SEV Biblia, Chapter 16:9
Y yo os digo: Haceos amigos con las riquezas de maldad, para que cuando éstas falten, seáis recibidos en las moradas eternas.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Luke 16:9
Verse 9. The mammon of unrighteousness] mamwna thv adikiav - literally, the mammon, or riches, of injustice. Riches promise MUCH, and perform NOTHING: they excite hope and confidence, and deceive both: in making a man depend on them for happiness, they rob him of the salvation of God and of eternal glory. For these reasons, they are represented as unjust and deceitful. See the note on Matt. vi. 24, where this is more particularly explained. It is evident that this must be the meaning of the words, because the false or deceitful riches, here, are put in opposition to the true riches, chap. xvi. 11; i.e. those Divine graces and blessings which promise all good, and give what they promise; never deceiving the expectation of any man. To insinuate that, if a man have acquired riches by unjust means, he is to sanctify them, and provide himself a passport to the kingdom of God, by giving them to the poor, is a most horrid and blasphemous perversion of our Lord's words. Ill gotten gain must be restored to the proper owners: if they are dead, then to their successors. When ye fail] That is, when ye die. The Septuagint use the word ekleipein in this very sense, Jer. xlii. 17, 22. See the note on Gen. xxv. 8. So does Josephus, War, chap. iv. 1, 9.
They may receive you] That is, say some, the angels. Others, the poor whom ye have relieved will welcome you into glory. It does not appear that the poor are meant: 1. Because those who have relieved them may die a long time before them; and therefore they could not be in heaven to receive them on their arrival. 2. Many poor persons may be relieved, who will live and die in their sins, and consequently never enter into heaven themselves. The expression seems to be a mere Hebraism:-they may receive you, for ye shall be received; i.e. God shall admit you, if you make a faithful use of his gifts and graces. He who does not make a faithful use of what he has received from his Maker has no reason to hope for eternal felicity. See Matt. xxv. 33; and, for similar Hebraisms, consult in the original, chap. vi. 38; xii. 20; Revelation xii. 6; xvi. 15.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 9. And I say unto you , etc.] These are the words of Christ, as are also the latter part of the preceding verse, accommodating and applying the parable to his disciples, and for their instruction: make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness : by “mammon” are designed riches, wealth, and substance; (see Gill on “ Matthew 6:24”) and is called “mammon of unrighteousness”, because such wealth is often unrighteously detained, and is not made use of to right and good purposes, by the owners of it; or because, generally speaking, it is possessed by unrighteous men; and, for the most part, used in an unrighteous manner, in luxury, pride and intemperance, and is the root, instrument, and means of such unrighteousness: or it maybe rendered “mammon of hurt”, or “hurtful mammon”; as it often is to those who are over anxious and desirous of it, or other disuse or misuse of it: or, as best of all, “mammon of falsehood”, or “deceitful mammon”; so in the Targum f477 , frequent mention is made of rqçd ˆwmm , “mammon of falsity”; and stands opposed to “true riches” in ( Luke 16:10) for worldly riches are very empty and fallacious; wherefore deceitfulness is ascribed to them; and they are called uncertain riches, which are not to be depended upon. ( Matthew 13:22 1 Timothy 6:17) unless it should be rather thought that it is so called, because gotten in an unrighteous way; as it was by Zacchaeus, and might be by Matthew, one of the disciples, Christ now speaks to, and the publicans and sinners, who were lately become his followers, and whom he advises, as the highest piece of wisdom and prudence, to dispose of in such a manner, as of it to “make” themselves “friends”; not God, Father, Son, and Spirit. These indeed are friends to the saints, but they are not made so by money; reconciliation and redemption are not procured this way; nor is the favour of the judge to be got by such means; the only means of reconciliation, are the blood and death of Christ; though indeed acts of beneficence, rightly performed, are well pleasing to God: nor are the angels meant, who are very friendly to all good men; nor rich men, to whom riches are not to be given, ( Proverbs 22:16) but rather riches themselves, which, if not rightly used, and so made friends of, will cry, and be a witness against the owners of them, ( James 5:1-3) though it may be the poor saints are intended; who by their prayers are capable of doing either a great deal of hurt, or a great deal of good; and it is the interest of rich men to make them their friends: that when ye fail : of money; or “that fails”, as the Ethiopic version reads; or rather, when ye leave that, that is, when ye die; so in ( Jeremiah 42:22) “know certainly that ye shall die”; the Septuagint renders it, ekleiqete , “ye shall fall by the sword”, etc. they may receive you into everlasting habitations : the mansions of glory, which are many, and