Paragraph 16:24–26

In this paragraph, the rich man pleaded that Abraham would send Lazarus to relieve his suffering. Both Lazarus and the rich man are described as though they still had their bodies. Jesus used this figurative language to make it easier for his listeners to picture the situation.

16:24a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces the next thing that the rich man did after he saw Abraham and Lazarus in the distance. Some versions omit this conjunction. For example:

He called out (New Revised Standard Version)

Use a natural way in your language to connect this verse to the preceding verse.

he cried out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cried out indicates that the rich man spoke in a loud voice. Other ways to translate this word are:

The rich man shouted (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
He yelled (God’s Word)

Father Abraham: The rich man was a Jew, and he was speaking to the ancestor of his people. Consider what title of respect a man in your culture would use to address an ancestor who is not directly a father or grandfather.

have mercy on me: The phrase have mercy on me means “be merciful to me.” The rich man was pleading with Abraham to show him mercy by doing something specific to help him. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate that this was a plea for help, not a command. For example:

Please be merciful to me

16:24b

and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces the specific way in which the rich man wanted Abraham to show him mercy. It does not introduce a separate action. In some languages it may be more natural to omit this conjunction and start a new sentence. For example:

Send Lazarus to dip his finger… (Contemporary English Version)

send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue: The rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to him to cool his tongue with a little water. The rich man urgently longed for water, but he requested only a very small amount. He probably thought that Abraham might grant a small request such as that. The request implies that there was no water where the rich man was or that the rich man could not get to water.

The verse does not specify exactly how Lazarus would cool the rich man’s tongue. He might touch his wet finger to the man’s tongue or let some drops of water fall from his finger onto the man’s tongue.

In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

Tell Lazarus to ⌊go⌋ dip the end of his finger in water and ⌊come here to touch⌋ my tongue so that it cools off.
-or-
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and ⌊let the water drip onto⌋ my tongue so that it becomes cool.

the tip of his finger: In some languages it may be more natural to translate the phrase the tip of his finger in a more general way. For example:

his finger (Good News Translation)

In other languages it may be necessary to specify a particular finger. For example:

his forefinger

Use a natural expression for this action in your language.

16:24c

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason why the rich man wanted Lazarus to wet his tongue with water.

I am in agony: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I am in agony refers to suffering both intense physical and mental pain. Other ways to translate this word are:

I’m suffering terribly (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I am in great pain (Good News Translation)

in this fire: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fire literally means “flame.” Hell is pictured as a place where there is fire that causes pain to people.

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