Luke 12:15

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man's {G846} life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς, Ὁρᾶτε, καὶ φυλάσσεσθε ἀπὸ τῆς πλεονεξίας: ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ περισσεύειν τινὶ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ ἐστὶν ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτοῦ.

Transliteration

Eipen de pros them, Horate, and phylassesthe apo the pleonexias: for not in the perisseuein to anyone the zōē of him estin from the hyparchontōn of him.

Grammar Details

• *Eipen*: aorist active indicative, 3rd singular - said
• *de*: postpositive conjunction - but/and/now
• *pros*: preposition + accusative - to/toward
• *Horate*: present active imperative, 2nd plural - see/look/take heed
• *phylassesthe*: present middle imperative, 2nd plural - guard yourselves
• *apo*: preposition + genitive - from
• *pleonexias*: genitive singular feminine - greed/covetousness
• *perisseuein*: present active infinitive - to abound/have abundance
• *zōē*: nominative singular feminine - life
• *estin*: present active indicative, 3rd singular - is
• *hyparchontōn*: present active participle, genitive plural neuter - possessions/belongings

Word Meanings

• *Horate*: see/beware/take heed
• *phylassesthe*: guard yourselves/be on guard/watch out
• *pleonexias*: greed/covetousness/avarice
• *perisseuein*: having abundance/overflowing/having excess
• *zōē*: life/existence
• *hyparchontōn*: possessions/goods/belongings

Referenced Verses

• 1 Tim 6:6-9 : 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain: 7 for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry {G3761} anything out; 8 but having food and covering we shall be therewith content. 9 But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which {G3713} some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
• Heb 13:5 : 5 Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee.
• Prov 16:16 : 16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver.
• Jer 22:17-18 : 17 But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. 18 Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: they shall not lament for him, [saying], Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! They shall not lament for him, [saying] Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
• Ps 62:10 : 10 Trust not in oppression, And become not vain in robbery: If riches increase, set not your heart [thereon].
• Ps 119:36-37 : 36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, And not to covetousness. 37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, And quicken me in thy ways.
• Prov 15:16 : 16 Better is little, with the fear of Jehovah, Than great treasure and trouble therewith.
• 2 Tim 3:2 : 2 For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
• 2 Pet 2:3 : 3 And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.
• Mic 2:2 : 2 And they covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
• Hab 2:9 : 9 Woe to him that getteth an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil!
• Matt 6:25-26 : 25 Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? 26 Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value then they?
• Mark 7:22 : 22 covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness:
• Luke 8:14 : 14 And that which fell among the thorns, these are they that have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of [this] life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
• Luke 16:14 : 14 And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things; and they scoffed at him.
• Luke 21:34 : 34 But take heed to yourselves, lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly as a snare:
• 1 Cor 5:10-11 : 10 {G2532} not at all [meaning] with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world: 11 but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.
• 1 Cor 6:10 : 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
• Eph 5:3-5 : 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; 4 nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
• Col 3:5 : 5 Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;
• Prov 23:4-5 : 4 Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For [riches] certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
• Prov 28:16 : 16 The prince that lacketh understanding is also a great oppressor; [But] he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.
• Eccl 4:6-8 : 6 Better is a handful, with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and striving after wind. 7 Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun. 8 There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with riches. For whom then, [saith he], do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
• Eccl 5:10-16 : 10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increase: this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them; and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, save the beholding [of them] with his eyes? 12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much; but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt: 14 and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand. 15 As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. 16 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that he laboreth for the wind?
• Jer 6:13 : 13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
• Josh 7:21 : 21 when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
• Job 2:4 : 4 And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
• Job 31:24-25 : 24 If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, [Thou art] my confidence; 25 If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gotten much;
• Ps 10:3 : 3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, And the covetous renounceth, [yea], contemneth Jehovah.
• Ps 37:16 : 16 Better is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked.
• 2 Pet 2:14 : 14 having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing;