Why did the Rich Man go to Hell? What Grave Sin did he commit?

So let's discuss this Scripture. What sin did the Rich Man commit? Was being rich itself the sin? Was having no love or compassion for Lazarus the sin?

Let's study the issue further in this thread. Here's the entire passage in Scripture:

"The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’"

This was a parable but we have to assume the rich man lives selfishly and had no faith in Yahweh. He may have believed in the false god created out of legalistic works and dogmatic doctrines created by the religious elite at the time. But just like the Pharisees he failed to put his faith in the one true God.

Lack of faith is always the element that stops someone from having the atonement of their sins and thus being able to see salvation.

The Old Testament was faith in God that out of love they did their best to follow God's commands.

The New Testament is faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Then out of love we do good works.

The first thing that should grab our attention is the way verse 19 of Luke starts out “There was a certain rich man” Now take a look at Luke chapter 16:1. “There was a certain rich man”…. Starting midway through chapter 14 and ending in chapter 16 verse 31 Jesus is teaching by way of parables…….A parable is a comparison by sustained resemblance; it is an extended simile. The likeness or resemblance must be sought from the entire context.


As an aside- Two ancient Greek manuscripts The Bezae Caulabrigiensis, and the Koridethian-Caesarean text include the words: eipen de kai heteran parabolen at the beginning of verse 19, which translate as “And He said also another parable”



I bring this to your attention because some religions teach that the story of Abrahams Bosom is purgatory …it’s not ….it’s a parable.

Now whether you agree this is/was a parable or not that is up to you; all contextual indications point in that direction ….. But the fact is… This parable is addressed to the Pharisees (verse 14) The Pharisees, who believed in rewards and punishment immediately after death, reincarnation and other strange things…. Jesus told this to the Pharisees in light of their Talmudic traditions and beliefs. It was they… not Jesus, who coined the phrase “Abraham’s Bosom” as one of several afterlife locations. Jesus uses the parable to condemn the Pharisees and catch them in their own erroneous belief.
His intention was not to contradict the entire Old Testament by teaching survival after death. His primary intention was to show that the Pharisees were so evil that even if someone rose from the dead they still wouldn’t listen to him….. Just the opposite appears in Jesus’s teachings when we look at verses like in

Jhn 11:14

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead .

and

Luke 14:14. And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
And Jesus could not have denied the abundance of scripture from the Old Testament like that of Ecc 9:5, 6, & 10

5:For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6: Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
10: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest


How prophetic it was, as evidenced by his own resurrection from the dead, many of the Pharisees did not believe.

Actually the Ritch man was kind to Lazarus...he allowed his dogs to lick Lazarus's sores. (A medical treatment in the Ancient Near East)

The whole tale is an allegorical tale...not a parable. Meaning that the parameters are different. It was an understood thing that the rich were always sinful.

He had the means to help the beggar at his gate and did nothing. Then he had to answer for it.

He wanted to warn his brothers not to come to this place of torment by sending the beggar back from the dead to shock them into listening.

The main message was that the scriptures tell them that they should have mercy on the beggar at their gates if they have the means to help them and also that the scriptures warn them of the hell beneath awaiting them if they ignore showing mercy and if they don't believe by reading the scripture (if they don't let the conviction of the Spirit that comes by reading the word of God and repenting and having faith because of the Word of God, then they will not have the transformational change from the heart that is required to escape the place of torment that awaits them even if they were shocked by someone coming back from the grave and telling them about it.

A parable in Jewish literature is not an Allegory.

However if we are going to say that this is a parable AND an allegory then we still are required to identify the Main message or lesson in the parable portion. This is easy enough. That the scriptures (Moses and the Prophets) should be sufficient to warn his brothers of the place of torment he wanted to warn them about and if they don't believe the scriptures they will not believe even if someone rose from the dead. That is the Ah! HA! moment of the parable.

To then also see it as an Allegory one could say something about the Richman representing the Pharisees, and the beggar representing the gentiles but it would still teach the exact same lesson.

That those who think they are experts in the scriptures and are guaranteed a place in the Kingdom because of being children of Abraham are going to end up in the place of torment because they did not show mercy to those who were seeking salvation like the sinners and gentiles that were following Jesus which they despised.

And that all they have to do is read the scriptures and learn "I would have mercy" means and they could have their eyes opened and repent before it was too late but if they don't read and believe the scriptures that they claim to know they will not believe even if they see miracles which Jesus showed them plenty of on his way to Jerusalem and when he rose from the dead they still would not repent because Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

As to Abrahams Bosom, I believe it was what they referred to when someone sits at the seat next to the host at a banquet. Being in Abrahams bosom meant that Lazarus was being treated as the guest of honor at a feast in paradise.

Where in the scripture does it say “his dogs”?

Thanks, All, for the Responses.

I believe the Rich Man committed the Mortal Sin of Greed, the Love of Money. As it is written: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Tim 6:10). As St. Paul describes in the same chapter, Riches can be a Blessing from God, if we are Good Stewards of them, and use them to bless others. If the Rich Man had done this, responding to God's Grace, he would not have gone to hell imo: "17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." Christ's Apostle explains what the Lord meant by "storing up Treasures in Heaven". Give abundantly to others and do Good Works so that you may have a Reward for it from the Heavenly Father.

