Luke 12:45

But suppose that servant says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus speaks to his disciples within a parable about household managers, positioning the wicked servant immediately after the faithful one of Luke 12:44. The moment captures the critical period between the master’s departure and his unexpected return.

The words — δοῦλος (doulos) = servant and εἴπῃ (eipē) = shall say frame the conditional scenario. The Greek syntax establishes a hypothetical case where internal presumption triggers external abuse.

The thread — The delayed-return condition mirrors Matthew 24:48, while the violence against subordinates recalls Jeremiah 20:2. The resulting moral collapse and abandonment of responsibility align with Ezekiel 34:8.

Why it lands — The text states that false expectations of delay directly produce cruelty and indulgence. It requires the reader to maintain accountable stewardship without waiting for visible proof of the master’s return.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

Cross-references

Matthew 24:48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’
Jeremiah 20:2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
Ezekiel 34:8 ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,
Revelation 18:7 As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
Isaiah 65:6 Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will pay it back into their laps,
Ezekiel 12:22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by, and every vision fails’?
Matthew 22:6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
Romans 16:18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
2 Corinthians 11:20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face.
Philippians 3:18 For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.