The Fallible Study Bible

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Luke12:13–21

The Parable of the Rich Fool

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Luke 12:13–21 — The Parable of the Rich Fool. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

13

Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de tis ek tou ochlou Eipen autō Didaskale eipe tō mou adelphō merisasthai tēn klēronomian met’ emou

Word by word17 · parsed
δέdeG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
τιςtisSomeoneG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
tis: someone Indefinite and nameless: the man is identified only by his request.
ἐκekinG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
τοῦtoutheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
ὄχλουochloucrowdG3793
√ ὄχλος — a throng (as borne along)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
ochlos: crowd Not a disciple (Gill): the voice comes from the throng gathered in 12:1.
ΕἶπενEipensaidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautōto HimG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ΔιδάσκαλεDidaskaleTeacherG1320
√ διδάσκαλος — an instructor (genitive case or specially)NounVocative Masculine Singular
didaskalos: teacher (vocative) The title is correct, but the request reduces the Teacher to an arbitrator. Maclaren: our sense of want largely shapes our conception of Christ.
εἰπὲeipetellG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
τῷtō. . .G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Masculine Singular
μουmoumyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
ἀδελφῷadelphōbrotherG80
√ ἀδελφός — a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote (much like G1 (Α))NounDative Masculine Singular
μερίσασθαιmerisasthaito divideG3307
√ μερίζω — to part, iVerbAorist Infinitive Middle
merizō: to part, divide (aorist middle infinitive) The middle voice frames the division as for the speaker's own benefit. The root (G3307) is picked up at once by Jesus' meristēs (v. 14), so the reply turns the man's own word back on him.
τὴνtēntheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
κληρονομίανklēronomianinheritanceG2817
√ κληρονομία — heirship, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
klēronomia: heirship, inheritance A weighty covenant word: Israel's inheritance was the land apportioned by God. In Luke the same noun recurs on the lips of the wicked tenants, “the inheritance will be ours” (20:14), where grasping at an inheritance becomes the plot against the Heir himself.
μετ’met’withG3326
√ μετά — properly, denoting accompanimentPreposition
ἐμοῦemoumeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
14

But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Ho eipen autō Anthrōpe tis katestēsen me kritēn ē meristēn eph’ hymas

Word by word13 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὉHoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
εἶπενeipen[Jesus] repliedG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautō. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἌνθρωπεAnthrōpeManG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounVocative Masculine Singular
anthrōpos: man (vocative) A distancing address. Maclaren calls it “about as frigid as can be”; Ellicott and Cambridge read it as censure.
τίςtiswhoG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounNominative Masculine Singular
κατέστησενkatestēsenappointedG2525
√ καθίστημι — to place down (permanently), iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
kathistēmi: to set down, appoint The aorist asks who installed Jesus in this office. JFB, Gill and Cambridge hear Exodus 2:14, where Moses' authority to intervene was challenged; here Jesus himself declines the role. The question denies a commission to this office, not authority as such.
μεmeMeG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 1st Person Singular
κριτὴνkritēnjudgeG2923
√ κριτής — a judge (genitive case or specially)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
kritēs: judge Jesus refuses to be a civil judge here, yet the New Testament proclaims him the one appointed judge of living and dead (Acts 10:42). The refusal is about the kind of judging, not its scope: he declines the estate dispute in order to speak of the judgment that will require the soul (v. 20).
ἢēorG2228
√ ἤ — disjunctive, orConjunction
μεριστὴνmeristēnexecutorG3312
√ μεριστής — an apportioner (administrator)NounAccusative Masculine Singular
meristēs: apportioner, divider Formed on the man's own verb (v. 13). Gill: Jesus avoids it lest he be taken for a temporal king.
ἐφ’eph’betweenG1909
√ ἐπί — properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etcPreposition
ὑμᾶςhymasyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative 2nd Person Plural
hymeis: you (plural) Plural: both brothers are in view, and v. 15 widens to all.
15

And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de eipen pros autous Horate kai phylassesthe apo pasēs pleonexias hoti tini autou hē zōē ouk estin en tō perisseuein ek tōn autō hyparchontōn

