What Does Luke 12:42 Mean in the King James?
And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The word for steward already carries the work of allotting a household’s goods, so faithfulness shows itself in what reaches each person at the right time.
THE MEANING
The verse places you within a household of needs, where care has a tangible shape: each person receives a portion of food at the fitting time. The steward’s steadiness shows in provision shared rather than held as private power. The question reaches you now: what makes a person trustworthy with what others need?
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that authority means ownership over what is entrusted: the measure of the steward is the portion others receive.
THE ROOT
οἰκονόμος
oikonomos
GROWS FROM
οἶκος + νέμω (oikos + nemō)
To manage or apportion the things of a household.
The title joins οἶκος (oikos, house) with νέμω (nemō, allot or manage): the steward is charged with ordering a household’s resources. Giving each person a portion at the right time is not an extra task added to the role; it is built into the word’s shape.
ALSO GROWS
oikonomia: Stewardship or administration.
οἰκονομία
It names the household’s ordering that makes the steward’s provision possible.
nemō: To distribute, allot, or manage.
νέμω
It reveals that the steward’s care includes apportioning what the household needs.
πιστός
pistos
GROWS FROM
πείθω
peithō
To persuade, win confidence, or be trusted.
“faithful” in this verse is pistos. Here πιστός (pistos, firm and steady) describes someone reliable enough to be entrusted with others’ provision. Its family links steadiness with trust: the steward’s faithfulness is visible in the household’s continued care.
ALSO GROWS
pistis: Trust or confidence.
πίστις
It shows the trust that makes entrusting the household to someone possible.
pisteuō: To trust or believe.
πιστεύω
It carries the same trust-family connection into an active response.
THE PATTERN
What is entrusted to one becomes provision for many when it is shared in fitting measure and time.
The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.THE THREAD
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.The same Greek steward term, οἰκονόμος (oikonomos, household manager), and the same term πιστός (pistos, firm and steady) appear in both verses. The parallel makes the measure plain: steadiness is seen in whether the household receives its portion at the right time.
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