Luke 16:7-9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
7 Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors[a] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ 8 And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
Application of the Parable.[b] “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.[c](A) 9 I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,[d] so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.(B)
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- 16:7 One hundred kors: a kor is a Hebrew unit of dry measure for grain or wheat equivalent to ten or twelve bushels.
- 16:8b–13 Several originally independent sayings of Jesus are gathered here by Luke to form the concluding application of the parable of the dishonest steward.
- 16:8b–9 The first conclusion recommends the prudent use of one’s wealth (in the light of the coming of the end of the age) after the manner of the children of this world, represented in the parable by the dishonest steward.
- 16:9 Dishonest wealth: literally, “mammon of iniquity.” Mammon is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning “that in which one trusts.” The characterization of this wealth as dishonest expresses a tendency of wealth to lead one to dishonesty. Eternal dwellings: or, “eternal tents,” i.e., heaven.
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