And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is 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?
- BSB And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of 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 19:13–26And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
- Job 1:21And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
- Matt 25:14–29For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
- 1 Pet 1:4–5To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
- Ezek 16:16–21And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
- 1 Chr 29:14–16But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
- Col 3:3–4For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
- Hos 2:8For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.
- Luke 10:42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 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.