King James Version
Luke 15
32 verses with commentary
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Luke sets the context: 'Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him' (Ἦσαν δὲ αὐτῷ ἐγγίζοντες πάντες οἱ τελῶναι καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ). The imperfect tense 'engizō' (ἐγγίζοντες, were drawing near) indicates continuous action—outcasts habitually came to Jesus. Tax collectors (τελῶναι, telōnai) were despised as collaborators with Rome and extortioners. 'Sinners' (ἁ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**XV.**
(1) **Then drew near unto him . . .**—Better, *and all the publicans and the sinners were drawing near to hear Him.* There is not quite the same direct sequence in the Greek as in the English, but what follows comes naturally after the mention of the “multitudes” in Luke 14:25. Publicans and sinners knew that Jesus had turned, as in indignation, from the house of the Pharisee, and this, it...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-9. fig tree--**Israel, as the visible witness of God in the world, but generally all within the pale of the visible Church of God; a familiar figure (compare Is 5:1-7; Joh 15:1-8, &c.).
**vineyard--**a spot selected for its fertility, separated from the surrounding fields, and cultivated with special care, with a view solely to fruit.
**came and sought fruit--**a heart turned to God; t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Pharisees complain: 'This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them' (ὅτι Οὗτος ἁμαρτωλοὺς προσδέχεται καὶ συνεσθίει αὐτοῖς). The verb 'prosdechomai' (προσδέχεται, receiveth) means to welcome or accept, while 'synesthiō' (συνεσθίει, eateth with) indicates table fellowship—the most intimate social interaction. In Jewish culture, sharing meals implied acceptance, approval, even covenant relati...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And the Pharisees and scribes . . .**—Here, too, we may well believe that the speakers were some of the guests of Luke 14:15. They had followed Him to see what He would do, and were at once startled and shocked to find the Teacher who had spoken so sternly to those who were professedly godly, not only talking to, but eating with, those who were, at any rate, regarded as ungodly and sinful.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he spake this parable unto them, saying</strong> (εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην, eipen de pros autous tēn parabolēn tautēn)—Jesus responds to Pharisaic criticism (v.2) not with argument but with <em>parabolē</em> (παραβολή), a comparison or story set alongside truth to illuminate it. The singular 'parable' introduces three connected stories (lost sheep, lost coin, lost son)...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 13:10-17. Woman of Eighteen Year's Infirmity Healed on the Sabbath.
**11. spirit of infirmity--**Compare Lu 13:17, "whom Satan hath bound." From this it is probable, though not certain, that her protracted infirmity was the effect of some milder form of possession; yet she was "a daughter of Abraham," in the same gracious sense, no doubt, as Zaccheus, after his conversion, was "a son of Abraha...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness</strong> (τίς ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ὑμῶν ἔχων ἑκατὸν πρόβατα, tis anthrōpos ex hymōn echōn hekaton probata)—The rhetorical question assumes agreement: any shepherd would pursue the lost. Greek <em>apollymi</em> (ἀπόλλυμι, to lose/destroy) appears throughout these parables, emphasizi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **What man of you, having an hundred sheep** **. . .?—**The meaning of the parable is so clear that it requires but little in the way of explanation. It gains, however, fresh force and interest if we remember that it followed on the great parable of the Good Shepherd in John 10:1-16, and on the compassion for the lost sheep of which we read in Matthew 9:36. The thought was, if we may use the l...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-13. said ... Woman ... and laid--**both at once.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing</strong> (καὶ εὑρὼν ἐπιτίθησιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους αὐτοῦ χαίρων, kai heurōn epitithēsin epi tous ōmous autou chairōn)—The participle <em>chairōn</em> (χαίρων, rejoicing) modifies the shepherd's action: he carries the sheep <em>while rejoicing</em>. The lost sheep doesn't walk home in shame; the shepherd bears the burden. This i...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders.**—Here again we have a three-fold series of parallel applications: the love of Jesus for each wandering sheep, bearing and sustaining it in its weakness; the love which led Him to take upon Him our nature, and to bear its infirmities; the love which leads those in whom the mind of Christ is formed to follow in His footsteps, and to ac...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12-13. said ... Woman ... and laid--**both at once.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me</strong> (συγκαλεῖ τοὺς φίλους καὶ τοὺς γείτονας, synkalei tous philous kai tous geitonas)—The verb <em>synkaleō</em> (συγκαλέω, to call together) indicates a celebration gathering. The imperative 'Rejoice with me' (<em>syncharēte moi</em>, συγχάρητέ μοι) means 'rejoice together with ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **He calleth together his friends and neighbours.**—The recurrence of the two words so soon after Luke 14:12 is suggestive. There are times when we do well to recognise the natural and social ties that bind man and man. Chiefly is it right to do so when we make them sharers in our own spiritual life, and raise and purify their life by calling on them to sympathise, not with our sufferings only...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. with indignation--**not so much at the sabbath violation as at the glorification of Christ. (Compare Mt 21:15) [Trench].
