Luke 12:18

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Luke 12:18 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods.
Luke 12:18 — American Standard Version

Context — Luke 12

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he said, this will I do, etc.] This was the resolution he came to, and which he took up, without consulting God, or asking leave of him: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; which was not a very wise one; for he might have let his present barns have stood, and have added new ones to them: and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods; he ascribes the increase of his substance to himself, and reckons them his own acquisitions, and entirely owing to his diligence and industry; and therefore calls them my fruits, and my goods; and accounts them his good things, his only good things; as worldly men place all good and happiness in outward enjoyments, having no notion of…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“I will pull down my barns - The word “barns” here, properly means, “granaries,” or places exclusively designed to put wheat, barley, etc. They were commonly made, by the ancients, “underground,” where grain could be kept a long time more safe from thieves and from vermin. If it be asked why he did not let the old ones remain and build new ones, it may be answered that it would be easier to “enlarge” those already excavated in the earth than to dig new ones. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Luk 12:21, Luk 18:4, Luk 18:6; Psa 17:14; Jam 3:15, Jam 4:15 Luke 12:19”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification