Luke 12:46 Meaning and Explanation
“The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →That servant's lord will come on a day he does not expect, will punish him with utmost severity, and will assign him his portion with the unbelievers.
What Does Luke 12:46 Mean?
The delay the servant counted on collapses without warning: his lord arrives on an unlooked-for day, at an unguessed hour. The sentence is spoken in language of total judgment — cut him in sunder — and his portion is appointed with the unbelievers, outside the household whose trust he abused.
The terror of the verse is precisely aimed: it falls on entrusted servants who used the absence of the master against the people of the master. Position offers no shelter; it heightens the reckoning. Yet the warning is given now, in mercy, while the night still runs. There is time for any steward to lay down the fist, return to the task, and be found so doing.
Luke 12:46 in the Original Language
dichotomeo (διχοτομέω), 'cut in sunder' -- to cut in two, language of utter judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 12:46
What does Luke 12:46 mean?
That servant's lord will come on a day he does not expect, will punish him with utmost severity, and will assign him his portion with the unbelievers.