**said to the people--**"Not daring directly to find fault with the Lord, he seeks circuitously to reach Him through the people, who were more under his influence, and whom he feared less" [Trench].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.</strong> This verse concludes the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) and reveals heaven's value system. The phrase "I say unto you" (<em>legō hymin</em>, λέγω ὑμῖν) asserts Jesus' authoritative revelation about heavenly realities i...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.**—As regards the men and women among whom our Lord carried on His work, we cannot see in these words anything but a grave and indignant protest, veiled under the form of an apparent concession, against the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. His call to repent had been addressed to all. That all offended in many things; that for a man ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. the Lord--**(See on Lu 10:1).
**hypocrite!--**How "the faithful and true Witness" tears off the masks which men wear!
**his ox, &c.--**(See on Mt 12:9-13; and Lu 6:9).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →The Parable of the Lost Coin
Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? pieces: drachma, here translated a piece of silver, is the eighth part of an ounce, which cometh to seven pence halfpenny, and is equal to the Roman penny
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently</strong> (ἢ τίς γυνὴ δραχμὰς ἔχουσα δέκα, ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃ δραχμὴν μίαν, ē tis gynē drachmas echousa deka, ean apolesē drachmēn mian)—Jesus shifts to a feminine image, showing God's pursuing love through domestic life. The <em>drachmē</em> (δραχμή) was a silver...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Either what woman having ten pieces of silver.**—The main lesson of the parable that thus opens is, of course, identical with that of the Lost Sheep. We are justified, however, in assuming that the special features of each were meant to have a special meaning, and that we have therefore more than a mere ornamental variation of imagery. Looking to these points of difference we note (1) the us...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. ought not, &c.--**How gloriously the Lord vindicates the superior claims of this woman, in consideration of the sadness and long duration of her suffering, and of her dignity notwithstanding, as an heir of the promise!
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me</strong> (συγκαλεῖ τὰς φίλας καὶ γείτονας, synkalei tas philas kai geitonas)—The verbal and structural parallel to verse 6 is exact, emphasizing the unified message: finding the lost demands communal celebration. The imperative <em>syncharēte</em> (συγχάρητέ, rejoice together) repeats.<...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.</strong> This verse concludes the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) and parallels Luke 15:7's conclusion to the lost sheep parable. The word "Likewise" (<em>houtōs</em>, οὕτως) again connects earthly parable to heavenly reality—as the woman rejoiced with neighbors over the foun...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 13:18-30. Miscellaneous Teachings.
**18-21. mustard seed ... leaven--**(See on Mr 4:30-32). The parable of "the Leaven" sets forth, perhaps, rather the inward growth of the kingdom, while "the Mustard Seed" seems to point chiefly to the outward. It being a woman's work to knead, it seems a refinement to say that "the woman" here represents the Church, as the instrument of depositing the leaven...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 15
Chapter Outline
Parables of the lost sheep, and the piece of silver.(1-10)
The prodigal son, his wickedness and distress.(11-16)
His repentance and pardon.(17-24)
The elder brother offended.(25-32)
**Verses 1-10**
The parable of the lost sheep is very applicable to the great work of man's redemption. The lost sheep represents the sinner as departed from God, an...
Read full commentary →The Parable of the Prodigal Son
And he said, A certain man had two sons:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>A certain man had two sons.</strong> This simple opening to the parable of the prodigal son establishes the family context that drives the entire narrative. The "certain man" represents God the Father, whose character is revealed through his treatment of both sons. The "two sons" represent two fundamentally different approaches to relationship with God—one openly rebellious, the other outw...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **And he said, A certain man had two sons.**—We enter here on one of the parables which are not only peculiar to St. Luke’s Gospel, but have something of a different character, as giving more than those we find in the other Gospels, the incidents of a story of common daily life. As with the Good Samaritan, it seems open to us to believe that it rested on a substratum of facts that had actuall...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 13:18-30. Miscellaneous Teachings.
