Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
The parable of the forgiving father
15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.
15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
15:3 So he told them this parable:
15:11b “There was a man who had two sons.
15:12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them.
15:13A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living.
15:14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need.
15:15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.
15:16 He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything.
15:17 But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!
15:18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;
15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”‘
15:20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.
15:21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
15:22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe–the best one–and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
15:23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate,
15:24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
15:25 “Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
15:26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.
15:27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.’
15:28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.
15:29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.
15:30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’
15:31 Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
15:32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”
[1]Ἦσαν δὲ ἐγγίζοντες αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ τελῶναι καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ.
[2]καὶ διεγόγγυζον οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγοντες ὅτι οὗτος ἁμαρτωλοὺς προσδέχεται καὶ συνεσθίει αὐτοῖς.
[3]εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην λέγων·
[11]Εἶπε δέ· ἄνθρωπός τις εἶχε δύο υἱούς.
[12]καὶ εἶπεν ὁ νεώτερος αὐτῶν τῷ πατρί· πάτερ, δός μοι τὸ ἐπιβάλλον μέρος τῆς οὐσίας. καὶ διεῖλεν αὐτοῖς τὸν βίον.
[13]καὶ μετ᾿ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας συναγαγὼν ἅπαντα ὁ νεώτερος υἱὸς ἀπεδήμησεν εἰς χώραν μακράν, καὶ ἐκεῖ διεσκόρπισε τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ ζῶν ἀσώτως.
[14]δαπανήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἰσχυρὸς κατὰ τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην, καὶ αὐτὸς ἤρξατο ὑστερεῖσθαι.
[15]καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐκολλήθη ἑνὶ τῶν πολιτῶν τῆς χώρας ἐκείνης, καὶ ἔπεμψεν αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτοῦ βόσκειν χοίρους.
[16]καὶ ἐπεθύμει γεμίσαι τὴν κοιλίαν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν κερατίων ὧν ἤσθιον οἱ χοῖροι, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδίδου αὐτῷ.
[17]εἰς ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐλθὼν εἶπε· πόσοι μίσθιοι τοῦ πατρός μου περισσεύουσιν ἄρτων, ἐγὼ δὲ λιμῷ ἀπόλλυμαι!
[18]ἀναστὰς πορεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ ἐρῶ αὐτῷ· πάτερ, ἥμαρτον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου.
[19]οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος κληθῆναι υἱός σου· ποίησόν με ὡς ἕνα τῶν μισθίων σου.
[20]καὶ ἀναστὰς ἦλθε πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ. ἔτι δὲ αὐτοῦ μακρὰν ἀπέχοντος εἶδεν αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐσπλαγχνίσθη, καὶ δραμὼν ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν.
[21]εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ υἱός· πάτερ, ἥμαρτον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου, καὶ οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος κληθῆναι υἱός σου.
[22]εἶπε δὲ ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ· ἐξενέγκατε τὴν στολὴν τὴν πρώτην καὶ ἐνδύσατε αὐτόν, καὶ δότε δακτύλιον εἰς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑποδήματα εἰς τοὺς πόδας,
[23]καὶ ἐνέγκαντες τὸν μόσχον τὸν σιτευτὸν θύσατε, καὶ φαγόντες εὐφρανθῶμεν,
[24]ὅτι οὗτος ὁ υἱός μου νεκρὸς ἦν καὶ ἀνέζησε, καὶ ἀπολωλὼς ἦν καὶ εὑρέθη. καὶ ἤρξαντο εὐφραίνεσθαι.
[25]῏Ην δὲ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἐν ἀγρῷ· καὶ ὡς ἐρχόμενος ἤγγισε τῇ οἰκίᾳ, ἤκουσε συμφωνίας καὶ χορῶν,
[26]καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος ἕνα τῶν παίδων ἐπυνθάνετο τί εἴη ταῦτα.
[27]ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἥκει καὶ ἔθυσεν ὁ πατήρ σου τὸν μόσχον τὸν σιτευτόν, ὅτι ὑγιαίνοντα αὐτὸν ἀπέλαβεν.
[28]ὠργίσθη δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν εἰσελθεῖν. ὁ οὖν πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ἐξελθὼν παρεκάλει αὐτόν.
