Luke 15:23

15:23 Bring ¹  the fattened calf ²  and kill it! Let us eat ³  and celebrate,

Luke 15:27

15:27 The slave replied, ⁴  ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf ⁵  because he got his son ⁶  back safe and sound.’

Luke 15:30

15:30 But when this son of yours ⁷  came back, who has devoured ⁸  your assets with prostitutes, ⁹  you killed the fattened calf ¹⁰  for him!’

[15:23]  ¹ tn Grk “And bring.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[15:23]  ² tn Or “the prize calf” (L&N 65.8). See also L&N 44.2, “grain-fattened.” Such a calf was usually reserved for religious celebrations.

[15:23]  ³ tn The participle φαγόντες (fagontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[15:27]  ⁴ tn Grk “And he said to him.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated. The rest of the phrase has been simplified to “the slave replied,” with the referent (the slave) specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:27]  ⁵ tn See note on the phrase “fattened calf” in v. 23.

[15:27]  ⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the younger son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:30]  ⁷ sn Note the younger son is not “my brother” but this son of yours (an expression with a distinctly pejorative nuance).

[15:30]  ⁸ 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.

[15:30]  ⁹ 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.

[15:30]  ¹⁰ sn See note on the phrase “fattened calf” in v. 23.