**18-21. mustard seed ... leaven--**(See on Mr 4:30-32). The parable of "the Leaven" sets forth, perhaps, rather the inward growth of the kingdom, while "the Mustard Seed" seems to point chiefly to the outward. It being a woman's work to knead, it seems a refinement to say that "the woman" here represents the Church, as the instrument of depositing the leaven...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
The parable of the prodigal son shows the nature of repentance, and the Lord's readiness to welcome and bless all who return to him. It fully sets forth the riches of gospel grace; and it has been, and will be, while the world stands, of unspeakable use to poor sinners, to direct and to encourage them in repenting and returning to God. It is bad, and the beginning of worse, wh...
Read full commentary →And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me</strong> (Πάτερ, δός μοι τὸ ἐπιβάλλον μέρος τῆς οὐσίας, Pater, dos moi to epiballon meros tēs ousias)—The son demands his inheritance (<em>ousia</em>, οὐσία, substance/property) while his father lives. The verb <em>epiballō</em> (ἐπιβάλλω, falling to, belonging to) indicates legal entitlemen...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **The younger of them said to his father.**—In its bearing on the individual life, the younger son represents the temper that is eager for independence, self-asserting, energetic; the elder that which is contemplative, devout, ceremonial, quiescent. As the latter pre-eminently characterises, as noticed above, the sons of Shem as distinguished from those of Japheth, the Semitic as distinct fro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 13:18-30. Miscellaneous Teachings.
**18-21. mustard seed ... leaven--**(See on Mr 4:30-32). The parable of "the Leaven" sets forth, perhaps, rather the inward growth of the kingdom, while "the Mustard Seed" seems to point chiefly to the outward. It being a woman's work to knead, it seems a refinement to say that "the woman" here represents the Church, as the instrument of depositing the leaven...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
The parable of the prodigal son shows the nature of repentance, and the Lord's readiness to welcome and bless all who return to him. It fully sets forth the riches of gospel grace; and it has been, and will be, while the world stands, of unspeakable use to poor sinners, to direct and to encourage them in repenting and returning to God. It is bad, and the beginning of worse, wh...
Read full commentary →And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country</strong> (συναγαγὼν πάντα ὁ νεώτερος υἱὸς ἀπεδήμησεν εἰς χώραν μακράν, synagagōn panta ho neōteros huios apedēmēsen eis chōran makran)—The phrase 'not many days' shows impatience; he converts assets to cash immediately. <em>Apodēmeō</em> (ἀποδημέω, to travel abroad) indicates intentional ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Took his journey into a far country.**—Such instances of emigration were, we may believe, familiar things in most towns of Galilee and Judæa. The young man left his home, and started, bent on pleasure or on gain, for Alexandria, or Rome, or Corinth, and rumour came home of riotous living, and a fortune wasted upon harlots, sabbaths broken, synagogues unvisited, perhaps even of participation...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 13:18-30. Miscellaneous Teachings.
**18-21. mustard seed ... leaven--**(See on Mr 4:30-32). The parable of "the Leaven" sets forth, perhaps, rather the inward growth of the kingdom, while "the Mustard Seed" seems to point chiefly to the outward. It being a woman's work to knead, it seems a refinement to say that "the woman" here represents the Church, as the instrument of depositing the leaven...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
The parable of the prodigal son shows the nature of repentance, and the Lord's readiness to welcome and bless all who return to him. It fully sets forth the riches of gospel grace; and it has been, and will be, while the world stands, of unspeakable use to poor sinners, to direct and to encourage them in repenting and returning to God. It is bad, and the beginning of worse, wh...
Read full commentary →And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land</strong> (δαπανήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἰσχυρὰ, dapanēsantos de autou panta egeneto limos ischyra)—The aorist participle <em>dapanaō</em> (δαπανάω, having spent/squandered) indicates complete depletion. Then external disaster compounds personal folly: a 'strong famine' (<em>limos ischyra</em>, λιμὸς ἰσχυρά) ari...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **There arose a mighty famine in that land.**—This again was no unwonted incident. The famine which “came to pass in the days of Claudius Cæsar” (Acts 11:28) was more extensive and memorable than others, but it was far from standing alone. And now the pinch came. His treasure was gone, and for the fulness of bread there was hunger and “cleanness of teeth” (Amos 4:6). In the individual interpr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
The parable of the prodigal son shows the nature of repentance, and the Lord's readiness to welcome and bless all who return to him. It fully sets forth the riches of gospel grace; and it has been, and will be, while the world stands, of unspeakable use to poor sinners, to direct and to encourage them in repenting and returning to God. It is bad, and the beginning of worse, wh...
