Luke 16:2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
And commanding him, he said to him, "What this I hear about you? Deliver an explanation of your management of this household of yours. No, for this reason, you don't have the power still to be a house manager."
In the Greek, it is much, much clearer that the man is being fired for a rumor. This is obscured in translation. This story uses an uncommon word for Jesus in every possible form. The word is "house manager", which we saw as a title in the previous verse, Luke 16:1. In this verse, the same word has the form of the general discipline ("house management") and as a verb ("to manage a house").
The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
"He called" is from a verb which means "to produce a sound or tone", "to speak loudly or clearly" (of men), "uttering cries" (of animals), "affirm" (in court), "call by name", "command," and "speak of." It is not the common form of "to call". Perhaps, "command" captures its feeling best for the way Jesus uses it. It is in the form of an adjective, "commanding".
The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. It is the object commanded.
There is no "and" here because there is only one active verb.
"Said" is from the Greek verb that means "to say" and "to speak". This is the active verb.
The word translated as "unto him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.
The word translated as "what" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why". Here, it works very like the English "What is" to begin a sentence.
"Is it that I hear" is translated from a Greek verb that has the same sense as the English "hear" not only of listening but of understanding. The form is simple an active verb in the present tense, "I hear". The rest is added so that the "this" can go after the verb instead of before.
The word translated as "this" means "this" or "this/that thing." It appears after the "what" as we would say "what's this".
The Greek word translated as "of" means It means "around" when referring to a place, but, in this context, it means "about", "concerning", "on account of," and "in regard to." This is the way Christ usually uses it.
The word translated as "thee" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun.
"Give" is a compound verb that means "to give back", "to give over," and "to transmit." It literally means "to give from". It is a command. The idea is to deliver.
"Account" is translated from a Greek word that means "calculation," or "reasoning." It is the source of our word "logic" and is the root word for all the English words that end in "-ology." Most biblical translations translated it as "word" for somewhat poetic reasons. More about this word in this article. In English, we would say "idea" or "explanation" to describe it.
The word translated as "of thy" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun.
"Stewardship" is a Greek noun that means "management of a household","husbandry", "thrift", "regulation", "transaction", "contract", and "operation". This is the female form of the noun "steward", referring to the discipline rather than the person.
The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why." However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "as an explanation" or "as a cause".
The word translated as "thou mayest" means having the power or possibly a desire to accomplish something. Adding "mayest" makes it seem like this is just a possibility. But, in Greek, this verb is not in the form of possibility. The sense is "you have the power" or in this case, "you do not have the power".
The Greek word translated as "no" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. This word starts the sentence, so it is much clearer in the Greek that the man is being fired.
"Longer" is an adverb that means "yet" and "still", "already", "longer", "no longer" (with a negative), "still" and "besides". The "negative" doesn't appear anywhere near it.
"Be...a steward" is the Greek verb that means to "manage as a house-steward", "order", and "regulate". It is the verb form of the word translated as "steward" and "stewardship". This is the only time Jesus uses this word.
καὶ (conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
φωνήσας (part sg aor act masc nom ) "He called" is phoneo which means "to produce a sound or tone", "to speak loudly or clearly" (of men), "uttering cries" (of animals), "affirm" (in court), "call by name", "command," and "speak of."
αὐτὸν "Him" is autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord." In the adverbial form, it means "just here" or "exactly there."
εἶπεν (verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "Said" is eipon, which means "to speak", "to say", "to recite", "to address", "to mention", "to name", "to proclaim", "to plead", "to promise," and "to offer."
αὐτῷ (adj sg masc dat) "To him" is autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord." In the adverbial form, it means "just here" or "exactly there."
Τί (pro sg neut acc) "What" is tis which can mean "someone", "any one", "everyone", "they [indefinite]", "many a one", "whoever", "anyone", "anything", "some sort", "some sort of", "each", "any", "the individual", "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who", "why," or "what."
τοῦτο (adj sg neut acc) "This" is touto, which means "from here", "from there", "this [thing]," or "that [thing]."
ἀκούω (verb 1st sg pres ind act) "Is it that I hear" is akouo, which means "hear of", "hear tell of", "what one actually hears", "know by hearsay", "listen to", "give ear to", "hear and understand," and "understand."
περὶ (prep) "Of" is peri, which means "round about (Place)", "around", "about", "concerning", "on account of", "in regard to", "before", "above", "beyond," and "all around."
σοῦ; (adj sg masc gen) "Thee" is sou which means "of you" and "your." --
ἀπόδος(verb 2nd sg aor imperat act) "Give" is apodidomi which means "to give back", "to restore," and "to deliver." It has the economic sense of "to sell" or "to give something for one's own profit." It begins with apo the preposition of separation and origin, the idea of "from" in English, didômi which means "to give", "to grant", "to hand over," and "to describe."
τὸν λόγον (noun sg masc acc) "Account" is logos, which means "word", "computation", "relation", "explanation", "law", "rule of conduct", "continuous statement", "tradition", "discussion," "reckoning," and "value."
τῆς οἰκονομίας [uncommon](noun sg fem gen) "Stewardship" is oikonomia, which means "management of a household","husbandry", "thrift", "regulation", "transaction", "contract", and "operation".
σου, (adj sg masc gen) "Thy" is sou which means "of you" and "your."
οὐ (partic) "No" is ou which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.
γὰρ (partic) "For" comes from gar which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for", "since," and "as." In an abrupt question, it means "why" and "what."
δύνῃ (verb 2nd sg pres ind mp) "Thou mayest" is the verb, dynamai, which means "to have power by virtue of your own capabilities", "to be able," and "to be strong enough." -
ἔτι (adv) "Longer" is eti, which means "yet" and "still" (with the Present), "already" (with the Past), "yet" and "longer" (with the Future), "no longer" (with a negative), and"still" and "besides" (of degree).
οἰκονομεῖν. [unique](verb pres inf act) "Be...a steward" is oikonomoe, which means "manage as a house-steward", "order", and "regulate".