Luke 12:15

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.›

📖 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

Referenced Verses

• 1 Tim 6:6-9 : 6 ¶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
• Heb 13:5 : 5 [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
• Prov 16:16 : 16 ¶ How much better [is it] to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
• Jer 22:17-18 : 17 But thine eyes and thine heart [are] not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do [it]. 18 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, [saying], Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, [saying], Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
• Ps 62:10 : 10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart [upon them].
• Ps 119:36-37 : 36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. 37 ¶ Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; [and] quicken thou me in thy way.
• Prov 15:16 : 16 ¶ Better [is] little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
• 2 Tim 3:2 : 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
• 2 Pet 2:3 : 3 ¶ And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
• Mic 2:2 : 2 And they covet fields, and take [them] by violence; and houses, and take [them] away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
• Hab 2:9 : 9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
• Matt 6:25-26 : 25 ¶ ‹Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?› 26 ‹Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?›
• Mark 7:22 : 22 ‹Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:›
• Luke 8:14 : 14 ‹And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of› [this] ‹life, and bring no fruit to perfection.›
• Luke 16:14 : 14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
• Luke 21:34 : 34 ‹And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and› [so] ‹that day come upon you unawares.›
• 1 Cor 5:10-11 : 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
• 1 Cor 6:10 : 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
• Eph 5:3-5 : 3 ¶ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
• Col 3:5 : 5 ¶ Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
• Prov 23:4-5 : 4 ¶ Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for [riches] certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
• Prov 28:16 : 16 ¶ The prince that wanteth understanding [is] also a great oppressor: [but] he that hateth covetousness shall prolong [his] days.
• Eccl 4:6-8 : 6 Better [is] an handful [with] quietness, than both the hands full [with] travail and vexation of spirit. 7 ¶ Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. 8 There is one [alone], and [there is] not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet [is there] no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither [saith he], For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This [is] also vanity, yea, it [is] a sore travail.
• Eccl 5:10-16 : 10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity. 11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good [is there] to the owners thereof, saving the beholding [of them] with their eyes? 12 The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 13 There is a sore evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. 14 But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and [there is] nothing in his hand. 15 As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also [is] a sore evil, [that] in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
• Jer 6:13 : 13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one [is] given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
• Josh 7:21 : 21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they [are] hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
• Job 2:4 : 4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
• Job 31:24-25 : 24 ¶ If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, [Thou art] my confidence; 25 If I rejoiced because my wealth [was] great, and because mine hand had gotten much;
• Ps 10:3 : 3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, [whom] the LORD abhorreth.
• Ps 37:16 : 16 A little that a righteous man hath [is] better than the riches of many wicked.
• 2 Pet 2:14 : 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: