Luke 16:6
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said, Take your account straight away and put down fifty.
Webster's Revision
And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
World English Bible
He said, 'A hundred batos of oil.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'
English Revised Version (ERV)
And he said, A hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty.
Clarke's Luke 16:6 Bible Commentary
A hundred measures of oil - Ἑκατον βατους, A hundred baths. The בת bath was the largest measure of capacity among the Hebrews, except the homer, of which it was the tenth part: see Ezekiel 45:11, Ezekiel 45:14. It is equal to the ephah, i.e. to seven gallons and a half of our measure.
Take thy bill - Thy account - το γραμμα. The writing in which the debt was specified, together with the obligation to pay so much, at such and such times. This appears to have been in the hand-writing of the debtor, and probably signed by the steward: and this precluded imposition on each part. To prevent all appearance of forgery in this case, he is desired to write it over again, and to cancel the old engagement. In carrying on a running account with a tradesman, it is common among the Hindoos for the buyer to receive from the hands of the seller a daily account of the things received; and according to this account, written on a slip of paper, and which remains in the hands of the buyer, the person is paid.
Barnes's Luke 16:6 Bible Commentary
A hundred measures - The measure here mentioned is the "bath" which contained, according to Dr. Arbuthnot's tables, 7 12 gallons, or, according to the marginal note, about 9 gallons and 3quarts.
Oil - Oil of olives, or sweet oil. It was much used for lamps, as an article of food Exodus 29:2, and also for anointing, and, of course, as an article of commerce, 1 Kings 5:11. These were persons, doubtless, who had "rented" land of the rich man, and who were to give him a certain proportion of the produce.
Thy bill - The contract, obligation, or "lease." It was probably written as a "promise" by the debtor and signed by the steward, and thus became binding. Thus he had power to alter it, without supposing that his master would detect it. The bill or contract was in the hands of the steward, and he gave it back to him to write a new one.
Quickly - He supposed that his master would soon remove him, and he was, therefore, in haste to have all things secure beforehand. It is worthy of remark, also, that "all" this was wrong. His master had called for the account: but, instead of rendering it, he engaged in other business, disobeyed his lord still, and, in contempt of his commands, sought his own interest. All sinners would be slow to give in their account to God if they could do it; and it is only because, when God calls them by death, they "cannot but go," that they do not engage still in their own business and disobey him.