Luke 16:15

He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

World English Bible
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Other translations

WEBBE

He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God.

BSB

So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

KJV

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

ASV

And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Original Greek

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καὶ kai And G2532 εἶπεν eipen He said G2036 αὐτοῖς autois to them G846 ὑμεῖς humeis You yourselves G4771 ἐστε este are G1510 οἱ hoi those G3588 δικαιοῦντες dikaiountes justifying G1344 ἑαυτοὺς he'autous themselves G1438 ἐνώπιον enōpion before G1799 τῶν tōn (the) G3588 ἀνθρώπων anthrōpōn men G444 ὁ ho (the) G3588 δὲ de but G1161 θεὸς theos God G2316 γινώσκει ginōskei knows G1097 τὰς tas the G3588 καρδίας kardias hearts G2588 ὑμῶν humōn of you G4771 ὅτι hoti for G3754 τὸ to that which G3588 ἐν en among G1722 ἀνθρώποις anthrōpois men G444 ὑψηλὸν hupsēlon [is] exalted G5308 βδέλυγμα bdelugma an abomination G946 ἐνώπιον enōpion before G1799 τοῦ tou (the) G3588 θεοῦ theou God G2316 ἐστιν.¶ estin is G1510

The early church

They justify themselves before men who despise sinners as in a weak and hopeless condition, but fancy themselves to be perfect and not to need the remedy of almsgiving; but how justly the depth of deadly pride is to be condemned, He sees who will enlighten the hidden places of darkness. Hence it follows, But God knoweth your hearts.
Bede · d. 735Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)
But the Lord detecting in them a hidden malice, proves that they make a pretence of righteousness. Therefore it is added, And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men. And therefore ye are an abomination to Him because of your arrogance, and love of seeking after the praise of men; as He adds, For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Theophylact of Ohrid · d. 1107Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)
(de Quæst. Ev. l. ii. q. 87.) They also do violence to the kingdom of heaven, in that they not only despise all temporal things, but also the tongues of those who desire their doing so. This the Evangelist added, when he said that Jesus was derided when He spoke of despising earthly riches.
Augustine of Hippo · d. 430Catena Aurea (Aquinas, 1274)

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 13–18

To this parable our Lord added a solemn warning. Ye cannot serve God and the world, so divided are the two interests. When our Lord spoke thus, the covetous Pharisees treated his instructions with contempt. But he warned them, that what they contended for as the law, was a wresting of its meaning: this our Lord showed in a case respecting divorce. There are many covetous sticklers for the forms of godliness, who are the bitterest enemies to its power, and try to set others against the truth.

Read Matthew Henry on Luke 16 →

Cross-references

36

Topics

GodSinHeartHypocrisySelf-Righteousness

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.