Luke 15:13

15:13 After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild lifestyle.

Luke 15:30

15:30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

Luke 16:1-2

The Parable of the Clever Steward

16:1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations 10  that his manager 11  was wasting 12  his assets. 16:2 So 13  he called the manager 14  in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? 15  Turn in the account of your administration, 16  because you can no longer be my manager.’


tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

tn Grk “after not many days.”

tn Or “wasted.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

tn Or “estate” (the same word has been translated “estate” in v. 12).

sn Note the younger son is not “my brother” but this son of yours (an expression with a distinctly pejorative nuance).

sn This is another graphic description. The younger son’s consumption had been like a glutton. He had both figuratively and literally devoured the assets which were given to him.

sn The charge concerning the prostitutes is unproven, but essentially the older brother accuses the father of committing an injustice by rewarding his younger son’s unrighteous behavior.

sn See note on the phrase “fattened calf” in v. 23.

tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

10 tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”

11 sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.

12 tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the reports the man received about his manager.

14 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

15 sn Although phrased as a question, the charges were believed by the owner, as his dismissal of the manager implies.

16 tn Or “stewardship”; the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) is cognate with the noun for the manager (οἰκονόμος, oikonomo").