Luke 12:42

Bible in Basic English (1941)

And the Lord said, Who then is the wise and responsible servant whom his lord will put in control of his family, to give them their food at the right time?

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Κύριος, Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος καὶ φρόνιμος, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦ, τοῦ διδόναι ἐν καιρῷ τὸ σιτομέτριον;

Transliteration

Eipen de the Kyrios, Who ara estin the pistos oikonomos and phronimos, whom will katastēsei the kyrios over the therapeias of him, of the didonai in kairō the sitometrion?

Grammar Details

• *Eipen*: aorist indicative active, 3rd person singular - said/spoke
• *de*: postpositive particle - but/and/now
• *Kyrios*: nominative, masculine, singular - Lord
• *ara*: inferential particle - then/therefore
• *estin*: present indicative active, 3rd person singular - is
• *pistos*: nominative, masculine, singular - faithful/trustworthy
• *oikonomos*: nominative, masculine, singular - steward/manager
• *phronimos*: nominative, masculine, singular - wise/prudent
• *katastēsei*: future indicative active, 3rd person singular - will appoint/put in charge
• *kyrios*: nominative, masculine, singular - lord/master
• *therapeias*: genitive, feminine, singular - household/service
• *didonai*: present infinitive active - to give
• *kairō*: dative, masculine, singular - due time/season
• *sitometrion*: accusative, neuter, singular - food allowance/ration

Word Meanings

• *ara*: then/therefore/consequently
• *pistos*: faithful/trustworthy/reliable
• *oikonomos*: steward/manager/administrator
• *phronimos*: wise/prudent/sensible
• *katastēsei*: will appoint/put in charge/establish
• *therapeias*: household/service/servants
• *didonai*: to give/distribute/provide
• *kairō*: due time/proper time/appointed time
• *sitometrion*: food allowance/ration/measure of grain

