And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?
Parallel translations
- WEB If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
- KJV And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
- NKJV And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
- NASB And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
- NLT And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?
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
If unfaithful with what belongs to another, we will not be given what is truly our own.
Overview
All earthly wealth belongs ultimately to God; we are stewards of 'another's' property. Faithfulness here leads to receiving our own eternal inheritance. The verse frames Christian use of possessions as a trust whose right handling has eternal consequences.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Luke 19:13–26Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said.
- Job 1:21saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
- Matt 25:14–29For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.
- 1 Pet 1:4–5and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
- Ezek 16:16–21You took some of your garments and made colorful high places for yourself, and on them you prostituted yourself. Such things should not have happened; never should they have occurred!
- 1 Chr 29:14–16But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.
- Col 3:3–4For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
- Hos 2:8For she does not acknowledge that it was I who gave her grain, new wine, and oil, who lavished on her silver and gold—which they crafted for Baal.
- Luke 10:42But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
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 16:12 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.