Luke 12:15

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Then He said to them, "Watch out, and be on guard against every form of greed, because one’s life is not defined by the abundance of possessions."

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς, Ὁρᾶτε, καὶ φυλάσσεσθε ἀπὸ τῆς πλεονεξίας: ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ περισσεύειν τινὶ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ ἐστὶν ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτοῦ.

Transliteration

Eipen de pros them, Horate, and phylassesthe apo the pleonexias: for not in the perisseuein to anyone the zōē of him estin from the hyparchontōn of him.

Grammar Details

• *Eipen*: aorist active indicative, 3rd singular - said
• *de*: postpositive conjunction - but/and/now
• *pros*: preposition + accusative - to/toward
• *Horate*: present active imperative, 2nd plural - see/look/take heed
• *phylassesthe*: present middle imperative, 2nd plural - guard yourselves
• *apo*: preposition + genitive - from
• *pleonexias*: genitive singular feminine - greed/covetousness
• *perisseuein*: present active infinitive - to abound/have abundance
• *zōē*: nominative singular feminine - life
• *estin*: present active indicative, 3rd singular - is
• *hyparchontōn*: present active participle, genitive plural neuter - possessions/belongings

Word Meanings

• *Horate*: see/beware/take heed
• *phylassesthe*: guard yourselves/be on guard/watch out
• *pleonexias*: greed/covetousness/avarice
• *perisseuein*: having abundance/overflowing/having excess
• *zōē*: life/existence
• *hyparchontōn*: possessions/goods/belongings

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And he said to them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's {G846} life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  Wherfore he sayde vnto them: take hede and beware of covetousnes. For no mannes lyfe stondeth in the aboundaunce of the thinges which he possesseth.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And he sayde vnto them: Take hede, and bewarre of couetousnesse, for no man lyueth therof, that he hath abundaunce of goodes.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Wherefore he said vnto them, Take heede, and beware of couetousnesse: for though a man haue abundance, yet his life standeth not in his riches.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And he sayde vnto them, Take heede & beware of couetousnes: For no mans lyfe standeth in the aboundaunce of the thynges which he possesseth.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And he said unto them, ‹Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.›

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  He said to them, "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses."

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And he said unto them, `Observe, and beware of the covetousness, because not in the abundance of one's goods is his life.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And he said to them, Take care to keep yourselves free from the desire for property; for a man's life is not made up of the number of things which he has.

• World English Bible (2000)

  He said to them, "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Then he said to them,“Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Referenced Verses

• 1 Tim 6:6-9 : 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
• Heb 13:5 : 5 Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'
• Prov 16:16 : 16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, to gain understanding rather than silver!
• Jer 22:17-18 : 17 But your eyes and heart are set only on your dishonest gain, on shedding innocent blood, and on oppression and violence. 18 Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah: They will not mourn for him, saying, 'Alas, my brother!' or 'Alas, my sister!' They will not mourn for him, saying, 'Alas, my lord!' or 'Alas, his majesty!'
• Ps 62:10 : 10 Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
• Ps 119:36-37 : 36 Turn my heart toward Your testimonies and not toward selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes from worthless things; give me life according to Your way.
• Prov 15:16 : 16 Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and turmoil with it.
• 2 Tim 3:2 : 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and unholy.
• 2 Pet 2:3 : 3 In their greed, they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
• Mic 2:2 : 2 They covet fields and seize them; they take houses and rob them. They oppress a man and his house, a person and their inheritance.
• Hab 2:9 : 9 Woe to the one who gains unjust wealth for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of calamity!
• Matt 6:25-26 : 25 Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky: they do not sow, they do not reap, and they do not store away in barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they are?
• Mark 7:22 : 22 adulteries, greed, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.
• Luke 8:14 : 14 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature.
• Luke 16:14 : 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and sneered at him.
• Luke 21:34 : 34 Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with indulgence, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.
• 1 Cor 5:10-11 : 10 I did not at all mean the sexually immoral people of this world, or the greedy, or swindlers, or idolaters. In that case, you would have to leave the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler. With such a person, do not even eat.
• 1 Cor 6:10 : 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
• Eph 5:3-5 : 3 But sexual immorality, all impurity, or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Nor should there be filthiness, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are not fitting, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For you know this with certainty, that no sexually immoral, impure, or greedy person—who is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
• Col 3:5 : 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.
• Prov 23:4-5 : 4 Do not wear yourself out trying to become rich; stop relying on your own understanding. 5 Will you fix your eyes on wealth only for it to vanish? For it makes itself wings and flies away like an eagle toward the heavens.
• Prov 28:16 : 16 A ruler lacking understanding is abundant in extortions, but one who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
• Eccl 4:6-8 : 6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. 7 Again, I turned and saw meaninglessness under the sun. 8 There was a man all alone. He had no son or brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 'For whom am I toiling,' he asked, 'and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?' This too is meaningless—a miserable business!
• Eccl 5:10-16 : 10 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? 11 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits them no sleep. 12 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners. 13 Or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children, there is nothing left for them to inherit. 14 As everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, so they depart naked as they came. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands. 15 This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain from all his labor for the wind? 16 Throughout his days, he eats in darkness, with great frustration, sickness, and anger.
• Jer 6:13 : 13 For from the least to the greatest, all are greedy for unjust gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.
• Josh 7:21 : 21 When I saw among the spoil a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
• Job 2:4 : 4 Satan answered the LORD, 'Skin for skin! A man will give everything he has for his own life.'
• Job 31:24-25 : 24 If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my security, 25 if I rejoiced because my wealth was abundant or because my hand had obtained much,
• Ps 10:3 : 3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his heart, and the greedy man curses and spurns the Lord.
• Ps 37:16 : 16 Better is the little that the righteous have than the abundance of many wicked.
• 2 Pet 2:14 : 14 They have eyes full of adultery, never ceasing from sin. They entice unstable souls and have hearts trained in greed. They are accursed children.