Luke 15:2

15:2 But ¹  the Pharisees ²  and the experts in the law ³  were complaining, ⁴  “This man welcomes ⁵  sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 15:30

15:30 But when this son of yours ⁶  came back, who has devoured ⁷  your assets with prostitutes, ⁸  you killed the fattened calf ⁹  for him!’

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¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

² sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

³ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

⁴ tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

⁵ tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.

⁶ sn Note the younger son is not “my brother” but this son of yours (an expression with a distinctly pejorative nuance).

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.

⁹ sn See note on the phrase “fattened calf” in v. 23.