Word by word24 · parsed
δὲdeAndG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
εἶπενeipenHe saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςprostoG4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτούςautousthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
ὉρᾶτεHorateWatch outG3708
√ ὁράω — by extension, to attend toVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
horaō: to see (present imperative) Maclaren notes the original word is “see”: vigilance comes first, because greed can enslave us without our suspecting it.
καὶkaiG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
φυλάσσεσθεphylassestheGuard yourselvesG5442
√ φυλάσσω — to watch, iVerbPresent Imperative Middle2nd Person Plural
phylassō: to guard (present middle imperative) Middle voice: guard yourselves. Paired with horate, the double imperative makes a sentry's order: watch, and keep your post. The threat is within, not outside.
ἀπὸapoagainstG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
πάσηςpasēsevery [form of]G3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveGenitive Feminine Singular
πλεονεξίαςpleonexiasgreedG4124
√ πλεονεξία — avarice, iNounGenitive Feminine Singular
pleonexia: avarice, greed A rare noun (Verifier: 10 vv), elsewhere called idolatry (Colossians 3:5, cited by Barnes) and listed among the evils that come from the heart (Mark 7:22). Cambridge and Pulpit name Balaam, Achan and Gehazi as its Old Testament examples. The word is not limited to theft: Cambridge glosses it “selfish possession.”
ὅτιhotiforG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
τινὶtinione’sG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounDative Masculine Singular
αὐτοῦautou. . .G846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἡhēG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
ζωὴzōēlifeG2222
√ ζωή — life (literally or figuratively)NounNominative Feminine Singular
zōē: life Luke's usual word for life in its fullness (eternal life in 10:25, 18:18). The verse's claim is negative: life is not located in surplus. Whether zōē here is length of life (Barnes) or true life (Cambridge, Pulpit) is debated; the parable addresses both.
οὐκoukvvvG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ἐστινestindoes not consistG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ἐνeninG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
τῷtōtheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Neuter Singular
περισσεύεινperisseueinabundanceG4052
√ περισσεύω — to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluousVerbPresent Infinitive Active
perisseuō: to superabound Not having enough, but having over and above. The warning targets surplus, which is exactly the rich man's problem in v. 17.
ἐκekofG1537
√ ἐκ — literal or figurativePreposition
τῶνtōnvvvG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Neuter Plural
αὐτῷautōhisG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ὑπαρχόντωνhyparchontōnpossessionsG5225
√ ὑπάρχω — to begin under (quietly), iVerbPresent Participle ActiveGenitive Neuter Plural
hyparchō: to exist, belong (participle as noun) “The things belonging to him”: the parable will ask who they belong to after tonight (v. 20).
16

Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de Eipen pros autous parabolēn legōn hē chōra tinos plousiou Anthrōpou euphorēsen

Word by word12 · parsed
δὲdeThenG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ΕἶπενEipenHe toldG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
πρὸςpros. . .G4314
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
αὐτοὺςautousthemG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounAccusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
παραβολὴνparabolēna parableG3850
√ παραβολή — a similitude ("parable"), iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
parabolē: similitude, parable Poole calls it a fictitious representation; Ellicott and Pulpit say it reads like real history. Either way its point is stated in v. 21.
λέγωνlegōnG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ἡhēTheG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Feminine Singular
χώραchōragroundG5561
√ χώρα — room, iNounNominative Feminine Singular
chōra: region, estate A large tract, not a garden plot (Gill).
τινὸςtinosof a certainG5100
√ τὶς — some or any person or objectInterrogative / Indefinite PronounGenitive Masculine Singular
πλουσίουplousiourichG4145
√ πλούσιος — wealthyAdjectiveGenitive Masculine Singular
plousios: wealthy Luke's rich men are a recurring cast (16:19; 18:23; 19:2). The adjective is not itself a charge (Pulpit on v. 21: “the being rich is never condemned”); what follows is.
ἈνθρώπουAnthrōpoumanG444
√ ἄνθρωπος — from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι))NounGenitive Masculine Singular
εὐφόρησενeuphorēsenproduced an abundanceG2164
√ εὐφορέω — to bear well, iVerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
euphoreō: to bear well, be fruitful The land is the grammatical actor. The parable begins with a gift the man did not produce, which makes his later “my fruits” (v. 17) and “my goods” (v. 18) more telling.
17

So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai dielogizeto en heautō legōn Ti poiēsō hoti echō ouk pou synaxō mou tous karpous