Read full commentary →And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country</strong> (καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐκολλήθη ἑνὶ τῶν πολιτῶν, kai poreutheis ekollēthē heni tōn politōn)—The verb <em>kollaō</em> (κολλάω, to join, cleave, glue) indicates desperate attachment. He 'glued himself' to a Gentile landowner out of necessity, a pathetic dependency replacing the sonship he abandoned. This is humanity attempting self...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Joined himself.**—Literally *clave to,* or, *attached himself to.* The verb is the same as that used of the husband cleaving to his wife in Matthew 19:5, and thus expresses the absolute dependence of the famished man upon one who was ready to help him.
**To a citizen.**—Literally, *to one of the citizens.* In the outer story of the parable, this would emphasise the misery into which the man...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. Lord, &c.--**one of those curious questions by talking of which some flatter themselves they are religious.
**said unto them--**the multitude; taking no notice of the man or his question, save as furnishing the occasion of a solemn warning not to trifle with so momentous a matter as "salvation."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
The parable of the prodigal son shows the nature of repentance, and the Lord's readiness to welcome and bless all who return to him. It fully sets forth the riches of gospel grace; and it has been, and will be, while the world stands, of unspeakable use to poor sinners, to direct and to encourage them in repenting and returning to God. It is bad, and the beginning of worse, wh...
Read full commentary →And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat</strong> (καὶ ἐπεθύμει χορτασθῆναι ἐκ τῶν κερατίων ὧν ἤσθιον οἱ χοῖροι, kai epethymei chortasthēnai ek tōn keratiōn hōn ēsthion hoi choiroi)—The verb <em>epithymeō</em> (ἐπιθυμέω, to desire strongly) indicates intense craving. He 'desired to be satisfied' (<em>chortasthēnai</em>, χορτασθῆναι) with carob pods (<em...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **He would fain have filled his belly.**—It is singular that very many of the best MSS. give the simpler reading, “desired to be filled or satisfied.” It is open to suppose either that they shrank from the reading in the text as too coarse, or that the later MSS. introduced “filled his belly” as more vivid and colloquial; or, as seems probable, that there may have been a variation of phrase e...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. Strive--**The word signifies to "contend" as for the mastery, to "struggle," expressive of the difficulty of being saved, as if one would have to force his way in.
**strait gate--**another figure of the same. (See on Mt 7:13, 14).
**for many ... will seek--**"desire," that is, with a mere wish or slothful endeavor.
**and shall not be able--**because it must be made a life-and-death str...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
The parable of the prodigal son shows the nature of repentance, and the Lord's readiness to welcome and bless all who return to him. It fully sets forth the riches of gospel grace; and it has been, and will be, while the world stands, of unspeakable use to poor sinners, to direct and to encourage them in repenting and returning to God. It is bad, and the beginning of worse, wh...
Read full commentary →And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus applies the parable: 'I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance' (λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὕτως χαρὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἔσται ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι ἢ ἐπὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα δικαίοις οἵτινες οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν μετανοίας). The phrase 'joy in heaven' (χαρὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ) reveals divine celebratio...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **And when he came to himself.**—The phrase is wonderfully suggestive. The man’s guilt was, that he had been self-indulgent; but he had been living to a self which was not his true self. The first step in his repentance is to wake as out of an evil dream, and to be conscious of his better nature, and then there comes the memory of happier days which is as “Sorrow’s crown of sorrow.” The “hire...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door--**awfully sublime and vivid picture! At present he is represented as in a sitting posture, as if calmly looking on to see who will "strive," while entrance is practicable, and who will merely "seek" to enter in. But this is to have an end, by the great Master of the house Himself rising and shutting the door, after which there will b...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-24**
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the mea...
