The Meaning of Luke 19:22 Explained

Luke 19:22

KJV: And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

YLT: 'And he saith to him, Out of thy mouth I will judge thee, evil servant: thou knewest that I am an austere man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow!

Darby: He says to him, Out of thy mouth will I judge thee, wicked bondman: thou knewest that I am a harsh man, taking up what I have not laid down and reaping what I have not sowed.

ASV: He saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I am an austere man, taking up that which I laid not down, and reaping that which I did not sow;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he saith  unto him,  Out of  thine own  mouth  will I judge  thee,  [thou] wicked  servant.  Thou knewest  that  I  was  an austere  man,  taking up  that  I laid  not  down,  and  reaping  that  I did  not  sow: 

What does Luke 19:22 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 19:11-27 - Doing Business For God
In many respects this parable differs from that of the ten talents. In that, the servants are entrusted with different amounts; in this, the same amount is allotted to each. Obviously, the former deals with our powers and opportunities for service, which greatly differ; whereas the latter deals with those ordinary gifts which are common to all, and especially with the gift of salvation. All have the opportunity of using and enjoying the same bestowment of life which is in Jesus Christ for those who believe, Judges 1:3.
Some make the greatest possible use of "our common salvation." They increase its blessings by much prayer and faith and experience. They speak of it to others and spread the knowledge of the heights and depths of God's love. The more they do this, the more it grows on them. Others pass through life without realizing or enjoying Christ's gift of eternal life. They hope that they may be saved; but they have no deep experimental knowledge of His love. These are they who misuse their pound! What a contrast between such and Paul or Luther or Wesley! [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 19

1  Of Zacchaeus a tax collector
11  The ten minas
28  Jesus rides into Jerusalem with triumph;
41  weeps over it;
45  drives the buyers and sellers out of the temple;
47  Teaching daily in it The rulers seek to destroy him, but fear the people

Greek Commentary for Luke 19:22

Thou knewest [ηιδεις]
Second past perfect of οραω — horaō to see, used as imperfect of οιδα — oida to know. Either it must be taken as a question as Westcott and Hort do or be understood as sarcasm as the Revised Version has it. The words of the wicked (πονηρος — ponēros) slave are turned to his own condemnation. [source]
Thou knewest []
To be read interrogatively. “Didst thou know that? Then, for that reason, thou shouldst have been the more faithful.”sa40 [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 19:22 mean?

He says to him Out of the mouth of you I will judge you evil servant You knew that I a man harsh am taking up what not I did lay down and reaping I did sow
Λέγει αὐτῷ Ἐκ τοῦ στόματός σου κρίνω σε πονηρὲ δοῦλε ᾔδεις ὅτι ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπος αὐστηρός εἰμι αἴρων οὐκ ἔθηκα καὶ θερίζων ἔσπειρα

Λέγει  He  says 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ἐκ  Out  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
στόματός  mouth 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: στόμα  
Sense: the mouth, as part of the body: of man, of animals, of fish, etc.
σου  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
κρίνω  I  will  judge 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: κρίνω  
Sense: to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose.
πονηρὲ  evil 
Parse: Adjective, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: πονηρός  
Sense: full of labours, annoyances, hardships.
δοῦλε  servant 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: δοῦλοσ1 
Sense: a slave, bondman, man of servile condition.
ᾔδεις  You  knew 
Parse: Verb, Pluperfect Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: οἶδα  
Sense: to see.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ἄνθρωπος  a  man 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἄνθρωπος  
Sense: a human being, whether male or female.
αὐστηρός  harsh 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: αὐστηρός  
Sense: of mind and manners: harsh, rough, rigid.
αἴρων  taking  up 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: αἴρω  
Sense: to raise up, elevate, lift up.
ἔθηκα  I  did  lay  down 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: τίθημι  
Sense: to set, put, place.
θερίζων  reaping 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θερίζω  
Sense: to reap, harvest.
ἔσπειρα  I  did  sow 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐπισπείρω 
Sense: to sow, scatter, seed.