Paragraph 16:8
Jesus concluded the parable in 16:8a–b. In 16:8c he gave an explanatory comment about the parable, and in 16:9 he applied the parable to his disciples. The Berean Standard Bible puts these two verses into one paragraph. In some languages it may be more natural to start a new paragraph in 16:9, as in the Good News Translation and New Jerusalem Bible. These Notes will treat 16:8 as one paragraph and 16:9 as a separate paragraph.
16:8a–b
The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly: Somehow the rich man found out what the manager had done. In some languages it may be necessary to supply this information:
⌊When the master heard about this,⌋ he commended the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly.
It is important to make clear in your translation that the rich man praised his manager because he had acted shrewdly (16:8b). He did not praise him because he was dishonest. For example:
the master of this dishonest manager praised him for doing such a shrewd thing (Good News Translation)
-or-
even though the manager was dishonest, his employer complimented him because of his clever action
The master: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The master refers to the master or employer of the manager. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:
⌊His⌋ employer/boss
commended: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as commended means here to praise or compliment someone.
dishonest: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as dishonest often refers to someone who is “unrighteous” or “wicked.” In this context it refers primarily to the manager’s earlier actions of cheating his master by wasting his master’s money and spending it on himself. But it may also include his final actions of having the debtors change the amounts of their debt. In languages that do not have a word such as dishonest, other ways to translate this word are:
deceiving/deceitful
-or-
not trustworthy
because he had acted shrewdly: This clause explains why the rich man praised his manager. The rich man admired the cleverness and foresight with which the manager had acted in 16:5–7. Here is another way to translate this:
for doing such a shrewd thing (Good News Translation)
16:8c–d
For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces a comment that Jesus made about the parable. This comment is part of the point that the parable illustrates. Be sure it is clear in your translation that Jesus was now commenting about the parable. He was no longer telling the parable. For example:
⌊This parable shows⌋ that
-or-
⌊This is understandable⌋ because
the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light: This is a comparison. Jesus was comparing one group of people to another group of people. (See the notes below for an explanation of what these groups are.) Like the dishonest manager, people in the first group are often very clever in how they treat other people. People in the second group are often not so clever. In some languages it may be necessary to translate this as two sentences:
…the sons of this age are very clever/wise in dealing with their own kind. The sons of the light are not so clever!
the sons of this age: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as the sons of this age is an idiom. It refers to people who value things that are important on earth (such as money and status) instead of valuing what is important in heaven. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
worldly people (New Century Version)
-or-
people who do not obey God
-or-
people who have worldly lifestyles (Translator’s Reference Translation)
more shrewd: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as more shrewd is a form of the same word that it translates as “shrewdly” in 16:8b.
in dealing with: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in dealing with is literally “in (regard to).” In this context, it implies “in interacting with” or “in handling business affairs with.”
their own kind: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as their own kind is literally “their own generation.” The Revised Standard Version and several other English versions translate it that way. There are at least three ways to interpret this phrase:
(1) It refers to other people who were like them. For example:
⌊other⌋ people ⌊who are worldly⌋ like themselves (Translator’s Reference Translation)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Century Version)
(2) It refers to other people who were living at the same time. For example:
in dealing with their contemporaries (NET Bible)
(NET Bible, Revised Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
(3) It refers to money and business matters. Other people are only implied. For example:
in handling their affairs (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))
All three of these interpretations overlap. In the context, interpretation (3) could apply to either (1) and (2) or both. It is recommended that you use a general expression that refers to dealing with people. For example:
when it comes to dealing with others (God’s Word)
the sons of light: The Greek idiom that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as the sons of light refers to:
(a) people who are associated with God, the source of light;
(b) people who have been spiritually enlightened by God’s truth.
In some languages it may be possible to retain a reference to light. For example:
the people who belong to the light (Good News Translation)
-or-
people whose minds God has illuminated
In other languages it may be necessary to drop the figure of light. For example:
people who are followers of God
-or-
God’s people (Translator’s Reference Translation)
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