Luke 15:15-19

15:15 So he went and worked for ¹  one of the citizens of that country, who ²  sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ³  15:16 He ⁴  was longing to eat ⁵  the carob pods ⁶  the pigs were eating, but ⁷  no one gave him anything. 15:17 But when he came to his senses ⁸  he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food ⁹  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 ¹⁰  against heaven ¹¹  and against ¹²  you. 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me ¹³  like one of your hired workers.”’

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¹ tn Grk “joined himself to” (in this case an idiom for beginning to work for someone).

² 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.

³ 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).

⁴ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁵ tn Or “would gladly have eaten”; Grk “was longing to be filled with.”

⁶ 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).

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁸ tn Grk “came to himself” (an idiom).

⁹ tn Grk “bread,” but used figuratively for food of any kind (L&N 5.1).

¹⁰ sn In the confession “I have sinned” there is a recognition of wrong that pictures the penitent coming home and “being found.”

¹¹ sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God.

¹² 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).”

¹³ tn Or “make me.” Here is a sign of total humility.