Read full commentary →I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus begins the second parable: 'Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?' (ἢ τίς γυνὴ δραχμὰς ἔχουσα δέκα, ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃ δραχμὴν μίαν, οὐχὶ ἅπτει λύχνον καὶ σαροῖ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ζητεῖ ἐπιμελῶς ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ;). The woman's diligent search—lighting a lamp (ἅπτει λύχνον), sweeping (σαροῖ), s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **I will arise and go to my father.**—This, then, was the firstfruits of repentance. He remembers that he has a father, and trusts in that father’s love; but he dares not claim the old position which he had so recklessly cast away. He is content to be as one of the “hired servants.” Spiritually, the first impulse of the contrite heart is to take the lowest place, to wish for the drudgery of d...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
26-27. See on the similar passage (Mt 7:22, 23).
**eaten and drunk, &c.--**We have sat with Thee at the same table. (See on Mt 7:22).
**taught in our streets--**Do we not remember listening in our own streets to Thy teaching? Surely we are not to be denied admittance?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-24**
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the mea...
Read full commentary →And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.</strong> The prodigal's rehearsed confession reveals his profound awareness of unworthiness. The phrase "no more worthy" (οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος, ouketi eimi axios) acknowledges complete forfeiture of sonship rights. Having squandered his inheritance, violated family honor, and lived among Gentiles with pigs, he r...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
26-27. See on the similar passage (Mt 7:22, 23).
**eaten and drunk, &c.--**We have sat with Thee at the same table. (See on Mt 7:22).
**taught in our streets--**Do we not remember listening in our own streets to Thy teaching? Surely we are not to be denied admittance?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-24**
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the mea...
Read full commentary →And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
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KJV Study Commentary
The prodigal returns: 'And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him' (καὶ ἀναστὰς ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ. ἔτι δὲ αὐτοῦ μακρὰν ἀπέχοντος εἶδεν αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐσπλαγχνίσθη, καὶ δραμὼν ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὰ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν). The father's actions are shocki...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **When he was yet a great way off.**—In the story of the parable we must think of the wanderer as coming back weary, foot-sore, hungry, and in rags. In the interpretation, the state of the penitent is that of one who is poor in spirit, hungering and thirsting after righteousness (Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:6), with knees that are feeble and hands that hang down (Hebrews 12:12), conscious of his n...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
28-29. (See Mt 8:11, 12). Also see on Mt 13:42.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-24**
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the mea...
Read full commentary →And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.</strong> The prodigal's actual confession mirrors his rehearsed speech (v. 19) but gets interrupted before he can propose becoming a hired servant. His confession contains three crucial elements: acknowledgment of sin "against heaven" (εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, eis ton oura...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Father, I have sinned against heaven.**—The iteration of the self-same words comes to us with a wonderful power and pathos. The contrite soul does not play with its contrition, or seek to vary its expression. But the change is as suggestive as the repetition. Now that he has seen his father, he cannot bring himself to say again, “Make me as one of thy hired servants.” That had been a natura...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
28-29. (See Mt 8:11, 12). Also see on Mt 13:42.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-24**
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the mea...
Read full commentary →But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.</strong> Grace erupts in immediate, extravagant restoration. The father addresses "his servants" (τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ, tous doulous autou), commanding them to clothe the son with symbols of full sonship, not the hired servant status the son proposed. The "bes...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Bring forth the best robe.**—It is hardly necessary, perhaps, in such a parable, to press the symbolic interpretation of each minute detail; but in this instance the symbolism lies so near the surface that it is at least well to ask ourselves what meaning either earlier or later associations would lead the disciples to attach to them. The “best robe” cannot well be other than the “garment o...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-24**
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the mea...
Read full commentary →And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry.</strong> The father commands a feast of unprecedented celebration. The "fatted calf" (τὸν μόσχον τὸν σιτευτόν, ton moschon ton siteyton) was a young bull specially fattened for important occasions—weddings, major festivals, or distinguished guests. Killing this calf meant the whole village would feast, for one hou...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Bring hither the fatted calf.**—It is interesting to remember the impression which this part of the parable made on one of the great teachers of the Church as early as the second century. Irenaeus (see *Introduction*) saw in it an illustration of what seemed to him the special characteristic of St. Luke’s Gospel, viz., the stress which it lays on the priestly aspect of our Lord’s work and m...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Lu 13:31-35. Message to Herod.
**31. and depart hence--**and "go forward," push on. He was on His way out of Perea, east of Jordan, and in Herod's dominions, "journeying towards Jerusalem" (Lu 13:22). Haunted by guilty fears, probably, Herod wanted to get rid of Him (see on Mr 6:14), and seems, from our Lord's answer, to have sent these Pharisees, under pretense of a friendly hint, to persuade Hi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-24**
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the mea...
