Luke 15:28-30

15:28 But the older son ¹  became angry ²  and refused ³  to go in. His father came out and appealed to him, 15:29 but he answered ⁴  his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave ⁵  for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet ⁶  you never gave me even a goat ⁷  so that I could celebrate with my friends! 15:30 But when this son of yours ⁸  came back, who has devoured ⁹  your assets with prostitutes, ¹⁰  you killed the fattened calf ¹¹  for him!’

[15:28]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the older son, v. 25) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:28]  ² tn The aorist verb ὠργίσθη (wrgisqh) has been translated as an ingressive aorist, reflecting entry into a state or condition.

[15:28]  ³ sn Ironically the attitude of the older son has left him outside and without joy.

[15:29]  ⁴ tn Grk “but answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “but he answered.”

[15:29]  ⁵ tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.

[15:29]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to bring out the contrast indicated by the context.

[15:29]  ⁷ sn You never gave me even a goat. The older son’s complaint was that the generous treatment of the younger son was not fair: “I can’t get even a little celebration with a basic food staple like a goat!”

[15:30]  ⁸ sn Note the younger son is not “my brother” but this son of yours (an expression with a distinctly pejorative nuance).

[15:30]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ sn See note on the phrase “fattened calf” in v. 23.