Now there was a rich manThis phrase introduces a parable told by Jesus, often referred to as "The Rich Man and Lazarus." The rich man is not named, which may suggest a focus on his character rather than his identity. In biblical times, wealth was often seen as a sign of God's favor, yet Jesus frequently challenged this notion, emphasizing spiritual wealth over material wealth (
Matthew 6:19-21).
dressed in purple and fine linen
Purple dye was extremely expensive in ancient times, often associated with royalty and the elite due to its costliness. Fine linen was also a luxury, indicating the man's high social status and wealth. This attire signifies opulence and a life of indulgence, contrasting with the humility and poverty of Lazarus, the other character in the parable.
who lived each day in joyous splendor
The phrase suggests a lifestyle of continuous celebration and self-indulgence. The rich man's daily life was marked by excess and pleasure, highlighting a focus on earthly comforts. This lifestyle contrasts with biblical teachings that warn against the dangers of wealth and the neglect of spiritual responsibilities (1 Timothy 6:9-10). The parable serves as a critique of those who prioritize worldly pleasures over compassion and righteousness.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The Rich ManA central figure in Jesus' parable, representing those who live in luxury and self-indulgence without regard for others. His attire of purple and fine linen signifies wealth and high social status.
2.
Purple and Fine LinenThese materials were expensive and symbolized wealth and royalty in ancient times. The rich man's clothing indicates his opulence and the worldly pleasures he indulged in.
3.
Joyous SplendorThis phrase describes the rich man's lifestyle, characterized by daily celebrations and a focus on earthly pleasures.
Teaching Points
The Danger of MaterialismThe rich man's life serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of prioritizing wealth and luxury over spiritual and moral responsibilities.
Eternal PerspectiveBelievers are encouraged to focus on eternal values rather than temporary earthly pleasures, aligning with Jesus' teachings on the kingdom of God.
Compassion and GenerosityThe parable challenges Christians to be mindful of the needs of others, promoting a lifestyle of generosity and compassion.
Self-ExaminationThis passage invites believers to reflect on their own lives, assessing whether they are living for God's glory or for personal gain.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Luke 16:19?
2.How does Luke 16:19 challenge our view of wealth and materialism today?
3.What does the rich man's lifestyle reveal about his spiritual priorities?
4.How can we ensure our wealth aligns with biblical teachings from Luke 16:19?
5.What Old Testament teachings parallel the message in Luke 16:19?
6.How can we apply Luke 16:19 to our daily interactions with others?
7.What is the significance of the rich man's lifestyle in Luke 16:19?
8.How does Luke 16:19 challenge our understanding of wealth and poverty?
9.What historical context influences the interpretation of Luke 16:19?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Luke 16?
11.In Luke 16:19–31, does the depiction of conscious interactions after death conflict with modern scientific understanding of the brain and death?
12.How does Luke 16:19–31’s portrayal of immediate judgment align with passages like John 5:28–29 that suggest a future resurrection?
13.How can Hell be a just punishment for finite sins committed in a short lifetime?
14.What is the concept of Abraham's Bosom?What Does Luke 16:19 Mean
Now• The opening word links this account to the broader conversation inLuke 16, where Jesus has just warned, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13).
• It signals that what follows is a real, timely illustration of that teaching, not a random story.
• Cross references:Luke 12:40 (“You also must be ready”);Hebrews 3:15 (“Today, if you hear His voice…”).
There was a rich man• Scripture records an identifiable individual, underscoring that God sees every person’s life circumstances (Psalm 33:13-15).
• His wealth is the first fact revealed, setting the frame for the lesson about stewardship and eternal accountability (1 Timothy 6:9-10;Proverbs 11:28).
• Wealth itself is not condemned (Abraham, Job, Joseph of Arimathea), but the heart’s response to it is critical (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
Dressed in purple• Purple dye was imported and costly, reserved for royalty or the elite (Judges 8:26;Esther 8:15).
• The phrase highlights deliberate self-presentation intended to impress others—external glory masking internal need (Matthew 23:5).
• It also hints at misplaced identity: defining oneself by garments rather than by relationship with God (Revelation 3:17-18).
And fine linen• Fine linen was the most luxurious fabric for under-garments, emphasizing that his extravagance extended even to what was unseen by the public.
• The contrast with Lazarus’ rags (Luke 16:20) will magnify the moral lesson.
• Cross references:Exodus 28:39-42 (priestly linen);Ecclesiastes 9:8 (“Let your clothes always be white”).
Who lived each day• The Greek verb (without technical detail) shows continual, habitual action: he chose this lifestyle daily.
• His routine left no space for reflection on God, eternity, or the suffering at his gate (Psalm 10:4;James 4:13-14).
• The phrase reminds us that repeated choices form a settled character (Galatians 6:7-8).
In joyous splendor• “Joyous” is pleasure-seeking; “splendor” is outward brilliance. Together they picture self-indulgence as life’s goal (Philippians 3:19).
• Missing is any acknowledgment of gratitude to God or generosity toward others (Luke 11:41;2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
• His apparent success foreshadows the great reversal that follows (Luke 1:52-53;James 5:1-6).
summaryLuke 16:19 introduces a man whose wealth, wardrobe, and daily revelry epitomize a life centered on self rather than on God. Each descriptive phrase builds a profile of complacent luxury that blinds him to eternal realities and to the needy at his doorstep. Jesus uses this vivid portrayal to warn that earthly abundance, when divorced from humble dependence on the Lord and compassion toward others, leads to irreversible loss.
