Bible Strands
Luke 19:8
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Zacchaeus stands before Jesus and addresses him directly after the crowd grumbles at his hospitality. He makes a public declaration of restitution and generosity in response to the encounter.
The words — Σταθεὶς (Statheis) means "having stood," marking a sudden physical shift from his previous position in the sycamore tree. ἰδοὺ (idou) translates to "behold" or "look," emphasizing the immediacy and reality of his pledge.
The thread — The fourfold repayment echoes the restitution standard in 2 Samuel 12:6 for a stolen lamb. His commitment to give half his goods aligns with the radical surrender demanded in Luke 18:22, while his promise to repay cheating victims fulfills the restitution principles outlined in Numbers 5:7.
Why it lands — The text demands a tangible accounting of past wrongs and a voluntary redistribution of wealth. It requires the reader to treat repentance as a concrete action of financial and social rectification rather than a private feeling.
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
And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 12:6 Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.”
- Numbers 5:7 and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution, add a fifth to its value, and give all this to the one he has wronged.
- Luke 18:22 On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
- Leviticus 6:1 And the LORD said to Moses,
- Proverbs 6:31 Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.
- Exodus 22:1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he must repay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
- Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
- Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.
- 1 Samuel 12:3 Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
- Luke 11:41 But give as alms the things that are within you, and behold, everything will be clean for you.