Word by word15 · parsed
καὶkaiSoG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
διελογίζετοdielogizetohe thoughtG1260
√ διαλογίζομαι — to reckon thoroughly, iVerbImperfect Indicative Middle or Passive3rd Person Singular
dialogizomai: to reckon thoroughly Imperfect: a sustained inner calculation. The same verb describes the wicked tenants reasoning among themselves about the heir (Luke 20:14, Verifier-linked). The man reasons; he does not pray.
ἐνentoG1722
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
ἑαυτῷheautōhimselfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
heautou: himself (reflexive) The reflexive frames the whole parable: he reasons with himself here and treasures up for himself in v. 21.
λέγωνlegōnG3004
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
ΤίTiWhatG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ποιήσωpoiēsōshall I doG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbAorist Subjunctive Active1st Person Singular
poieō: to do (aorist subjunctive) A deliberative question, “What shall I do?” Henry: the poorest beggar could not have said a more anxious word. Contrast the same question asked rightly in Luke 3:10 and 10:25.
ὅτιhotisinceG3754
√ ὅτι — demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant)Conjunction
ἔχωechōI haveG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Indicative Active1st Person Singular
οὐκouknowhereG3756
√ οὐ — the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverbAdverb
ποῦpou. . .G4226
√ ποῦ — as adverb of placeAdverb
συνάξωsynaxōto storeG4863
√ συνάγω — to lead together, iVerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
synagō: to gather A harvest verb (Verifier: 59 vv). It anticipates v. 18 and links to the gathering of wheat into God's barn (Luke 3:17).
μουmoumyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
τοὺςtousG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
καρπούςkarpouscropsG2590
√ καρπός — fruit (as plucked), literally or figurativelyNounAccusative Masculine Plural
karpos: fruit, produce “My fruits”: Cambridge notes the repeated possessive (my fruits, my barns, my goods, my soul) and compares Nabal's “my bread, and my water” (1 Samuel 25:11).
18

Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai eipen Touto poiēsō kathelō mou tas apothēkas kai oikodomēsō meizonas kai ekei synaxō panta mou ton siton kai ta agatha

Word by word21 · parsed
καὶkaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
εἶπενeipenhe saidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
ΤοῦτοToutoThis [is what]G3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounAccusative Neuter Singular
ποιήσωpoiēsōI will doG4160
√ ποιέω — to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)VerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
poieō: to do (future) The deliberative “What shall I do?” (v. 17) becomes the resolved “This I will do.” Four first-person futures follow.
καθελῶkathelōI will tear downG2507
√ καθαιρέω — to lower (or with violence) demolish (literally or figuratively)VerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
kathaireō: to demolish, take down A rare verb (Verifier: 9 vv). His plan begins with demolition; Mary's song uses it of God pulling down the mighty (1:52).
μουmoumyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
τὰςtasG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Plural
ἀποθήκαςapothēkasbarnsG596
√ ἀποθήκη — a repository, iNounAccusative Feminine Plural
apothēkē: storehouse Rare (Verifier: 6 vv). The barn is the key image: John says the Lord will gather his wheat into his apothēkē (Luke 3:17), and Jesus says the ravens have none (12:24). The rich man builds his own.
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
οἰκοδομήσωoikodomēsōwill buildG3618
√ οἰκοδομέω — to be a house-builder, iVerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
μείζοναςmeizonasbigger [ones]G3173
√ μέγας — big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application)AdjectiveAccusative Feminine PluralComparative
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐκεῖekeithereG1563
√ ἐκεῖ — thereAdverb
συνάξωsynaxōI will store upG4863
√ συνάγω — to lead together, iVerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
synagō: to gather The repetition from v. 17 marks the plan as hoarding, not distribution. Cambridge recalls Sirach 29:12: “Shut up alms in thy storehouses.”
πάνταpantaallG3956
√ πᾶς — all, any, every, the wholeAdjectiveAccusative Masculine Singular
μουmoumyG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
τὸνtonG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Singular
σῖτονsitongrainG4621
√ σῖτος — grain, especially wheatNounAccusative Masculine Singular
καὶkaiandG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
τὰta[my]G3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Neuter Plural
ἀγαθάagathagoodsG18
√ ἀγαθός — "good" (in any sense, often as noun)AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
agathos: good Neuter plural, “good things.” He calls his grain his “goods”; Jesus alone is the one who will name what is good (18:19).
19

Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

kai erō tē mou psychē Psychē echeis polla agatha keimena eis polla etē anapauou phage pie euphrainou

