And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Parallel translations
- WEB That servant, who knew his lord’s will, and didn’t prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes,
- BSB That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows.
- NKJV And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
- NASB And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accordance with his will, will receive many blows,
- NLT “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.
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
The servant who knew his master's will but did not prepare or obey will be beaten with many stripes. Greater knowledge brings greater accountability.
Overview
Jesus teaches that knowing God's will and yet refusing to do it incurs severer judgment. Privilege and knowledge increase responsibility before God. This warns those who have heard the truth clearly, especially within the church, that disobedience is more culpable when one knows better.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Jas 4:17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
- John 9:41Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
- John 15:22–24If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
- John 12:48He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
- Deut 25:2–3And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
- Acts 17:30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
- Num 15:30–31But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
- 2 Cor 2:15–16For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
- John 19:11Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
- Luke 10:12–15But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
- Matt 11:22–24But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 12:47 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.