Luke 12:47 (DRB)

Passage

And that servant, who knew the will of his lord and prepared not himself and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:45 But if that servant shall say in his heart: My Lord is long a coming; and shall begin to strike the men-servants and maid-servants, and to eat and to drink and be drunk:

Luke 12:46 The lord of that servant will come in the day that he hopeth not, and at the hour that he knoweth not: and shall separate him and shall appoint him his portion with unbelievers.

Luke 12:47 And that servant, who knew the will of his lord and prepared not himself and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

Luke 12:48 But he that knew not and did things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. And unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required: and to whom they have committed much, of him they will demand the more.

Luke 12:49 I am come to cast fire on the earth. And what will I, but that it be kindled?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stripes", "servant", "knew", "lord", "prepared", "himself", "shall", and "beaten". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stripes" and "servant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 46's "The lord of that servant will come..." into verse 48's "But he that knew not and did...", so "stripes" and "servant" 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 "stripes" and "servant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.