Word by word17 · parsed
καὶkaiThenG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
ἐρῶerōI will sayG2046
√ ἐρέω — an alternate for G2036 (ἔπω) in certain tensesVerbFuture Indicative Active1st Person Singular
τῇtētoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
μουmoumyselfG1473
√ ἐγώ — I, mePersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 1st Person Singular
ψυχῇpsychē. . .G5590
√ ψυχή — breath, iNounDative Feminine Singular
psychē: soul, life The man addresses his soul as if it were his to command. Basil (via Cambridge and Pulpit) asks whether he offers the soul the foods of the body. The noun becomes the object of God's demand in v. 20.
ΨυχήPsychēYouG5590
√ ψυχή — breath, iNounVocative Feminine Singular
psychē (vocative): O soul The man speaks to himself as a separate hearer; God will answer the soliloquy.
ἔχειςecheishaveG2192
√ ἔχω — to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remoteVerbPresent Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
πολλὰpollaplenty ofG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
ἀγαθὰagathagood thingsG18
√ ἀγαθός — "good" (in any sense, often as noun)AdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
κείμεναkeimenalaid upG2749
√ κεῖμαι — to lie outstretched (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Participle Middle or PassiveAccusative Neuter Plural
keimai: to lie, be laid Present participle: the goods lie stored and unused. The same verb describes Jesus' body laid in the tomb (Luke 23:53, Verifier-linked; see the christ reading).
εἰςeisforG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
πολλάpollamanyG4183
√ πολύς — (singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) manyAdjectiveAccusative Neuter Plural
ἔτηetēyearsG2094
√ ἔτος — a yearNounAccusative Neuter Plural
etos: year “Many years,” against the “this night” of v. 20. Cambridge and Pulpit both cite Proverbs 27:1: “Boast not thyself of to morrow.”
ἀναπαύουanapauouTake it easyG373
√ ἀναπαύω — (reflexively) to repose (literally or figuratively (be exempt), remain)VerbPresent Imperative Middle2nd Person Singular
anapauō: to rest (middle) He promises himself the rest that Jesus gives (Matthew 11:28). Here it means retirement from care; in the Gospel it is rest given to the weary.
φάγεphageEatG5315
√ φάγω — to eat (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
πίεpiedrinkG4095
√ πίνω — to imbibe (literally or figuratively)VerbAorist Imperative Active2nd Person Singular
εὐφραίνουeuphrainou[and] be merryG2165
√ εὐφραίνω — to put (middle voice or passively, be) in a good frame of mind, iVerbPresent Imperative Middle or Passive2nd Person Singular
euphrainō: to make glad, be merry In Luke this verb marks feasts: the prodigal's return (15:23 to 32) and the rich man at his gate (16:19). Mirth itself is not the sin; mirth that has no one but the self to share it is.
20

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

de ho Theos Eipen autō Aphrōn tautē tē nykti sou tēn psychēn apaitousin apo sou de tini estai ha hētoimasas

Word by word20 · parsed
δὲdeButG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
ὁhoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
ΘεόςTheosGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounNominative Masculine Singular
theos: God The only time God speaks in Jesus' parables. Ellicott: the bold anthropomorphism suggests the man felt death came from God as chastisement.
ΕἶπενEipensaidG2036
√ ἔπω — to speak or say (by word or writing)VerbAorist Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
αὐτῷautōto himG846
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
ἌφρωνAphrōn[You] foolG878
√ ἄφρων — properly, mindless, iAdjectiveVocative Masculine Singular
aphrōn: mindless, senseless Not a slur on intelligence (he plans well) but on understanding of God. The word recalls the fool of Psalm 14:1 who says in his heart there is no God; this fool says to his soul there is no tomorrow but his own. Henry: God will call them by their own name.
ταύτῃtautēThisG3778
√ οὗτος — the he (she or it), iDemonstrative PronounDative Feminine Singular
τῇtēveryG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleDative Feminine Singular
νυκτὶnyktinightG3571
√ νύξ — "night" (literally or figuratively)NounDative Feminine Singular
nyx: night Fronted for emphasis, “this night,” answering his “many years.” Cambridge compares Nabal's death (1 Samuel 25:36 to 38).
σουsouyourG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
τὴνtēnG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Feminine Singular
ψυχήνpsychēnlifeG5590
√ ψυχή — breath, iNounAccusative Feminine Singular
psychē: soul, life The soul he addressed (v. 19) is now the thing demanded. JFB: put in opposition to his own treatment of it.
ἀπαιτοῦσινapaitousinwill be requiredG523
√ ἀπαιτέω — to demand backVerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Plural
apaiteō: to demand back Very rare (Verifier: 2 vv). The only other use is Luke 6:30: “if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back.” Disciples are told not to demand back their goods; God demands back the soul from the man who would not let go of goods. The present tense makes the demand already under way.
ἀπὸapoofG575
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
σοῦsouyouG4771
√ σύ — thouPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive 2nd Person Singular
δὲdeThenG1161
√ δέ — but, and, etcConjunction
τίνιtiniwhoG5101
√ τίς — an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what (in direct or indirect questions)Interrogative / Indefinite PronounDative Masculine Singular
tis: who? (dative) “To whom will they be?” Ellicott, JFB and Cambridge hear Psalm 39:6: “He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.” The question returns to the inheritance dispute of v. 13.
ἔσταιestaiwill ownG1510
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbFuture Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
ἃhawhatG3739
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounAccusative Neuter Plural
ἡτοίμασαςhētoimasasyou have accumulatedG2090
√ ἑτοιμάζω — to prepareVerbAorist Indicative Active2nd Person Singular
hetoimazō: to prepare Aorist: the preparing is finished, and is useless. What he prepared for himself passes to unknown heirs.
21

This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Greek — tap a word ↓

Houtōs ho thēsaurizōn heautō kai mē ploutōn eis Theon

Word by word9 · parsed
ΟὕτωςHoutōsThis is how [it will be for]G3779
√ οὕτω — in this way (referring to what precedes or follows)Adverb
houtōs: thus Applies the parable: the rich man is the type, not the exception.
ὁhoanyone whoG3588
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleNominative Masculine Singular
θησαυρίζωνthēsaurizōnstores up treasureG2343
√ θησαυρίζω — to amass or reserve (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
thēsaurizō: to treasure up Rare (Verifier: 8 vv). Jesus forbids treasuring on earth and commands treasuring in heaven (Matthew 6:19 to 20); Paul warns of treasuring up wrath (Romans 2:5); James of treasure heaped in the last days (James 5:3). The same verb can store up either heaven or judgment.
ἑαυτῷheautōfor himselfG1438
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
heautou: for himself Picks up “within himself” (v. 17). The whole story has been conducted in the reflexive.
καὶkaibutG2532
√ καί — and, also, even, so then, too, etcConjunction
μὴmēvvvG3361
√ μή — (adverb) not, (conjunction) lestAdverb
πλουτῶνploutōnis not richG4147
√ πλουτέω — to be (or become) wealthy (literally or figuratively)VerbPresent Participle ActiveNominative Masculine Singular
plouteō: to be rich Riches are redefined, not abolished. JFB: rich in God's favor, in faith, in good works (1 Timothy 6:18). Paul uses the verb of Christ, who “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
εἰςeistowardG1519
√ εἰς — to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etcPreposition
ΘεὸνTheonGodG2316
√ θεός — figuratively, a magistrateNounAccusative Masculine Singular
theos: God (accusative after eis) “Toward God”: the direction of wealth, not only its amount. Gill notes that the Syriac and Arabic read “in God.”

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The interruption: a Teacher asked to divide — Luke 12:13 to 14

The unit opens with an interruption. A man in the crowd addresses Jesus as Διδάσκαλε and asks Him to make his brother μερίσασθαι, to divide the κληρονομίαν. Ellicott explains the background: scribes were appealed to as arbitrators in property cases, and the man was perhaps a younger son disputing the firstborn's double portion (Barnes, Gill and Cambridge point to Deuteronomy 21:17). Maclaren sees the deeper problem: “Our sense of want largely shapes our conception of Christ.” Jesus answers Ἄνθρωπε, “Man,” an address Ellicott calls unique and censorious, and asks who appointed Him κριτὴν ἢ μεριστήν. JFB, Gill and Cambridge hear Exodus 2:14 in the question. The Geneva note gives three reasons for the refusal; Gill insists the refusal does not forbid Christians to arbitrate. ⚙ The tool observes that Jesus turns the man's own verb (merizō) into the title He declines (meristēs).

ii. The warning: life is not in surplus — Luke 12:15

Jesus widens the address to αὐτούς, all of them. The double imperative Ὁρᾶτε καὶ φυλάσσεσθε (“see, and guard yourselves”) aims at πάσης πλεονεξίας, every form of greed. Poole defines the pleonexia as the immoderate desire of having this world's goods; Benson (via Macknight) separates its fraudulent form from the respectable form that simply trusts in riches. The reason clause is compressed: life is not ἐν τῷ περισσεύειν, in the abounding. Here the commentators part ways. Cambridge reads ζωή as a man's true life, “what he is,” not his bios; Barnes insists the parable proves “life” must be taken literally, as the length of life. ⚙ The parable seems to support both: v. 20 is about length of life, v. 21 about its true wealth.

