Luke 12:17 (ASV)

Passage

and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man`s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Luke 12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

Luke 12:17 and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits?

Luke 12:18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods.

Luke 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "reasoned", "within", "himself", "saying", "shall", "where", "bestow", and "fruits". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "reasoned" and "within", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And he spake a parable unto them..." into verse 18's "And he said This will I do...", so "reasoned" and "within" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "reasoned" and "within" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.