Luke 16:6

16:6 800 gallons . . . 400 gallons: The size of the bath—a standard liquid measure—is not known with certainty.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Luk 16:6. Δέξαι) receive from me.—γράμμα, thy bill) bond, or agreement to pay.—ταχέως, hastily) stealthily.—πεντήκοντα, fifty) A large present: comp. Luk 16:7. It is at a great cost that a friend is to be gained.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 16:6 . τὰ γράμματα : literally, the letters, then a written document; here a bill showing the amount of indebtedness. The steward would have all the bills ready. γράψον , write, i.e. , write out a new bill with fifty in place of a hundred; not merely change a hundred into fifty in the old bill. ταχέως , no time left for reflection “is this right?” Some think that the knavery had come in before, and that fifty was the true amount. That might be, but the steward would keep the fact to himself. The debtors were to take it that this was a bonâ fide reduction of their just debt.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 6. A hundred measures of oil.] εκατον βατους, A hundred baths. The בת bath was the largest measure of capacity among the Hebrews, except the homer, of which it was the tenth part: see Luke 45:11; Luke 45:14. It is equal to the ephah, i.e. to seven gallons and a half of our measure.

Take thy bill] Thy account - το γραμμα. The writing in which the debt was specified, together with the obligation to pay so much, at such and such times. This appears to have been in the hand-writing of the debtor, and probably signed by the steward: and this precluded imposition on each part. To prevent all appearance of forgery in this case, he is desired to write it over again, and to cancel the old engagement. In carrying on a running account with a tradesman, it is common among the Hindoos for the buyer to receive from the hands of the seller a daily account of the things received; and according to this account, written on a slip of paper, and which remains in the hands of the buyer, the person is paid.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(6) Take thy bill, and sit down quickly.—The better MSS. give, thy bills, or thy documents, in the plural. These would include that which answered to the modern lease, the contract which specified the rent, and probably also the memorandum of the due delivery of the annual share of the produce. In this case the measure is the Hebrew bath, which has been variously estimated, the data being uncertain and conflicting, at from one to three gallons to the higher number stated in the marginal note. The steward by thus tempting the debtors with an immediate gain, and making them sharers in his frauds, took the readiest and most direct means of securing at once their favour and their silence. That which answered to this in the first application of the parable was the conduct of the Pharisees, just in proportion as they lost the moral force which they had once exercised, in accommodating their casuistry to the selfishness of their followers. Thus by their Corban teaching (see Note on Mat_15:5) they released men from the obligation of supporting parents, and made perjury easy by their artificial distinctions as to oaths (Mat_5:33; Mat_23:16-22), gave a wide license to lust by their doctrine of divorce (Mat_5:31; Mat_19:3), and substituted the paying tithes of mint, and anise, and cummin for the weightier matters of the Law (Mat_23:23). Like phenomena have been seen in analogous circumstances in the history of the Christian Church. When Leo X. sent forth his preachers of indulgences with their short and easy methods of salvation; when Jesuit confessors were to be found in every court of Europe, doing nothing to preserve their votaries from a fathomless licentiousness; when Protestant theologians tuned their voice according to the time, and pandered to the passions of a Henry VIII. or a Landgrave of Hesse; when the preachers of justification by faith turned the grace of God into lasciviousness, or made it compatible with a life of money-making worldliness; when men lower the standard of duty to gain support and popularity—there the act of the steward in bidding the debtor write fifty measures, when he owed a hundred, finds its counterpart.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. measures] The Hebrew bath and the Greek metretes; rather less than, but roughly corresponding to, the firkin = 9 gallons. This remission would represent a large sum of money.

Take thy bill] Rather, Receive thy hill. The steward hands the bill back to the tenant to be altered.

write fifty] Since Hebrew numerals were letters, and since Hebrew letters differed very slightly from each other, a very slight forgery would represent a large difference.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he said an hundred measures of oil,.... Or "baths of oil", the same quantity as in Ezr 7:22 where Aben Ezra (i) calls them, "measures", as we do here; and Jarchi (k) observes, that they were, , "to mingle with the meal, or flour offerings"; which illustrates the above observation, that they were for the temple service; and the bath was the measure of oil, as the ephah was of wheat (l); and they were both of the same quantity, Eze 45:11. According to Godwin (m) it held four gallons and a half; so that a hundred of them contained four hundred and fifty gallons; though some make the measure much larger. Some say the "bath" held six gallons, one pottle, and half a pint; and others, seven gallons, two quarts, and half a pint; and others, nine gallons, and three quarts.

Take thy bill, or "writing"; which showed the bargain made for so many measures; and which acknowledged the receipt of them, and promised payment:

and sit down quickly; for his case required haste;

and write fifty; just half; that it might appear he had bought but fifty, and was accountable for no more.

(i) In Ezr. vii. 22. (k) In ib. (l) Kimchi in Ezek. xlv. 14. (m) Moses & Aaron, l. 6. c. 9.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

Ver. 6. Take thy bill] The scope of this parable is, ut profusionem charitate erga pauperes compensemus, saith Beza, that we expiate, as it were, our prodigality, by showing mercy to the poor, Dan 4:27.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A hundred measures - The measure here mentioned is the “bath” which contained, according to Dr. Arbuthnot’s tables, 7 12 gallons, or, according to the marginal note, about 9 gallons and 3 quarts.