iii. The soliloquy: my fruits, my barns, my soul — Luke 12:16 to 19

The χώρα (estate, Cambridge; a whole country, Gill and Geneva) of a man already πλουσίου εὐφόρησεν, bore well. The land is the subject; the man only owns it. Benson and Cambridge stress that the wealth was gained innocently, and Pulpit that the man was not dissolute, only enslaved to his wealth. What follows is a deliberation with one participant: διελογίζετο ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Henry: “The poorest beggar in the country could not have said a more anxious word.” Gill notes what he did not ask: “what shall I do for God?” The plan is demolition and enlargement: καθελῶ the ἀποθήκας and build bigger. Through Pulpit, Ambrose answers that the bosoms of the needy are barns, and Augustine that God wants riches moved, not lost. Cambridge counts the possessives (my fruits, my barns, my goods, my soul), as Nabal did. Then the man speaks to his ψυχή: rest, eat, drink, be merry. Ellicott separates this from Epicurean carpe diem: this pleasure rests on the expectation of “many years,” not the shortness of life.

iv. The verdict: this night, and rich toward God — Luke 12:20 to 21

God speaks: Ἄφρων, senseless. JFB says nothing else is laid to his charge except that he took a long lease of enjoyment for granted. The demand is ἀπαιτοῦσιν, “they demand back,” a present-tense, impersonal plural. Ellicott and Cambridge read it as impersonal; Pulpit and Gill suggest angels. Benson (via Whitby) gives both Jewish opinions. ⚙ The verb occurs elsewhere only at Luke 6:30, where disciples are told not to demand back their goods. The final question, “to whom will they be?”, Ellicott, JFB, Cambridge and Pulpit trace to Psalm 39:6 and Ecclesiastes 2:18 to 19, and it takes us back to the man fighting over an inheritance in v. 13. The application (v. 21) sets θησαυρίζων ἑαυτῷ against πλουτῶν εἰς Θεόν. Cambridge and Pulpit read “if he is not”: riches are not condemned (Pulpit), but riches that end at the self are. JFB fills out “rich toward God” with favor, faith, good works and wisdom; Benson calls riches a trust. The man who lives this way “lives and dies a beggar” (JFB).

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ Read with Scripture alone, the passage seems to say this: the danger is not wealth but direction. The man asks Jesus to referee his share of an inheritance; Jesus refuses the referee's chair and warns all present that life does not consist in having more. The parable that follows charges no crime: no fraud, no oppression. The charge is that the man reasoned only with himself, called gifts his own, promised his soul a rest it could not guarantee, and forgot that the soul is lent and can be demanded back tonight. “Rich toward God” is not defined in this unit; the following verses (12:22 to 34: the ravens, “sell your possessions and give to the poor,” “treasure in the heavens”) seem to supply the definition, which suggests that the cure for greed is trust in the Father's care, expressed in giving. The tool offers this reading as fallible and asks that it be tested against the whole of Scripture, especially Luke 12:32 to 34 and 1 Timothy 6:17 to 19.

The soul is not a storehouse but a loan, and the Lender may ask for it back tonight.

⚙

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

“Do not demand it back”: the rarest word in the parable verbal / quotation: confirmed

The verb ἀπαιτοῦσιν (apaiteō, G523, “to demand back”) occurs in only two verses in the Verifier's corpus: here and Luke 6:30, where Jesus tells His disciples, “if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back.” ⚙ Within one Gospel the pairing seems deliberate in effect, whether or not in design: disciples are freed from demanding their goods back, while God demands back the soul of the man who would not loosen his grip on goods. Luke 6:30 shows the posture the rich man lacked.

Luke 6:30

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G523 ἀπαιτέω (in 2 vv); a rare verbal link within Luke, not a quotation

Treasure on earth, treasure in heaven verbal / quotation: confirmed

The verb θησαυρίζων (G2343) of v. 21 is rare (8 vv). In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus uses it twice: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth … but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19 to 20). Ellicott sends readers to his note on Matthew 6:19; Cambridge lists Matthew 6:19 to 21 as Scripture's own definition of being rich toward God. The parable reads as a narrative version of that command, and Luke's own sequel says the same thing (12:33 to 34).