And St. John the Apostle gives another reason for it. The Rich Man did not have the Love of God - a metaphor for the Spirit of God - dwelling in him. "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" (1 Jn 3:17) And since he didn't have love for God in his heart, he failed what Our Lord called the Greatest Commandment of all, to love God with one's whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and one's neighbor as oneself. The Rich Man didn't do either of these things, he had faith without works imho, and that was dead, and therefore he died in his sins and lost his soul.

I believe we will be Judged by the Commandments. We are commanded both to believe in Jesus Christ His Son, and to love one another: "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them." (1 Jn 3:23-24).

It is not said that the Rich Man did not believe in God. It was said that he failed to love his neighbor as himself, and thus lost his soul.

And, both the Lord and His Apostle St. John teach that to love God means to keep His Commandments: "1Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." (1 Jn 5:1-3) and in the Gospel of John Ch 15: "15If ye love me, keep my commandments ... 21He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."

This did not happen to the Rich Man because he neither loved God nor kept His Commandments. Thus, he was not saved, but lost.

God Bless.

Having grown up Catholic, and attending Catholic School, I can tell you that Abraham's Bosom is not taught as purgatory. Although some unlearned Catholic's may try to make it so.

The doctrine of purgatory is that a person remains there, in varying degrees of torment, until they have paid off non mortal sins. This time is indeterminate, and can be lessoned with various types of "indulgences".

It is highly offensive to our Lord, who has paid for all our sins.

Abraham's Bosom, is a section of Hades/Sheol, where the righteous went pre crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. They were freed from that place when Jesus descended to preach His victory. Now the departed righteous are immediately in Jesus' Presence.

However the unsaved are continuing to be kept there until final judgement.

The account of Lazarus and the rich man is not a parable. No NT parables use actual people's names.

LOVE of money is the root of all evil. You can't hardly help the poor without money, God's work requires money. Hospitals and schools can be built. Homes for folks like Lazurus.

Poverty is a curse . Poverty in India is a curse. Money spent on God's work is a blessing.

Yes, I agree that Love of Money, or Greed, is the Root of all Evil. The Rich Man couldn't have gone to hell just for being Rich. But he did go to Hell for being Greedy, and for failing to love God and neighbor. Our Lord Jesus is teaching us here that we will be judged for sins like Greed. Abraham and Job were Rich but not Greedy, and they went to Heaven. The Rich Man here was Greedy, and so he went to Hell.

Dives is condemned because God sent him Moses but he would not listen to Moses and the prophets. No doubt Dives listened to the priests and theologians who explained away Moses and the prophets and taught them a respectable form of religion in it's place.

We have religious leaders and theologians today who have replaced Christ with a respectable religion.

Not exactly.

It's not the root of ALL evil, but rather all KINDS of evil. Big difference.

This is quite a shocking pronouncement!

Although poverty CAN be a curse, and wealth CAN be a blessing, neither are always, or even usually true.

Too many verses to list to prove that.

According to Abraham, the charges against the rich man are that he enjoyed good things in life which isn’t a real reason why people go to hell. God gives good things to people then doesn’t punish them for it. Also the beggar went to paradise because he received bad things. I’m not aware of any Bible doctrine that teaches salvation through getting dealt a bad hand in life.

So as far as I can tell neither the rich man or the beggar went to where they did because of sin or righteousness, but rather because this is just a parable and not a literal image of how people are judged. For example, we can see that Lazarus was severely slothful which is a sin so why didn’t he get punished for that?

Of course poverty is a curse. I don't mean by it that God has cursed the poor man or that a curse is especially upon the poor.
A man may be poor yet blest, he is blest yet his poverty is still a curse.

Poverty started when A & E were chucked out of their garden of beauty and abundance [yet God still cared for them] The Garden of Eden is God's will for mankind, God did not change, God never changes. It was we who changed.

Mankind will not recover their state of paradise in this age but in the next age, the Millennial age.

Poverty if no help comes will result in death, it shortens lives, it makes any progress practically impossible. It belongs to death just as sickness does.

Prosperity is an attendant of the gospel [when believed in] wherever the gospel has been accepted in a nation that nation has prospered. Are you American and you didn't understand that?

Bless you.

Virtually every translation but the KJV says either “kinds” or “sorts”.

Also, on the face of it, the KJV is Biblically wrong in this verse. How is lust, taking the Lord’s Name in vain, disobedient to parents, etc… etc… caused by the love of money?

ew International Version
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

New Living Translation
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

English Standard Version
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Berean Study Bible
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Berean Literal Bible
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils, which some, stretching after, have been seduced away from the faith and have pierced themselves with many sorrows.

King James Bible
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

New King James Version
For the love of money is a root of all kinds ofevil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

New American Standard Bible
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

NASB 1995
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

NASB 1977
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.

Amplified Bible
For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.

Christian Standard Bible
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

American Standard Version
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

what they always do- defend the K J V.

YES!!!! People need to stop quoting that mistranslation. Eve didn't bite the fruit because Satan offered her gold. The man lusting after another man's wife isn't lusting after her wallet.

Idolatry is a sin, whether a false deity or material wealth comprise the idol.