And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
Parallel translations
- WEB But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
- BSB But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor between you?”
- NKJV But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
- NASB But He said to him, “You there—who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over the two of you?”
- NLT Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus declines to arbitrate the inheritance dispute, asking who appointed Him judge over such matters. He refuses to be reduced to a settler of property quarrels.
Overview
Jesus did not come primarily to adjudicate earthly disputes but to address the deeper issue of the human heart. His refusal redirects attention from the man's external complaint to the spiritual danger of covetousness beneath it. The greater inheritance Christ offers is the kingdom of God, not a portion of earthly goods.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Rom 9:20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
- Rom 2:3And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
- Rom 2:1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
- John 6:15When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
- Exod 2:14And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
- John 18:35–36Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?
- John 8:11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
- Luke 5:20And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
- Mic 6:8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
- Luke 22:58And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 12:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.