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In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.
Luke 16:23 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
  • BSB In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.
  • NKJV And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
  • NASB And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms.
  • NLT and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

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

In Hades, tormented, the rich man sees Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. The reversal is now complete and conscious.

Overview

The rich man experiences torment and awareness after death, a sobering picture of conscious existence and judgment beyond the grave. He who ignored Lazarus now sees him in comfort. Whatever the precise imagery, Jesus teaches that one's eternal state is fixed by this life and is starkly real.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 25

  • 2 Pet 2:4For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
  • Luke 16:28for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’
  • Matt 18:9If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
  • Matt 23:33You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?
  • Ps 9:17The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God.
  • Rev 14:10–11he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.
  • Matt 8:11–12I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven,
  • Isa 14:15Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.
  • Matt 5:29If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
  • Matt 5:22But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
  • Rev 20:10The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
  • Rev 20:13–14The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works.
  • Luke 8:28When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!”
  • Isa 14:9Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the departed spirits for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
  • Matt 11:23You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you will go down to Hades. For if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in you, it would have remained until today.
  • Matt 8:29Behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
  • Prov 5:5Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.
  • Ps 49:15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.
  • Prov 15:24The path of life leads upward for the wise, to keep him from going downward to Sheol.
  • Luke 13:28–29There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in God’s Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside.
  • Prov 9:18But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
  • Prov 7:27Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the rooms of death.
  • 1 Cor 15:55“Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?”
  • Ps 86:13For your loving kindness is great toward me. You have delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.
  • Ps 16:10For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (8)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 16:23YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 16:23 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.