What Does Luke 16:15 Mean in the King James?
And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
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
What people raise up as admirable may be exactly what God finds detestable.
THE MEANING
You can establish yourself as right in the eyes of other people, but God knows what is within your heart. Human admiration does not determine what is right before God. What people hold high can still be detestable in God’s sight.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Being admired by others proves that you are right before God.
THE ROOT
ὑψηλόν
hypsēlon
GROWS FROM
ὑψ-
hyps-
High, raised, elevated.
“highly esteemed” in this verse is hypsēlon. The Greek literally describes what is “high” among people: human esteem raises it up. The verse places that elevation beside God’s opposite judgment, showing that being held high does not establish a thing’s worth.
ALSO GROWS
hypsoō: Lift up, exalt.
ὑψόω
This verb makes the shared image explicit: what people esteem is something they raise up.
hypsistos: Highest, Most High.
ὕψιστος
The same height-word family can name the highest; here the thing people call high is seen from God’s perspective.
δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτούς
dikaiountes heautous
GROWS FROM
δικαι-
dikai-
Rightness; the Greek family of declaring or treating someone as right.
“justify yourselves” in this verse is dikaiountes heautous. The wording depicts people making themselves right before an audience. That claim is set against God’s knowing of the heart, where public approval cannot settle what is true within.
ALSO GROWS
dikaios: Just, right.
δίκαιος
This names the rightness the self-justifiers present themselves as having.
dikaiosynē: Righteousness, alignment.
δικαιοσύνη
The same word family points to rightness or alignment beneath the public claim.
THE PATTERN
Human appearance and approval cannot certify what is true within; God sees the heart.
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.THE THREAD
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.“Justified” carries the same Greek δικαι- word family as “justify” in Luke. Luke places self-justification before people beside God’s knowledge of the heart; Romans makes the contrast explicit in the phrase “in his sight.”
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