Luke 15:14-18

15:14 Then ¹  after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. 15:15 So he went and worked for ²  one of the citizens of that country, who ³  sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ⁴  15:16 He ⁵  was longing to eat ⁶  the carob pods ⁷  the pigs were eating, but ⁸  no one gave him anything. 15:17 But when he came to his senses ⁹  he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food ¹⁰  enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! 15:18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned ¹¹  against heaven ¹²  and against ¹³  you.

[15:14]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the sequence of events in the parable. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[15:15]  ² tn Grk “joined himself to” (in this case an idiom for beginning to work for someone).

[15:15]  ³ tn Grk “and he.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) and the personal pronoun have been translated by a relative pronoun to improve the English style.

[15:15]  ⁴ sn To a Jew, being sent to the field to feed pigs would be an insult, since pigs were considered unclean animals (Lev 11:7).

[15:16]  ³ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:16]  ⁴ tn Or “would gladly have eaten”; Grk “was longing to be filled with.”

[15:16]  ⁵ tn This term refers to the edible pods from a carob tree (BDAG 540 s.v. κεράτιον). They were bean-like in nature and were commonly used for fattening pigs, although they were also used for food by poor people (L&N 3.46).

[15:16]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[15:17]  ⁴ tn Grk “came to himself” (an idiom).

[15:17]  ⁵ tn Grk “bread,” but used figuratively for food of any kind (L&N 5.1).

[15:18]  ⁵ sn In the confession “I have sinned” there is a recognition of wrong that pictures the penitent coming home and “being found.”

[15:18]  ⁶ sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God.

[15:18]  ⁷ tn According to BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνωπιον 4.a, “in relation to ἁμαρτάνειν ἐ. τινος sin against someone Lk 15:18, 21 (cf. Jdth 5:17; 1 Km 7:6; 20:1).”