(19)
There was a certain rich man . . .--Here, also, there is a certain appearance of abruptness. But the sneer of
Luke 16:14 explains the sequence of thought. On the one side, among those who listened to our Lord, were the Pharisees, living in the love of money and of the enjoyments which money purchased; on the other, were the disciples, who had left all to follow their Master, poor with the poverty of beggars. The former had mocked at the counsel that they should make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, who should receive them into everlasting habitations. They are now taught, and the disciples are taught also, what comes of the other friendship that men for the most part secure with money. It is clear that the section of Pharisees for whom the parable was specially designed, were such as those described as being "in king's houses and in soft raiment, and living delicately" (see Notes on
Matthew 11:8;
Luke 7:25)--the scribes,
i.e., who had attached themselves to the court of Herod Antipas, the Herodians, or those who, while differing from them politically, were ready to coalesce with them (
Matthew 22:16;
Mark 3:6), and reproduced their mode of life. In the rich man himself we find, generic as the description is, some features which must at least have reminded those who heard the parable, of the luxurious self-indulgence of the Tetrarch himself. There is the "purple garment," rich with the dyes of Tyre, which was hardly worn, except by kings and princes and generals (see Notes on
Matthew 27:28;
Mark 15:17); the
byssus, or fine linen of Egypt, coupled with purple in
Revelation 18:12;
Revelation 18:16, itself not unfrequently of the same colour. The "faring sumptuously" reminds us of the stately pomp of Herod's feasts. (See Notes on
Matthew 14:6;
Mark 6:14;
Mark 6:21, and the quotation from Persius cited in the latter.) If we assume that there is this sketch, as it were, of the Tetrarch's character, it is obvious that the teaching of the parable receives a fresh significance. This, then, was what the scribes, even those that were not avowedly of the Herodian school, who should have been teachers of righteousness, were striving after. This was their highest ideal of happiness, and for this they were content to sacrifice their true calling here and their hopes of eternal life hereafter. It was meet that they should learn what was the outcome of such a life when it passed "behind the veil." We may add, too, that this view enables us to trace a sequence of thought where all at first seems unconnected. The reference to the teaching of the scribes as to divorce (
Luke 16:18), naturally suggested the most prominent and most recent instance in which their lax casuistry had shown itself most criminally compliant with the vices of an adulterous and incestuous prince. . . .
Verse 19. -
There was a certain rich man. He is thus introduced by the Lord without any details respecting his age or place of residence -
nameless, too! Seems he not to have been reading from that book where he found the name of the poor man written, but found not the name of the rich; for that book is the book of life?" (Sermon 178. 3 of St. Augustine). Tradition says his name was Nimeusis, but it is simply a baseless tradition. Which was clothed in purple and fine linen. The words which describe the life of Dives were chosen with rare skill; they are few, but enough to show us that the worldly hero of the story lived a life of royal magnificence and boundless luxury. His ordinary apparel seems to have been purple and fine linen. This purple, the true sea purple, was a most precious and rare dye, and the purple garment so dyed was a royal gift, and was scarcely used save by princes and nobles of very high degree. In it the idol-images were sometimes arrayed. The fine linen (byssus) was worth twice its weight in gold. It was in hue dazzlingly white. And fared sumptuously every day. With this princely rich man banquets were a matter of daily occurrence. Luther renders the Greek here, "lebte herrlich und in Freuden." Thus with all the accompaniments of grandeur this nameless mighty one lived, his halls ever filled with noble guests, his antechambers with servants. Everything with him that could make life splendid and joyous was in profusion. Some have suspected that our Lord took, as the model for his picture here, the life of the tetrarch Herod Antipas. The court of that magnificent and luxurious prince would certainly have well served as the original of the picture; but Herod was still living, and it is more likely that Jesus was describing the earth-life of one who had already been" dismissed" from his earthly stewardship, and who, when he spoke the parable, was in the world to come.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Nowδέ(de)Conjunction
Strong's 1161:A primary particle; but, and, etc.there wasἦν(ēn)Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.aτις(tis)Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100:Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.richπλούσιος(plousios)Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4145:Rich, abounding in, wealthy; subst: a rich man. From ploutos; wealthy; figuratively, abounding with.manἌνθρωπος(Anthrōpos)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444:A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.dressed inἐνεδιδύσκετο(enedidysketo)Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1737:(somewhat rare) (of clothing: I put on another); mid: I put on (myself). A prolonged form of enduo; to invest.purpleπορφύραν(porphyran)Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4209:Of Latin origin; the 'purple' mussel, i.e. the red-blue color itself, and finally a garment dyed with it.andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.fine linen,βύσσον(bysson)Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1040:Fine linen, cotton. Of Hebrew origin; white linen.who lived each day in joyousεὐφραινόμενος(euphrainomenos)Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2165:From eu and phren; to put in a good frame of mind, i.e. Rejoice.splendor.λαμπρῶς(lamprōs)Adverb
Strong's 2988:Magnificently, sumptuously, splendidly. Adverb from lampros; brilliantly, i.e. Figuratively, luxuriously.
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NT Gospels: Luke 16:19 Now there was a certain rich man (Luke Lu Lk) 
