There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
river.
Luke 12:16-21 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: …
Luke 18:24,25 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! …
James 5:1-5 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you…
clothed.
Luke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
Job 21:11-15 They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance…
purple.
Judges 8:26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.
Esther 8:15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
Ezekiel 16:13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
dressed in purple and fine linen
Purple dye was extremely expensive in ancient times, often associated with royalty and the elite due to its costliness. Fine linen was also a luxury, indicating the man's high social status and wealth. This attire signifies opulence and a life of indulgence, contrasting with the humility and poverty of Lazarus, the other character in the parable.
who lived each day in joyous splendor
The phrase suggests a lifestyle of continuous celebration and self-indulgence. The rich man's daily life was marked by excess and pleasure, highlighting a focus on earthly comforts. This lifestyle contrasts with biblical teachings that warn against the dangers of wealth and the neglect of spiritual responsibilities (1 Timothy 6:9-10). The parable serves as a critique of those who prioritize worldly pleasures over compassion and righteousness.
• The opening word links this account to the broader conversation in Luke 16, where Jesus has just warned, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13).
• It signals that what follows is a real, timely illustration of that teaching, not a random story.
• Cross references: Luke 12:40 (“You also must be ready”); Hebrews 3:15 (“Today, if you hear His voice…”).
• Scripture records an identifiable individual, underscoring that God sees every person’s life circumstances (Psalm 33:13-15).
• His wealth is the first fact revealed, setting the frame for the lesson about stewardship and eternal accountability (1 Timothy 6:9-10; Proverbs 11:28).
• Wealth itself is not condemned (Abraham, Job, Joseph of Arimathea), but the heart’s response to it is critical (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
• Purple dye was imported and costly, reserved for royalty or the elite (Judges 8:26; Esther 8:15).
• The phrase highlights deliberate self-presentation intended to impress others—external glory masking internal need (Matthew 23:5).
• It also hints at misplaced identity: defining oneself by garments rather than by relationship with God (Revelation 3:17-18).
• Fine linen was the most luxurious fabric for under-garments, emphasizing that his extravagance extended even to what was unseen by the public.
• The contrast with Lazarus’ rags (Luke 16:20) will magnify the moral lesson.
• Cross references: Exodus 28:39-42 (priestly linen); Ecclesiastes 9:8 (“Let your clothes always be white”).
• The Greek verb (without technical detail) shows continual, habitual action: he chose this lifestyle daily.
• His routine left no space for reflection on God, eternity, or the suffering at his gate (Psalm 10:4; James 4:13-14).
• The phrase reminds us that repeated choices form a settled character (Galatians 6:7-8).
• “Joyous” is pleasure-seeking; “splendor” is outward brilliance. Together they picture self-indulgence as life’s goal (Philippians 3:19).
• Missing is any acknowledgment of gratitude to God or generosity toward others (Luke 11:41; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
• His apparent success foreshadows the great reversal that follows (Luke 1:52-53; James 5:1-6).
Luke 16:19 introduces a man whose wealth, wardrobe, and daily revelry epitomize a life centered on self rather than on God. Each descriptive phrase builds a profile of complacent luxury that blinds him to eternal realities and to the needy at his doorstep. Jesus uses this vivid portrayal to warn that earthly abundance, when divorced from humble dependence on the Lord and compassion toward others, leads to irreversible loss.
(19) There was a certain rich man . . .--Here, also, there is a certain appearance of abruptness. But the sneer of Luke 16:14 explains the sequence of thought. On the one side, among those who listened to our Lord, were the Pharisees, living in the love of money and of the enjoyments which money purchased; on the other, were the disciples, who had left all to follow their Master, poor with the poverty of beggars. The former had mocked at the counsel that they should make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, who should receive them into everlasting habitations. They are now taught, and the disciples are taught also, what comes of the other friendship that men for the most part secure with money. It is clear that the section of Pharisees for whom the parable was specially designed, were such as those described as being "in king's houses and in soft raiment, and living delicately" (see Notes on Matthew 11:8; Luke 7:25)--the scribes, i.e., who had attached themselves to the court of Herod Antipas, the Herodians, or those who, while differing from them politically, were ready to coalesce with them (Matthew 22:16; Mark 3:6), and reproduced their mode of life. In the rich man himself we find, generic as the description is, some features which must at least have reminded those who heard the parable, of the luxurious self-indulgence of the Tetrarch himself. There is the "purple garment," rich with the dyes of Tyre, which was hardly worn, except by kings and princes and generals (see Notes on Matthew 27:28; Mark 15:17); the byssus, or fine linen of Egypt, coupled with purple in Revelation 18:12; Revelation 18:16, itself not unfrequently of the same colour. The "faring sumptuously" reminds us of the stately pomp of Herod's feasts. (See Notes on Matthew 14:6; Mark 6:14; Mark 6:21, and the quotation from Persius cited in the latter.) If we assume that there is this sketch, as it were, of the Tetrarch's character, it is obvious that the teaching of the parable receives a fresh significance. This, then, was what the scribes, even those that were not avowedly of the Herodian school, who should have been teachers of righteousness, were striving after. This was their highest ideal of happiness, and for this they were content to sacrifice their true calling here and their hopes of eternal life hereafter. It was meet that they should learn what was the outcome of such a life when it passed "behind the veil." We may add, too, that this view enables us to trace a sequence of thought where all at first seems unconnected. The reference to the teaching of the scribes as to divorce (Luke 16:18), naturally suggested the most prominent and most recent instance in which their lax casuistry had shown itself most criminally compliant with the vices of an adulterous and incestuous prince. . . . Verse 19. - There was a certain rich man. He is thus introduced by the Lord without any details respecting his age or place of residence - nameless, too! Seems he not to have been reading from that book where he found the name of the poor man written, but found not the name of the rich; for that book is the book of life?" (Sermon 178. 3 of St. Augustine). Tradition says his name was Nimeusis, but it is simply a baseless tradition. Which was clothed in purple and fine linen. The words which describe the life of Dives were chosen with rare skill; they are few, but enough to show us that the worldly hero of the story lived a life of royal magnificence and boundless luxury. His ordinary apparel seems to have been purple and fine linen. This purple, the true sea purple, was a most precious and rare dye, and the purple garment so dyed was a royal gift, and was scarcely used save by princes and nobles of very high degree. In it the idol-images were sometimes arrayed. The fine linen (byssus) was worth twice its weight in gold. It was in hue dazzlingly white. And fared sumptuously every day. With this princely rich man banquets were a matter of daily occurrence. Luther renders the Greek here, "lebte herrlich und in Freuden." Thus with all the accompaniments of grandeur this nameless mighty one lived, his halls ever filled with noble guests, his antechambers with servants. Everything with him that could make life splendid and joyous was in profusion. Some have suspected that our Lord took, as the model for his picture here, the life of the tetrarch Herod Antipas. The court of that magnificent and luxurious prince would certainly have well served as the original of the picture; but Herod was still living, and it is more likely that Jesus was describing the earth-life of one who had already been" dismissed" from his earthly stewardship, and who, when he spoke the parable, was in the world to come.