Matthew 6:19 · Matthew 6:20

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G2343 θησαυρίζω (in 8 vv); rare verbal link and shared saying-tradition, not a quotation of this verse

Treasuring up wrath: the dark side of the same verb verbal / quotation: confirmed

The same rare verb (G2343) describes storing up judgment: “you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath” (Romans 2:5), and “you have hoarded treasure in the last days” (James 5:3, which also shares G5315, “eat”: rust that “will eat your flesh like fire”). Cambridge remarks that “St James seems to have been deeply impressed with this teaching,” pointing to James 4:13 to 15. ⚙ What the fool stores for himself turns out, in Paul and James, to be a store of judgment. The link is lexical and thematic; neither passage quotes Luke.

Romans 2:5 · James 5:3

basis: Verifier: shared Greek lexeme G2343 θησαυρίζω (in 8 vv) for both; James 5:3 also shares G5315 φάγω (in 86 vv, common); verbal links only, no quotation claimed

Barns: the rich man's and the Lord's structural / thematic: confirmed

The rich man plans to gather (συνάξω, G4863) his grain (σῖτον, G4621) into his storehouses. John the Baptist uses the same pair of words of the coming One, who will “gather the wheat into His barn” (Luke 3:17; Matthew 3:12), and the wheat-and-tares parable ends the same way (Matthew 13:30). A few verses later Jesus points to the ravens, which have no ἀποθήκη (Luke 12:24; Matthew 6:26), yet God feeds them. ⚙ The contrast is between a man building barns for himself and a God who has His own harvest and His own barn. The shared words are moderately common (σῖτος 15 vv, συνάγω 59 vv); the link is thematic rather than a direct allusion. apothēkē (6 vv) is the stronger tie to 12:24.

Luke 3:17 · Matthew 3:12 · Matthew 13:30 · Luke 12:24 · Matthew 6:26

basis: Verifier: shared G4863 συνάγω (in 59 vv) and G4621 σῖτος (in 15 vv) with Luke 3:17, Matthew 3:12, 13:30; G596 ἀποθήκη (in 6 vv) with Luke 12:24 and Matthew 6:26; a shared harvest/storehouse motif, not a quotation

Reasoning about an inheritance: the tenants and the Heir structural / thematic: confirmed

Two of this unit's words return together in the parable of the wicked tenants: they διελογίζοντο (G1260, “reasoned”) among themselves and said, “This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the κληρονομία (G2817) will be ours” (Luke 20:14). ⚙ Luke 12 opens with a man who wants an inheritance divided and continues with a man who reasons only with himself; Luke 20 joins the two into a plot against the Son. The lexemes are uncommon (14 and 15 vv), but the narrative connection is the tool's own observation and is not recorded by the commentators here.

Luke 20:14

basis: Verifier: shared G2817 κληρονομία (in 14 vv) and G1260 διαλογίζομαι (in 15 vv); real verbal overlap, but the thematic link is a ⚙ reading, so tiered structural rather than verbal

“He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them” structural / thematic: confirmed

The question in v. 20, “to whom will they be?”, is traced by Ellicott, JFB, Cambridge and Pulpit to Psalm 39:6; Barnes and Pulpit add Ecclesiastes 2:18 to 19 (“who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool?”); Cambridge also cites Psalm 49:16 to 17, and Gill cites Psalm 49:18 at v. 19. Psalm 49 is the closest Old Testament parallel to the parable as a whole: the rich man cannot redeem his soul and takes nothing with him when he dies. This is a cross-Testament link (Greek to Hebrew), so it cannot rest on a shared Strong's number; it is tiered structural, a shared wisdom motif recorded by several commentators.

Psalm 39:6 · Psalm 49:16 · Psalm 49:17 · Ecclesiastes 2:18 · Ecclesiastes 2:19

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's possible; shared wisdom motif of uncertain heirs, recorded by Ellicott, JFB, Cambridge, Pulpit, Barnes, Gill

“Who made thee a judge?”: Moses and the divider structural / thematic: confirmed

JFB, Gill and Cambridge hear in v. 14 an allusion to Exodus 2:14, where a Hebrew asks Moses, “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?” ⚙ In Exodus the question rejects a deliverer; in Luke, Jesus asks it Himself in order to refuse an office. Whether Luke's κριτὴν ἢ μεριστήν echoes the Greek Exodus wording has not been checked by the Verifier, and the tool does not claim a verbal match. The parallel is structural, the reuse of a known question.

Exodus 2:14

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew): no shared Strong's possible; allusion recorded by JFB, Gill and Cambridge; LXX wording not verified

Nabal, the fool of 1 Samuel 25 flagged: verify source

Cambridge says Jesus “evidently referred mentally to the story of Nabal, whose name means ‘Fool’,” comparing Nabal's “my bread, and my water, and my flesh” (1 Samuel 25:11) with the rich man's possessives, and Nabal's death after a feast (25:36 to 38) with “this night.” The parallels are real and suggestive. But the claim that Jesus “evidently” had Nabal in mind is Cambridge's inference; no other commentator here records it, and the text gives no marker of allusion.

1 Samuel 25:11 · 1 Samuel 25:36

basis: Single-commentator inference (Cambridge); cross-Testament, no shared Strong's; the allusion is plausible but unattested elsewhere in the brief

The fool who says in his heart flagged: verify source

⚙ The rich man's speech to his own soul recalls Psalm 14:1 (and 53:1): “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” Both fools speak only inwardly, and both are answered by God. The tool believes the Greek Psalter uses aphrōn there, the same adjective as v. 20, but this is not Verifier-checked, and none of the commentators in the brief draw the link. Offered as a thematic reading to be tested.

Psalm 14:1

basis: ⚙ tool's own suggestion; cross-Testament, no shared Strong's; LXX use of ἄφρων asserted from general knowledge, not verified; no commentator in the brief records it

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Judge who declines to divide ancient/widely-held

⚙ Jesus refuses the title κριτής over an estate, yet the apostles preach Him as the one “appointed by God to judge the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42). The refusal is not a lack of authority but a choice of the right kind. Cambridge glosses the question with “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36); Henry: “Christ's kingdom is spiritual, and not of this world”; Gill: He would not be taken for a temporal king. The Judge who will not settle the brothers' estate is the one before whom the fool's soul is summoned that same night. The reading of v. 14 as a statement about Christ's kingdom is widely held (Cambridge, Henry, Gill, Geneva, Barnes).

John 18:36 · Acts 10:42

The Rich One who became poor ancient/widely-held

Pulpit: “The Master's own life, landless, homeless, penniless, illustrated nobly these words.” Paul uses the same verb as v. 21, πλουτέω, in his saying about Christ: “though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). ⚙ The fool treasured up for himself; Christ emptied Himself for others. Being “rich toward God” is finally to share in the riches He gives. This Christological reading of the virtue is widely held, though the brief's commentators connect it explicitly only through Pulpit's remark and Barnes's “treasures laid up in heaven.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 · Luke 9:58

Taken down and laid: the body that was not kept novel

⚙ The Verifier links v. 18 and v. 19 to Luke 23:53 through two shared verbs: καθαιρέω (9 vv), the rich man's “tear down,” is the word for Joseph taking Jesus' body down from the cross; κεῖμαι (24 vv), the goods “lying” stored, is the word for the tomb where no one had yet been laid. The rich man tore down to keep; the Son was taken down because He kept nothing back, not even His life, which He gave rather than had demanded from Him (Luke 23:46). This pairing is the tool's own novel reading of a lexical coincidence and should be held loosely.

Luke 23:53 · Luke 23:46

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (c. 1905)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, — (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Text. In v. 15 the interlinear reads πάσης πλεονεξίας (“every greed”); the KJV text the commentators expound lacks “all”; Ellicott, JFB and Cambridge call the reading with “all” the better one, Pulpit “the older authorities,” and Gill cites the versions and “some copies.” In v. 20 the Greek ἀπαιτοῦσιν is present active plural (“they demand back”); BSB's future passive “will be required” is an interpretive smoothing. Who “they” are (God, angels, or an impersonal idiom) is disputed: Ellicott and Cambridge favor the impersonal reading; Pulpit, Gill and Benson (via Whitby) consider angels.

Sources. Henry's concise note covers 12:13 to 21 as one entry, repeated under each verse; Poole's notes for 12:17 to 21 refer back to earlier verses. Maclaren's exposition is capped in the brief and only its opening part was used. Ambrose, Augustine, Basil and Theophylact appear only as quoted by Pulpit and Cambridge. Cambridge and Pulpit cite Sirach (apocryphal) as parallel, not Scripture.

Uncertain. Commentators disagree on whether zōē in v. 15 means length of life (Barnes) or true life (Cambridge, Pulpit); the tool records both. The Nabal and Psalm 14 links are flagged. Cross-Testament threads rest on commentator testimony and motif, not shared lexemes. Lexical frequencies (“in N vv”) are Verifier counts over its corpus.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)