# Luke 16.19-31

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-05-06 | updated: 2026-05-06 -->

**Book:** [Luke](/codex/luke-the-evangelist/) · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 17. <span class="rl-speech">But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tittle of the law to fall.</span> 18. <span class="rl-speech">Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth one that is put away from a husband committeth adultery.</span>
>
> **19. <span class="rl-speech">Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day:</span> 20. <span class="rl-speech">and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores,</span> 21. <span class="rl-speech">and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; yea, even the dogs came and licked his sores.</span> 22. <span class="rl-speech">And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried.</span> 23. <span class="rl-speech">And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.</span> 24. And he cried and said, <span class="rl-speech">Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.</span> 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish. 26. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us. 27. And he said, <span class="rl-speech">I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house;</span> 28. <span class="rl-speech">for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.</span> 29. But Abraham saith, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30. And he said, <span class="rl-speech">Nay, father Abraham: but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent.</span> 31. And he said unto him, <span class="rl-speech">If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead.</span>** (Luke 16:17-31, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 17. <span class="rl-speech">But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall.</span> 18. <span class="rl-speech">Everyone who divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery. He who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.</span>
>
> **19. <span class="rl-speech">“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.</span> 20. <span class="rl-speech">A certain beggar, named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, full of sores,</span> 21. <span class="rl-speech">and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores.</span> 22. <span class="rl-speech">The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried.</span> 23. <span class="rl-speech">In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.</span> 24. He cried and said, <span class="rl-speech">‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’</span> 25. “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. 26. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’ 27. “He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; 28. for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’ 29. “But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ 30. “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31. “He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’”** (Luke 16:17-31, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 17. <span class="rl-speech">And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.</span> 18. <span class="rl-speech">Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery.</span>
>
> **19. <span class="rl-speech">There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:</span> 20. <span class="rl-speech">And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,</span> 21. <span class="rl-speech">And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.</span> 22. <span class="rl-speech">And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;</span> 23. <span class="rl-speech">And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.</span> 24. And he cried and said, <span class="rl-speech">Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.</span> 25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27. Then he said, <span class="rl-speech">I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:</span> 28. <span class="rl-speech">For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.</span> 29. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30. And he said, <span class="rl-speech">Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.</span> 31. And he said unto him, <span class="rl-speech">If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.</span>** (Luke 16:17-31, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 17. <span class="rl-speech">and it is easier to the heaven and the earth to pass away, than of the law one tittle to fall.</span> 18. <span class="rl-speech">'Every one who is sending away his wife, and marrying another, doth commit adultery; and every one who is marrying her sent away from a husband doth commit adultery.</span>
>
> **19. <span class="rl-speech">'And, a certain man was rich, and was clothed in purple and fine linen, making merry sumptuously every day,</span> 20. <span class="rl-speech">and there was a certain poor man, by name Lazarus, who was laid at his porch, full of sores,</span> 21. <span class="rl-speech">and desiring to be filled from the crumbs that are falling from the table of the rich man; yea, also the dogs, coming, were licking his sores.</span> 22. <span class="rl-speech">'And it came to pass, that the poor man died, and that he was carried away by the messengers to the bosom of Abraham, and the rich man also died, and was buried;</span> 23. <span class="rl-speech">and in the hades having lifted up his eyes, being in torments, he doth see Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom,</span> 24. and having cried, he said, <span class="rl-speech">Father Abraham, deal kindly with me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and may cool my tongue, because I am distressed in this flame.</span> 25. 'And Abraham said, Child, remember that thou did receive, thou, thy good things in thy life, and Lazarus in like manner the evil things, and now he is comforted, and thou art distressed; 26. and besides all these things, between us and you a great chasm is fixed, so that they who are willing to go over from hence unto you are not able, nor do they from thence to us pass through. 27. 'And he said, <span class="rl-speech">I pray thee, then, father, that thou mayest send him to the house of my father,</span> 28. <span class="rl-speech">for I have five brothers, so that he may thoroughly testify to them, that they also may not come to this place of torment.</span> 29. <span class="rl-speech">'Abraham saith to him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them;</span> 30. and he said, <span class="rl-speech">No, father Abraham, but if any one from the dead may go unto them, they will reform.</span> 31. And he said to him, <span class="rl-speech">If Moses and the prophets they do not hear, neither if one may rise out of the dead will they be persuaded.'</span>** (Luke 16:17-31, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** Luke the physician (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
- **Audience:** Theophilus + Gentile Christian audience (companion to Acts)
- **Location:** first-century Palestine (events); composition possibly Caesarea or Rome
- **Time period:** events c. 4 BC, AD 30/33; composed c. AD 60-80