Referenced Verses

• Matt 24:45-46 : 45 Who is the true and wise servant, whom his lord has put over those in his house, to give them their food at the right time? 46 A blessing on that servant, who will be doing so when his lord comes.
• Luke 19:15-19 : 15 And when he came back again, having got his kingdom, he gave orders for those servants to whom he had given the money to come to him, so that he might have an account of what business they had done. 16 And the first came before him, saying, Lord, your pound has made ten pounds. 17 And he said to him, You have done well, O good servant: because you have done well in a small thing you will have authority over ten towns. 18 And another came, saying, Your pound has made five pounds. 19 And he said, You will be ruler over five towns.
• John 21:15-17 : 15 Then when they had taken food, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, is your love for me greater than the love of these others? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you are certain of my love for you. He said to him, Then give my lambs food. 16 Again, a second time, he said to him, Simon, son of John, have you any love for me? Yes, Lord, he said, you are certain of my love for you. Then take care of my sheep, said Jesus. 17 He said to him a third time, Simon, son of John, am I dear to you? Now Peter was troubled in his heart because he put the question a third time, Am I dear to you? And he said to him, Lord, you have knowledge of all things; you see that you are dear to me. Jesus said to him, Then give my sheep food.
• Acts 20:28 : 28 Give attention to yourselves, and to all the flock which the Holy Spirit has given into your care, to give food to the church of God, for which he gave his blood.
• 1 Cor 4:1-2 : 1 Let us be judged as servants of Christ, and as those who are responsible for the secret things of God. 2 And it is right for such servants to be safe persons.
• 1 Tim 3:15 : 15 But if I am long in coming, this will make clear to you what behaviour is right for men in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of what is true.
• 1 Tim 5:17 : 17 Let rulers whose rule is good be honoured twice over, specially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
• 2 Tim 4:2 : 2 Be preaching the word at all times, in every place; make protests, say sharp words, give comfort, with long waiting and teaching;
• Titus 1:7 : 7 For it is necessary for a Bishop to be a man of virtue, as God's servant; not pushing himself forward, not quickly moved to wrath or blows, not desiring profit for himself;
• Heb 3:5 : 5 And Moses certainly kept faith as a servant, in all his house, and as a witness of those things which were to be said later;
• Heb 13:7 : 7 Keep in mind those who were over you, and who gave you the word of God; seeing the outcome of their way of life, let your faith be like theirs.
• Heb 13:17 : 17 Give ear to those who are rulers over you, and do as they say: for they keep watch over your souls, ready to give an account of them; let them be able to do this with joy and not with grief, because that would be of no profit to you.
• 1 Pet 4:10 : 10 Making distribution among one another of whatever has been given to you, like true servants of the unmeasured grace of God;
• 1 Pet 5:1-4 : 1 I who am myself one of the rulers of the church, and a witness of the death of Christ, having my part in the coming glory, send this serious request to the chief men among you: 2 Keep watch over the flock of God which is in your care, using your authority, not as forced to do so, but gladly; and not for unclean profit but with a ready mind; 3 Not as lords over God's heritage, but making yourselves examples to the flock. 4 And at the coming of the chief Keeper of the sheep, you will be given the eternal crown of glory.
• Matt 25:20-23 : 20 And he who had the five talents came with his other five talents, saying, Lord, you gave into my care five talents: see, I have got five more. 21 His lord said to him, Well done, good and true servant: you have been true in a small thing, I will give you control over great things: take your part in the joy of your lord. 22 And he who had the two talents came and said, Lord, you gave into my care two talents: see, I have got two more. 23 His lord said to him, Well done, good and true servant: you have been true in a small thing, I will give you control over great things: take your part in the joy of your lord.
• Luke 7:13 : 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had pity on her and said to her, Be not sad.
• Luke 16:1-9 : 1 And another time he said to the disciples, There was a certain man of great wealth who had a servant; and it was said to him that this servant was wasting his goods. 2 And he sent for him and said, What is this which is said about you? give me an account of all you have done, for you will no longer be the manager of my property. 3 And the servant said to himself, What am I to do now that my lord takes away my position? I have not enough strength for working in the fields, and I would be shamed if I made requests for money from people in the streets. 4 I have come to a decision what to do, so that when I am put out of my position they will take me into their houses. 5 And sending for every one who was in debt to his lord he said to the first, What is the amount of your debt to my lord? 6 And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said, Take your account straight away and put down fifty. 7 Then he said to another, What is the amount of your debt? And he said, A hundred measures of grain. And he said to him, Take your account and put down eighty. 8 And his lord was pleased with the false servant, because he had been wise; for the sons of this world are wiser in relation to their generation than the sons of light. 9 And I say to you, Make friends for yourselves through the wealth of this life, so that when it comes to an end, you may be taken into the eternal resting-places. 10 He who is true in a little, is true in much; he who is false in small things, is false in great. 11 If, then, you have not been true in your use of the wealth of this life, who will give into your care the true wealth? 12 And if you have not been true in your care of the property of other people, who will give you that which is yours? 13 No man may be a servant to two masters: for he will have hate for the one and love for the other; or he will keep to the one and have no respect for the other. You may not be servants of God and of wealth. 14 And the Pharisees, who had a great love of money, hearing these things, were making sport of him. 15 And he said, You take care to seem right in the eyes of men, but God sees your hearts: and those things which are important in the opinion of men, are evil in the eyes of God. 16 The law and the prophets were till John: but then came the preaching of the kingdom of God, and everyone makes his way into it by force. 17 But heaven and earth will come to an end before the smallest letter of the law may be dropped out. 18 Everyone who puts away his wife and takes another, is a false husband: and he who is married to a woman whose husband has put her away, is no true husband to her. 19 Now there was a certain man of great wealth, who was dressed in fair clothing of purple and delicate linen, and was shining and glad every day. 20 And a certain poor man, named Lazarus, was stretched out at his door, full of wounds, 21 Desiring the broken bits of food which came from the table of the man of wealth; and even the dogs came and put their tongues on his wounds. 22 And in time the poor man came to his end, and angels took him to Abraham's breast. And the man of wealth came to his end, and was put in the earth. 23 And in hell, being in great pain, lifting up his eyes he saw Abraham, far away, and Lazarus on his breast. 24 And he gave a cry and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may put the end of his finger in water and put it on my tongue, for I am cruelly burning in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Keep in mind, my son, that when you were living, you had your good things, while Lazarus had evil things: but now, he is comforted and you are in pain. 26 And in addition, there is a deep division fixed between us and you, so that those who might go from here to you are not able to do so, and no one may come from you to us. 27 And he said, Father, it is my request that you will send him to my father's house; 28 For I have five brothers; and let him give them an account of these things, so that they may not come to this place of pain. 29 But Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them give ear to what they say. 30 And he said, No, father Abraham, but if someone went to them from the dead, their hearts would be changed. 31 And he said to him, If they will not give attention to Moses and the prophets, they will not be moved even if someone comes back from the dead.
• Prov 15:23 : 23 A man has joy in the answer of his mouth: and a word at the right time, how good it is!
• Isa 50:4 : 4 The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are experienced, so that I may be able to give the word a special sense for the feeble: every morning my ear is open to his teaching, like those who are experienced:
• Jer 23:4 : 4 And I will put over them keepers who will take care of them: never again will they be overcome with fear or be troubled, and there will not be the loss of one of them, says the Lord.
• Ezek 34:3 : 3 You take the milk and are clothed with the wool, you put the fat beasts to death, but you give the sheep no food.
• Matt 13:52 : 52 And he said to them, For this reason every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house, who gives out from his store things new and old.
• Matt 20:8 : 8 And when evening came, the lord of the vine-garden said to his manager, Let the workers come, and give them their payment, from the last to the first.