Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
LUKE 16:7KJVWhat does Luke 16:7 mean?
Luke 16:7 shows the manager in Jesus’ parable asking a second debtor how much he owes, and then telling him to reduce his written debt from one hundred measures of wheat to eighty. This continues the story of the manager quickly lessening debts to gain favor with others before losing his job.
In this verse, Jesus is telling a story where a manager, about to be fired for mismanaging his master’s property, is trying to secure his future by making friends. The manager calls in people who owe his master and changes their bills to reduce what they owe. Here, he asks another debtor about his debt—one hundred measures of wheat—and tells him to write down a new amount: eighty. This action is part of the manager’s plan to win goodwill from others through generosity with his master’s resources.
The Greek behind Luke 16:7
- The word for "measures" is κόρος (koros), which refers to a large unit of dry measure, showing that the debts involved are substantial.
- The word for "fourscore" is ὀγδοήκοντα (ogdoēkonta), meaning eighty, clearly showing the reduction from one hundred to eighty—a significant decrease.
- The word for "bill" is γράμμα (gramma), meaning a written document or account, emphasizing that the debt was formally recorded and then altered.
Why Luke 16:7 matters
- Luke 16:7 clarifies that the manager’s actions were deliberate and repeated, not a one-time event, showing a pattern of behavior.
- The verse highlights the size of the debts and the generosity (or shrewdness) of the reductions, which helps explain why the debtors would feel grateful.
- This detail sets up the lesson Jesus draws later in the parable, about using resources wisely and thinking ahead, making the story more vivid and understandable.