## Theological reading

## Key words

- [G0086 - hades](/codex/g0086-hades/), *hades* (Strong's G86). Also appears in: [Luke 10.13-15](/codex/luke-10-13-15/), [Acts 2](/codex/acts-2/), [Acts 2.31](/codex/acts-2-31/).
- [G1096 - ginomai](/codex/g1096-ginomai/), *ginomai* (Strong's G1096). Also appears in: [Matthew 1](/codex/matthew-1/), [Matthew 5.17-18](/codex/matthew-5-17-18/), [Matthew 8.16](/codex/matthew-8-16/).
- [G2222 - zoe](/codex/g2222-zoe/), *zoe* (Strong's G2222). Also appears in: [Matthew 7.13-14](/codex/matthew-7-13-14/), [Matthew 19](/codex/matthew-19/), [Matthew 25.46](/codex/matthew-25-46/).
- [G3340 - metanoeo](/codex/g3340-metanoeo/), *metanoeo* (Strong's G3340). Also appears in: [Mark 6](/codex/mark-6/), [Luke 10.13-15](/codex/luke-10-13-15/), [Luke 15.7](/codex/luke-15-7/).
- [G3498 - nekros](/codex/g3498-nekros/), *nekros* (Strong's G3498). Also appears in: [Matthew 23](/codex/matthew-23/), [Matthew 28.1-10](/codex/matthew-28-1-10/), [Mark 6](/codex/mark-6/).
- [G3686 - onoma](/codex/g3686-onoma/), *onoma* (Strong's G3686). Also appears in: [Matthew 1.21](/codex/matthew-1-21/), [Matthew 1.23](/codex/matthew-1-23/), [Matthew 1](/codex/matthew-1/).
- [G3956 - pas](/codex/g3956-pas/), *pas* (Strong's G3956). Also appears in: [Matthew 1](/codex/matthew-1/), [Matthew 2.1-6](/codex/matthew-2-1-6/), [Matthew 2.16](/codex/matthew-2-16/).
- [G3962 - pater](/codex/g3962-pater/), *pater* (Strong's G3962). Also appears in: [Matthew 5.48](/codex/matthew-5-48/), [Matthew 6.25-26](/codex/matthew-6-25-26/), [Matthew 6.25-34](/codex/matthew-6-25-34/).
- [G4314 - pros](/codex/g4314-pros/), *pros* (Strong's G4314). Also appears in: [Matthew 3.13](/codex/matthew-3-13/), [Matthew 5.28](/codex/matthew-5-28/), [Matthew 11.28](/codex/matthew-11-28/).

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.

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## Quoted in

**Arguments and defeaters:**

- [Belief-Choice Objection Defeater](/codex/belief-choice-objection-defeater/), via [Luke 16.31](/codex/luke-16-31/)
- [Conditional Immortality from Text-First Method](/codex/conditional-immortality-from-text-first-method/)
- [Why Doesn't God Heal Amputees Objection Defeater](/codex/why-doesnt-god-heal-amputees-objection-defeater/), via [Luke 16.31](/codex/luke-16-31/)

**Concepts:**

- [Atheism](/codex/atheism/), via [Luke 16.31](/codex/luke-16-31/)
- [Biblical Stewardship](/codex/biblical-stewardship/)
- [Eschatology](/codex/eschatology/)
- [Hell and Eternal Punishment](/codex/hell-and-eternal-punishment/)
- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [Luke 16](/codex/luke-16/)
- [Marie Lemarchand (Lourdes 1892)](/codex/marie-lemarchand-lourdes-1892/), via [Luke 16.31](/codex/luke-16-31/)
- [Pam Reynolds (NDE 1991)](/codex/pam-reynolds-nde-1991/)

**Lexicon:**

- [G0086 - hades](/codex/g0086-hades/)
- [G2222 - zoe](/codex/g2222-zoe/), via [Luke 16.25](/codex/luke-16-25/)
- [H7585 - sheol](/codex/h7585-sheol/), via [Luke 16.22](/codex/luke-16-22/)

**Passages:**

- [Acts 2.31](/codex/acts-2-31/)
- [Luke 10.13-15](/codex/luke-10-13-15/)
- [Revelation 1.17-18](/codex/revelation-1-17-18/)

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