Read full commentary →For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.</strong> This verse is the father's joyful declaration in Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Son, one of Scripture's most powerful portrayals of repentance and grace. The Greek <em>nekros</em> (νεκρός, "dead") and <em>anezesen</em> (ἀνέζησεν, "is alive again") frame the son's condition in the s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **This my son was dead.**—The words, looked at merely as part of the story, have a wonderful pathos. Absence, alienation, the self-chosen shame, this had made the father think of the son as “dead.” Death would indeed have been far easier to bear. Spiritually, we are taught that repentance is nothing less than the passing from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, from the “graves of ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32. that fox--**that crafty, cruel enemy of God's innocent servants.
**Behold, I cast out devils and I do cures--**that is, "Plot on and ply thy wiles; I also have My plans; My works of mercy are nearing completion, but some yet remain; I have work for to-day and to-morrow too, and the third day; by that time I shall be where his jurisdiction reaches not; the guilt of My blood shall not lie at...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-24**
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself. That is a turning point in the sinner's conversion. The Lord opens his eyes, and convinces him of sin; then he views himself and every object, in a different light from what he did before. Thus the convinced sinner perceives that the mea...
Read full commentary →Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.</strong> The narrative shifts to introduce the elder brother, whose response reveals the second major threat to relationship with God—not scandalous sin but self-righteous religion. He was "in the field" (ἐν ἀγρῷ, en agrō), dutifully working while celebration erupted at home. His loc...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **He heard musick and dancing.**—This brings in a new feature. The father, like the chief actors in the other parables, had called together his “friends and neighbours,” and they were rejoicing after the manner of the East. There was “musick,” literally, a *symphony,* or *concert,* implying voices as well as instruments. The word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, but it is found in th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**33. it cannot be that a prophet, &c.--**"It would never do that," &c.--awful severity of satire this upon "the bloody city!" "He seeks to kill me, does he? Ah! I must be out of Herod's jurisdiction for that. Go tell him I neither fly from him nor fear him, but Jerusalem is the prophets' slaughter-house."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-32**
In the latter part of this parable we have the character of the Pharisees, though not of them alone. It sets forth the kindness of the Lord, and the proud manner in which his gracious kindness is often received. The Jews, in general, showed the same spirit towards the converted Gentiles; and numbers in every age object to the gospel and its preachers, on the same ground. What ...
Read full commentary →And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.</strong> Rather than rushing in to join the celebration, the elder brother pauses outside to interrogate a servant (παῖδα, paida, literally "boy" or "young servant"). His question "what these things meant" (τί ἂν εἴη ταῦτα, ti an eiē tauta) reveals his detachment from the household's emotional life. He doesn't recognize ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34-35. O Jerusalem, &c.--**(See on Mt 23:37; Mt 23:39).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-32**
In the latter part of this parable we have the character of the Pharisees, though not of them alone. It sets forth the kindness of the Lord, and the proud manner in which his gracious kindness is often received. The Jews, in general, showed the same spirit towards the converted Gentiles; and numbers in every age object to the gospel and its preachers, on the same ground. What ...
Read full commentary →And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.</strong> The servant's report emphasizes three key elements: family relationship ("thy brother"), the father's extravagant celebration ("killed the fatted calf"), and the cause—the son's safe return. The phrase "safe and sound" (ὑγιαίνοντα, hygiainonta) means ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Because he hath received him safe and sound.**—Literally, *in health.* The participle is the same which we have noted as characteristic of St. Luke and St. Paul in Luke 5:31; Luke 7:10.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34-35. O Jerusalem, &c.--**(See on Mt 23:37; Mt 23:39).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-32**
In the latter part of this parable we have the character of the Pharisees, though not of them alone. It sets forth the kindness of the Lord, and the proud manner in which his gracious kindness is often received. The Jews, in general, showed the same spirit towards the converted Gentiles; and numbers in every age object to the gospel and its preachers, on the same ground. What ...
Read full commentary →And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.</strong> The elder brother's response reveals his true heart: anger (ὠργίσθη, ōrgisthē) toward grace. The verb indicates passionate, indignant wrath—not mild displeasure but burning resentment. His refusal to enter (οὐκ ἤθελεν εἰσελθεῖν, ouk ēthelen eiselthein) publicly dishonors his father, shaming hi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **And he was angry, and would not go in.**—This, then, was the first feeling. He who professed obedience to his father is out of harmony with his father’s mind. He “shuts love out,” and, as by a righteous judgment, is himself “shut out from love.”
