacher, one who teaches.
- ἀδελφῷadelphōi· brother
Brother. Also a close relative, a fellow countryman and, among believers, a brother in the faith.
- μερίσασθαιmerisasthai· divide
Divide; share out.
- κληρονομίανklēronomian· inheritance
Inheritance.
- ἌνθρωπεAnthrōpe· human being, man
Human being, person, man (without distinguishing male or female).
- κατέστησενkatestēsen· appoint, make
Put in charge, appoint; also make, cause to be.
- κριτὴνkritēn· judge
Judge: one who decides a case; also one who rules.
- μεριστὴνmeristēn· divider
Divider: someone who divides an inheritance.
- ὉρᾶτεHorate· see
See, look; notice.
- φυλάσσεσθεphylassesthe· guard, keep
Keep, obey; also guard, protect.
- πλεονεξίαςpleonexias· greed
Greed, the craving to have more.
- περισσεύεινperisseuein· be left over, abound
Be left over, abound; exceed.
- ζωὴzōē· life
Life; the true life that God gives.
- ἐστινestin· be
Be, exist.
- ὑπαρχόντωνhyparchontōn· be, exist
Be, exist, be present; "what one has", one's possessions.
- παραβολὴνparabolēn· parable, comparison
Parable: a comparison, a story from everyday life that teaches a truth about the kingdom.
- πλουσίουplousiou· rich
Rich; a rich person.
- εὐφόρησενeuphorēsen· yield a good crop
Yield a good crop, produce much.
- χώραchōra· region, country
Region, country; countryside, field.
- διελογίζετοdielogizeto· reason, consider
Think something through, reason it out, discuss.
- ποιήσωpoiēsō· do, make
Do, make, produce.
- ἔχωechō· have
Have, possess, hold.
- ποῦpou· where?
Where?
- συνάξωsynaxō· gather
Gather, bring together.
- καρπούςkarpous· fruit
Fruit; also the result of what someone does.
- καθελῶkathelō· take down
Take down; also tear down.
- ἀποθήκαςapothēkas· barn, storehouse
Barn, granary, storehouse.
- μείζοναςmeizonas· great
Great, large.
- οἰκοδομήσωoikodomēsō· build
Build; in a figurative sense, strengthen others and help them grow.
- σῖτονsiton· wheat
Wheat; the grain and the food made from it.
- ἀγαθάagatha· good
Good.
- ψυχῇpsychēi· soul, life
Soul: a person's life, the person himself.
- πολλὰpolla· much, many
Much, great; in the plural, many.
- κείμεναkeimena· lie, be laid
Be laid, lie, be lying down.
- ἔτηetē· year
Year.
- ἀναπαύουanapauou· rest, refresh
Give rest, refresh; rest.
- φάγεphage· eat
Eat.
- πίεpie· drink
Drink.
- εὐφραίνουeuphrainou· rejoice, celebrate
Make glad; in the passive, rejoice, celebrate.
- θεόςtheos· God, god
God. In the plural or in another sense, "gods".
- ἌφρωνAphrōn· foolish
Foolish, senseless.
- νυκτὶnykti· night
Night. "By night".
- ἀπαιτοῦσινapaitousin· ask back, demand back
Ask back, demand back what is one's own.
- ἡτοίμασαςhētoimasas· prepare
Prepare, make ready.
- θησαυρίζωνthēsaurizōn· store up
Store up, lay up treasure, keep.
- πλουτῶνploutōn· be rich
Be rich, become rich.