But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abraham highlights that the rich man had already received his full portion of "good things" in life, meaning his earthly comforts were his ultimate reward, with nothing more due to him. This implies that the comfort Lazarus experiences now is the fulfillment of his received "bad things," showing a stark reversal where earthly suffering for Lazarus led to eternal comfort.
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse falls within Jesus' parable about the rich man and Lazarus, which illustrates the radical reversal of fortunes in the afterlife. The rich man, who lived in luxury and ignored the suffering beggar Lazarus at his gate, dies and finds himself in torment. Abraham, speaking to the rich man in Hades, is explaining why their situations are now so drastically different.
Abraham's gentle address to the rich man isn't about judgment, but about memory. What you received in life had a finality to it.
Abraham highlights a crucial truth: the 'good things' the rich man received in his lifetime were his full portion. The Greek word used, 'apelabes,' implies receiving something back, like a final receipt or a completed payment.
A Completed Transaction
This wasn't just about having wealth; it was about receiving it as his definitive share. He got his reward in his lifetime. There was nothing left for him in the next realm.
The Contrast:
Lazarus, on the other hand, received 'evil things' in his life. These weren't his final portion but a temporary reality, a discipline that prepared him for eternal comfort.
It wasn't the wealth itself that doomed the rich man, but how he treated it – and those he ignored.
Abraham's reminder isn't that wealth is inherently evil. Instead, it points to the misuse of earthly blessings and the neglect of a fellow human being.
A Commonplace Sin
The rich man wasn't necessarily a villain of grand sins. His 'sin' was more insidious: a life of self-centered luxury, where Lazarus, suffering at his gate, remained invisible. His 'good things' were enjoyed without compassion.
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The 'Mammon of Unrighteousness'
This parable highlights the danger of clinging to material wealth as our ultimate security or joy. The 'mammon of unrighteousness' (worldly wealth) wasn't used to build eternal relationships or show mercy.
The rich man's torment isn't just about current suffering; it's compounded by the stark remembrance of his earthly life.
Abraham’s command to 'remember' is a key element of the rich man's anguish. Eternity, in this parable, is not a place of forgetting, but of intense, clear recollection.
The Unavoidable Past
Memory in the afterlife, as depicted here, brings the full weight of past choices and missed opportunities into sharp focus. The rich man remembers his luxury, but now it's contrasted with Lazarus's comfort and his own present agony.
A Lost Opportunity
This remembrance isn't a passive recollection; it's an active torment. He sees what was, what could have been, and the irreversible nature of his choices. The 'good things' he received are now a source of pain because of how they were used – or rather, not used for eternal purposes.
Understand the original words
parakaleō · Greek Verb/Participle
A state of being strengthened, encouraged, or relieved from distress; in a spiritual sense, it refers to the peace and restoration provided by God's presence in the afterlife.
This verse directly connects to the idea of receiving 'good things' in life as one's portion, mirroring Abraham's explanation to the rich man that his earthly pleasures were all he would receive.
Luke 6:24This beatitude acts as a direct counterpoint to the rich man's experience, highlighting the 'woe' for those who are rich and have received their comfort in this life, just as Abraham explains to the rich man.
2 Thessalonians 2:16This passage speaks of 'comfort' and 'good hope,' offering a spiritual perspective on what true comfort entails, contrasting with the fleeting 'good things' the rich man pursued.
Luke 16:9This verse, preceding the parable, instructs on how to use wealth to gain 'eternal dwelling places,' providing the proactive choice the rich man in Luke 16:25 neglected, which would have changed his eternal outcome.
Matthew 6:2Jesus' teaching here about the hypocrisy of seeking praise and reward from men for religious acts parallels the rich man's focus on receiving his 'good things' in life, implying his reward was already fully given.
pulpitLuke 16:25: "But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."
Verse 25. - But Abraham said, Son; remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Abraham here simply bids the tortured man to call to his memory the circumstances of the life he had lived on earth, telling him that i…
meyerLuke 16:25: "But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."
Luke 16:25 . Τέκνον ] an address of sympathizing patriarchal love. The emphasis of the refusal lies on ἀπέλαβες , which is hence placed first: that thou hast received thy good things; there is nothing more in arrear for thee as thy due acquittance (see on Luke 18:30 ), hence to thy lot cannot fall the refreshing cr…
Abraham highlights that the rich man had already received his full portion of "good things" in life, meaning his earthly comforts were his ultimate reward, with nothing more due to him. This implies that the comfort Lazarus experiences now is the fulfillment of his received "bad things," showing a stark reversal where earthly suffering for Lazarus led to eternal comfort.
This verse falls within Jesus' parable about the rich man and Lazarus, which illustrates the radical reversal of fortunes in the afterlife. The rich man, who lived in luxury and ignored the suffering beggar Lazarus at his gate, dies and finds himself in torment. Abraham, speaking to the rich man in Hades, is explaining why their situations are now so drastically different.
This verse falls within Jesus' parable about the rich man and Lazarus, which illustrates the radical reversal of fortunes in the afterlife. The rich man, who lived in luxury and ignored the suffering beggar Lazarus at his gate, dies and finds himself in torment. Abraham, speaking to the rich man in Hades, is explaining why their situations are now so drastically different.
"But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish." — Abraham highlights that the rich man had already received his full portion of "good things" in life, meaning his earthly comforts were his ultimate reward, with nothing more due to him. This implies…
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Last reviewed October 2026