Dives

Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall with Dives lift up his eyes in Hell, being in torment (T&C 105:5). The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (also called “the Dives and Lazarus” or “Lazarus and Dives”) is a well-known parable of Jesus, appearing in Luke 9:20. Traditionally used as a personal name, “Dives” is not actually a proper name, but a description meaning “rich or wealthy man,” from the Latin dives.¹ The parable begins in the Latin Vulgate as “Homo quidam erat dives,” meaning “There was a certain rich man.” Its English origin dates back to the 14th century, and reference to dives in literature has been made by Shakespeare, Chaucer, and Melville, among others. The word dives was changed from the earliest revelation manuscripts to the word wicked in the printed 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.