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 16:7KJV
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Luke 16:7 (KJV)

What does Luke 16:7 mean?

Luke 16:7 describes a manager reducing a man’s debt to his employer. The manager is about to lose his job, and he is using the written debt to win favor with someone who may be able to help him afterward.

Jesus tells the story, and the manager speaks to a second debtor after dealing with the first in verse 6. The manager tells the man to change the written account from one hundred measures of wheat to eighty. The reduction is twenty measures, or one fifth of the stated debt.

The Greek behind Luke 16:7

  • “measures” — κόρους (korous): The Greek names a large measure used for grain. The amount owed was substantial, though its exact size in modern units is uncertain.
  • “bill” — γράμματα (grammata): The word can refer to something written, including a written account. Here it points to the document that recorded the man’s debt.

Why Luke 16:7 matters

  • The manager’s action has a purpose beyond the debt itself. In verse 4, he says he wants people to receive him into their houses after he loses his position.
  • The owner’s later praise focuses on the manager’s cleverness. Verse 8 calls the manager “unjust” while saying that he had acted “wisely,” meaning that he had acted shrewdly.
  • The manager deals separately with each debtor. His question, “how much owest thou?” shows him finding out the amount before directing the change.

Where else these words appear

“fourscore” Greek G3589 · used in 2 verses

  • Luke 2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

“wheat” Greek G4621 · used in 14 verses

  • Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
  • Mark 4:28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
  • Acts 7:12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

“bill” Greek G1121 · used in 14 verses

  • Luke 16:6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
  • Acts 26:24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
  • Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

“Then” Greek G1899 · used in 16 verses

  • Mark 7:5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
  • 1 Corinthians 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.