Oil - Oil of olives, or sweet oil. It was much used for lamps, as an article of food Exo 29:2, and also for anointing, and, of course, as an article of commerce, 1Ki 5:11. These were persons, doubtless, who had “rented” land of the rich man, and who were to give him a certain proportion of the produce.

Thy bill - The contract, obligation, or “lease.” It was probably written as a “promise” by the debtor and signed by the steward, and thus became binding. Thus he had power to alter it, without supposing that his master would detect it. The bill or contract was in the hands of the steward, and he gave it back to him to write a new one.

Quickly - He supposed that his master would soon remove him, and he was, therefore, in haste to have all things secure beforehand. It is worthy of remark, also, that “all” this was wrong. His master had called for the account: but, instead of rendering it, he engaged in other business, disobeyed his lord still, and, in contempt of his commands, sought his own interest. All sinners would be slow to give in their account to God if they could do it; and it is only because, when God calls them by death, they “cannot but go,” that they do not engage still in their own business and disobey him.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. Hundred measures—This is the Hebrew bath, containing nearly nine gallons.

Oil—The tenants paid not in money, but in the products of their estate.

Take thy bill—The account which is to be receipted,

Sit down— Said by way of picturing the transaction.

Quickly—In order that the whole may be done before detection.

Write fifty—So that they must pay but half the real due, and he will give the receipt in full of all demands.

[We have throughout given the interpretation of the parable which has for ages been generally adopted. This interpretation makes this lowering of the tenants debt a dishonest transaction on the steward’s part; and yet it follows in the next verse that he was commended for it; and from the whole parable, that a bad man is held up as, in one respect, a model.

But Van Oosterzee furnishes another explication which removes these last particulars. The key to the whole parable, which he gives, is briefly this: The steward had overcharged the tenants and pocketed the surplus; and so this marking the tenants at a lower figure really is a righting of the matter. The unjust steward therefore is commended for only the right part of his conduct.

Yet the principle still remains that the good may learn many things of the bad, in the way of example; and we therefore (while accepting Van Oosterzee’s modification) conclude to change nothing we have said on that point.] 7. To another—The parable narrates the case of two as specimens of the whole.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. τὰ γράμματα. אBDL Copt. Goth. &c. τὸ γράμμα is a correction.

6. βάτους. The Hebrew bath and the Greek μετρητής, rather less than, but roughly corresponding to, the firkin = 9 gallons. This remission would represent a large sum of money.

δέξαι σου τὰ γράμματα. ‘Receive thy bill.’ (Vulg[299] cautionem.) The steward hands the bill back to the tenant to be altered.

[299] Vulg. Vulgate.

γράψον πεντήκοντα. Since Hebrew numerals were letters, and since Hebrew letters differed but slightly from each other, a very trivial forgery would represent a large difference.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. βάτους] ὁ δὲ βάτος δύναται χωρῆσαι ξέστας ἑβδομήκοντα δύο, Jos. Antt. viii. 2. 9;—the same for liquids as the ephah for solids. See Eze 45:10, Eze 45:11, Eze 45:14, where the LXX represent the Heb. בַּת by χοῖνιξ and κοτύλη.

δέξαι σ. τ. γρ.] The steward, not yet out of office, has all the vouchers by him, and returns each debtor his own bond, for him to alter the figure (not, to make another, which would imply the destruction of the old bond, not its return).

σου is not emphatic, as Wordsworth, who has several times fallen into this mistake: see note, ch. 14:26, 27: but entirely unemphatic; almost expletive.

καθ. ταχ.] καθίσας is graphic. ταχέως implies the hurry with which the furtive business is transacted. The debtors seem to be all together, that all may be implicated and none may tell of the other.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. βάτουͅ. Here only in N.T. Comp. Aq. Sym. Theod. Is. v. 10 (where LXX has κεράμιον), and Jos. Ant. Viii. 2, 9. The bath was for liquids what the ephah was for solids. It equalled about 83/4 gallons, being the μετρητῄ of Joh 2:6; and 100 bath of oil would probably be worth about £10. See Edersh. Hist. of J. N. p. 283, ed. 1896. For καθίσᾳ see on 14:28.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Measures [βατους] . Lit., baths. The bath was a Hebrew measure, but the amount is uncertain, since, according to Edersheim, there were three kinds of measurement in use in Palestine : the original Mosaic, corresponding with the Roman; that of Jerusalem, which was a fifth larger; and the common Galilaen measurement, which was more than a fifth larger than the Jerusalem. Assuming the first standard, the bath would be about fifty - six pints, and the debt, therefore, a large one.

Take thy bill [δεξαι σου τα γραμματα] . Lit., take back thy writings. Rev., bond. Wyc., obligation; and in ver. 7, letters. The plural is used for a single document. The bill is the bond which the buyer has give, and which is in the steward 's keeping. He gives it back to the debtor for him to alter the figures.

Sit down quickly. It was a secret transaction, to be hurried through.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.