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-32**
In the latter part of this parable we have the character of the Pharisees, though not of them alone. It sets forth the kindness of the Lord, and the proud manner in which his gracious kindness is often received. The Jews, in general, showed the same spirit towards the converted Gentiles; and numbers in every age object to the gospel and its preachers, on the same ground. What ...
Read full commentary →And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.</strong> The elder brother's complaint lays bare his mercenary heart. His words "I serve thee" (δουλεύω σοι, douleuō soi) use the verb for slave labor, not the loving service of a son. He ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Lo, these many years do I serve thee.**—The very word “I serve,” as a slave serves, is eminently suggestive. The obedience had all along been servile, prompted by fear and hope, even as the slave’s obedience is. The language put into the mouth of the elder son is clearly meant to represent the habitual thoughts of the Pharisees. They are taken, as it were, after our Lord’s manner, as seen i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-32**
In the latter part of this parable we have the character of the Pharisees, though not of them alone. It sets forth the kindness of the Lord, and the proud manner in which his gracious kindness is often received. The Jews, in general, showed the same spirit towards the converted Gentiles; and numbers in every age object to the gospel and its preachers, on the same ground. What ...
Read full commentary →But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.</strong> The elder brother's words drip with contempt and theological error. He refuses family language, saying "this thy son" (ὁ υἱός σου οὗτος, ho huios sou houtos) rather than "my brother"—he disowns the relationship. This dismissive pronoun "this" (οὗτος, houtos)...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **As soon as this thy son was come.**—The feeling of discontent passes into scorn and bitterness. The sin of the wanderer is painted at once in the coarsest and darkest colours. The very turn of the phrase, “this thy son” speaks of a concentrated malignity.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 14 Lu 14:1-24. Healing of a Dropsical Man, and Manifold Teachings at a Sabbath Feast.
**2. man before him--**not one of the company, since this was apparently before the guests sat down, and probably the man came in hope of a cure, though not expressly soliciting it [De Wette].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-32**
In the latter part of this parable we have the character of the Pharisees, though not of them alone. It sets forth the kindness of the Lord, and the proud manner in which his gracious kindness is often received. The Jews, in general, showed the same spirit towards the converted Gentiles; and numbers in every age object to the gospel and its preachers, on the same ground. What ...
Read full commentary →And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.</strong> The father's response contains no rebuke, only gentle correction and affirmation. The address "Son" (τέκνον, teknon) is tender—a diminutive form expressing affection, roughly "my child." Despite the elder brother's bitter accusations and public disrespect, the father speaks with love, affirming the rel...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **Son, thou art ever with me.**—As applied *to* the Pharisees in its primary bearing, or to others like the Pharisees in its secondary, it appears at first sight as if the words were spoken from their own point of view, their own self-appreciation, and were therefore ironical. We need not, however, so take them. The words were literally true of the Pharisees, of Israel as a nation, of all who...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3-6. (See on Mt 12:11, 12).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-32**
In the latter part of this parable we have the character of the Pharisees, though not of them alone. It sets forth the kindness of the Lord, and the proud manner in which his gracious kindness is often received. The Jews, in general, showed the same spirit towards the converted Gentiles; and numbers in every age object to the gospel and its preachers, on the same ground. What ...
Read full commentary →It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
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KJV Study Commentary
The father responds to the elder brother: 'It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found' (εὐφρανθῆναι δὲ καὶ χαρῆναι ἔδει, ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου οὗτος νεκρὸς ἦν καὶ ἔζησεν, καὶ ἀπολωλὼς καὶ εὑρέθη). The verb 'edei' (ἔδει, it was necessary) indicates moral obligation—celebration is the only appropriate response to resu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **It was meet that we should make merry.**—The Greek expresses moral necessity rather than mere fitness. “We must needs rejoice;” it could not be otherwise. The repetition of the same words that had been used before, “he was dead . . .” is singularly-emphatic. This, and nothing more or less than this was the true account of the change that had passed over the wanderer; and this ought to be a ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3-6. (See on Mt 12:11, 12).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 25-32**
In the latter part of this parable we have the character of the Pharisees, though not of them alone. It sets forth the kindness of the Lord, and the proud manner in which his gracious kindness is often received. The Jews, in general, showed the same spirit towards the converted Gentiles; and numbers in every age object to the gospel and its preachers, on the same ground. What ...
Read full commentary →