of an eternal duration: this is to be understood of their being received thither, not by the poor, to whom they have been benefactors; for though these may now pray for their reception to glory when they die, and will hereafter rejoice at their reception thither; yet they themselves will not be receivers of them, or their introducers into the everlasting tents, or tabernacles: nor are the angels intended, who carry the souls of the righteous into Abraham's bosom, and will gather the elect together at the last day; for not they, but God and Christ, receive the saints to glory: the words may be rendered impersonally, “you may be received”; in a way of welldoing, though not for it; mention is made of the “everlasting tabernacles”, in “Their glory also will I take unto me, and give these the everlasting tabernacles, which I had prepared for them.” (2 Esdras 2:11) and so the phrase may be rendered here, as opposed to the earthly and perishable tabernacles of the body ( 2 Corinthians 5:1 2 Peter 1:13,14) Ver. 10. He that is faithful in that which is least , etc.] In quantity and quality, especially the latter; in that which is of little value and worth, at least when compared with other things: is faithful also in much : in matters of greater consequence and importance: the sense of the proverb is, that, generally speaking, a man that acts a faithful part in a small trust committed to him, does so likewise in a much larger; and being tried, and found faithful in things of less moment, he is intrusted with things of greater importance; though this is not always the case: for sometimes a man may behave with great integrity in lesser matters, on purpose that he might gain greater confidence, which, when he has obtained, he abuses in the vilest manner; but because it is usually otherwise, our Lord uses the common proverb; and of like sense is the following; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much : that man that acts the unfaithful part in a small matter, and of little worth, generally does the same, if a greater trust is committed to him.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-12 - Whatever we have, the property of it is God's; we have only the use of it, according to the direction of our great Lord, and for his honour This steward wasted his lord's goods. And we are all liable to the sam charge; we have not made due improvement of what God has trusted u with. The steward cannot deny it; he must make up his accounts, and by gone. This may teach us that death will come, and deprive us of the opportunities we now have. The steward will make friends of his lord' debtors or tenants, by striking off a considerable part of their deb to his lord. The lord referred to in this parable commended not the fraud, but the policy of the steward. In that respect alone is it s noticed. Worldly men, in the choice of their object, are foolish; but in their activity, and perseverance, they are often wiser tha believers. The unjust steward is not set before us as an example i cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of ligh would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestl pursue their better object. The true riches signify spiritual blessings; and if a man spends upon himself, or hoards up what God ha trusted to him, as to outward things, what evidence can he have, tha he is an heir of God through Christ? The riches of this world ar deceitful and uncertain. Let us be convinced that those are truly rich and very rich, who are rich in faith, and rich toward God, rich in Christ, in the promises; let us then lay up our treasure in heaven, an expect our portion from thence.
Greek Textus Receptus
καγω 2504 P-1NS-C υμιν 5213 P-2DP λεγω 3004 5719 V-PAI-1S ποιησατε 4160 5657 V-AAM-2P εαυτοις 1438 F-3DPM φιλους 5384 A-APM εκ 1537 PREP του 3588 T-GSN μαμωνα 3126 N-GSN 3126 ARAM της 3588 T-GSF αδικιας 93 N-GSF ινα 2443 CONJ οταν 3752 CONJ εκλιπητε 1587 5632 V-2AAS-2P δεξωνται 1209 5667 V-ADS-3P υμας 5209 P-2AP εις 1519 PREP τας 3588 T-APF αιωνιους 166 A-APF σκηνας 4633 N-APF
Robertson's NT Word Studies
16:9 {By the mammon of unrighteousness} (ek tou mamwna tes adikias). By the use of what is so often evil (money). In #Mt 6:24 mammon is set over against God as in #Lu 16:13 below. Jesus knows the evil power in money, but servants of God have to use it for the kingdom of God. They should use it discreetly and it is proper to make friends by the use of it. {When it shall fail} (hotan eklipei). Second aorist active subjunctive with hotan, future time. The mammon is sure to fail. {That they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles} (hina dexwntai humas eis tas aiwnious skenas). this is the purpose of Christ in giving the advice about their making friends by the use of money. The purpose is that those who have been blessed and helped by the money may give a welcome to their benefactors when they reach heaven. There is no thought here of purchasing an entrance into heaven by the use of money. That idea is wholly foreign to the context. These friends will give a hearty welcome when one gives him mammon here. The wise way to lay up treasure in heaven is to use one's money for God here on earth. That will give a cash account there of joyful welcome, not of purchased entrance.
