Luke 12:16

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, etc.] He supposed the following case, and made use of it by way of illustration of what he had said: the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; who notwithstanding his riches, was but a fool, as the sequel shows; rich men are not always wise in things natural and civil; and very few of them are spiritually wise, or wise in spiritual things, in things which relate to the welfare of their souls; but however, this man was very prosperous in his worldly affairs, as a man of a small share of common sense may be, and wicked men often are: the word translated “ground”, signifies a “region”, or “country”, which expresses the more, the riches…”

“a certain rich man, &c.--Why is this man called a "fool?" (Luk 12:20) (1) Because he deemed a life of secure and abundant earthly enjoyment the summit of human felicity. (2) Because, possessing the means of this, through prosperity in his calling, he flattered himself that he had a long lease of such enjoyment, and nothing to do but give himself up to it. Nothing else is laid to his charge.”

“A parable - See the notes at Matthew 13:3. Plentifully - His land was fertile, and produced even beyond his expectations, and beyond what he had provided for. return to 'Top of Page'”

“12:16-20 On the surface, the rich man had a perfectly prudent plan, but the constant focus was on himself (cp. Eccl 5:10); he never considered giving crops to the needy. He assumed that his riches would last and only wanted a place to store them, without bringing God into the equation at all (Jas 4:13-17). His judgment was just.”

“The ground: Gen 26:12-14, Gen 41:47-49; Job 12:6; Psa 73:3, Psa 73:12; Hos 2:8; Mat 5:45; Act 14:17 Luke 12:17”