[29]ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπε τῷ πατρί· ἰδοὺ τοσαῦτα ἔτη δουλεύω σοι καὶ οὐδέποτε ἐντολήν σου παρῆλθον, καὶ ἐμοὶ οὐδέποτε ἔδωκας ἔριφον ἵνα μετὰ τῶν φίλων μου εὐφρανθῶ·
[30]ὅτε δὲ ὁ υἱός σου οὗτος, ὁ καταφαγών σου τὸν βίον μετὰ πορνῶν, ἦλθεν, ἔθυσας αὐτῷ τὸν μόσχον τὸν σιτευτόν.
[31]ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τέκνον, σὺ πάντοτε μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ εἶ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐμὰ σά ἐστιν·
[32]εὐφρανθῆναι δὲ καὶ χαρῆναι ἔδει, ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου οὗτος νεκρὸς ἦν καὶ ἀνέζησε, καὶ ἀπολωλὼς ἦν καὶ εὑρέθη.
Comments
The Pharisees coo amongst themselves against Jesus. The prodigal son asks his father for his βίος, his outer means of life, and sets off. He dies internally through his high living. At length he ‘returns to life (ζωή) as opposed to death’ (cf. ἀνέζησε). The music hailing his return is συμφωνία, ‘concord’, ‘a joining of voices’– the music of joy and reconciliation.
[2] διεγόγγυζον: διαγογγύζω, ‘murmur or mutter among’, an LXX word; the preverb δια- indicates that persons are directing their murmurs to one another; an imitative vb, suggesting sound. Cf. the simplex γογγύζω, used of the cooing of doves (Pollux: LSJ s.v., 2).
[11] ἄνθρωπός τις: ‘a man’, the indef. pron. τις lends the atmosphere of ‘Once upon a time’.
[12] ἐπιβάλλον: a pres. part. used as an adj., ἐπιβάλλω, ‘belong to’, ‘fall to the share of’, ‘fall due’, cl. Gk (LSJ s.v., II.6).
τὸν βίον: βίος, lit., ‘life (in its outer forms and concerns)’ (EDNT, s.v. 2); here it is synonymous with οὐσία, ‘possessions or inheritance’ (ibid.).
[16] καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδίδου αὐτῷ: καὶ here is contrastive, ‘but’. Thus: ‘but no-one would give him’.
[17] περισσεύουσιν: περισσεύω, ‘Ι have more than enough, am rich (in something)’, EDNT s.v., 2; apparently a sense first attested in the koine.
[20] ἐσπλαγχνίσθη: σπλαγχνίζομαι, mid., pass., ‘feel pity, compassion’, a koine vb; cf. σπλάγχνα, pl., ‘viscera, entrails’ (already in Homer). Pity is a ‘gut feeling’ in Greek.
κατεφίλησεν: καταφιλέω, the preverb κατά—intensifies the meaning of the vb, hence ‘kiss with great emotion, passion, etc’. The Engl. tr. ‘kissed him’ is not entirely true to the emotional welcome of the father.
[23] εὐφρανθῶμεν: εὐφραίνομαι, pass., ‘am rejoiced, rejoice’ (in Homer & cl. Gk: LSJ s.v., II); in NT used of ‘jubilant joy in contexts of relationship’ (EDNT s.v., 1). The vb recurs in various forms in vv. 24, 29, and 32 below. It is synonymous with χαίρω, cf. v. 32, χαρῆναι.
[24] ἀνέζησε: ἀναζάω, αναζῶ, ‘return to life again’, apparently a koine vb; used fig. here and in v. 32 below. Cf. ζωή, ‘life as opposed to death’ (after Homer: LSJ s.v., I.2). Cf. βίος, v. 12, ‘life’ but in an outer sense (as in ‘livelihood’).
[25] συμφωνίας: sg. genitive, συμφωνία, ‘music’, here prob. referring to ‘the collective playing of various instruments’ (EDNT s.v.).
[27] ἀπέλαβεν: ἀπολαμβάνω, here, ‘regain, recover’ (EDNT s.v.).
[29] δουλεύω σοι: δουλεύω, c. dat. pers., ‘serve someone’, already in cl. Gk (LSJ s.v., 2); also in LXX (Muraoka).
[30] ὁ υἱός σου οὗτος: the demon. pron. adj. οὗτος suggests that ‘son’ is closer in space and time to the addressee, hence ‘this son of yours’, as in the Engl. tr.
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 