Luke 15:15-16

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 15:15

And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country . "That citizen," says St. Bernard, quoted by Archbishop Trench, "I cannot understand as other than one of the malignant spirits, who in that they sin with an irremediable obstinacy, and have passed into a permanent disposition of malice and wickedness, are no longer guests and strangers, but citizens and abiders in the land of sin." This is a true picture of the state of such a lost soul, which in despair has yielded itself up to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Luke 15:16

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him . So low was this poor lost man reduced, that in his bitter hunger he even came to long for the coarse but nutritious bean with which the herd was fed. These swine were of some value when fattened for the market; but he, the swineherd, was valueless—he might starve. The husks in question were the long bean-shaped pods of the carob tree ( Caratonia siliqua ) , commonly used for... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Luke 15:15

Joined himself - Entered the service of that citizen. Hired himself out to him. It would seem that he engaged to do any kind of work, even of the lowest kind.A citizen - One of the inhabitants of one of the cities or towns of that region, probably a man of property.Into the fields - Out of the city where the owner lived.To feed swine - This was a very low employment, and particularly so to a “Jew.” It was forbidden to the Jews to eat swine, and of course it was unlawful to keep them. To be... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Luke 15:16

He would fain - He would gladly. He desired to do it.The husks - The word “husks” with us denotes the outward covering of grain. In this there is little nourishment, and it is evident that this is not intended here; but the word used here denotes not only “husks,” but also leguminous plants, as beans, etc. It is also used to denote the fruit of a tree called the “carob or kharub-tree,” which is common in Ionia, Syria, and Rhodes. The tree is more bushy and thick set than the apple tree, and the... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Luke 15:13-16

Luke 15:13-16. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together Having gotten possession of his fortune, he lost no time, but, gathering together all he had, took his journey into a far country That he might be wholly from under the eye of his parent, who was a person of great piety, and be freed from the restraints of religion, he went into a distant land, among the heathen, (Luke 15:15,) where was neither the knowledge nor worship of God, choosing such companions as were... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Luke 15:1-32

102. Lost sheep; lost coin; lost son (Luke 15:1-32)Jesus told these three short stories to answer the scribes and Pharisees, who had complained that he mixed with tax collectors and other low class people. The more respectable Jews considered such people unworthy of God’s blessings. They were angry that Jesus showed interest in them and that many of them responded to his message (Luke 15:1-2).The stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin show that God does more than welcome sinners; he... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Luke 15:15

joined himself to = cleaved to (Greek. Pass. of kollao glue together); i.e. he forced himself. a citizen = one of the citizens. Contrast Philippians 1:3 , Philippians 1:20 . read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Luke 15:16

would fain have filled = was longing to fill. with = from. Greek. apo. App-104 . husks = pods of the carob tree. Only here in N.T. did eat = were eating. and. Note the emphasis of the Figure of speech Polysyndeton ( App-6 ), here. no man. Greek. oudeis, compound of ou . App-105 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Luke 15:15

And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.This acceptance by the prodigal of such a despised, menial position in the establishment of one of the citizens of that country shows the extent of his reduction and want. He who had found the benign government of a father so unbearable was reduced to submission as one of the lowest menials under that citizen. A Jewish prince in a swine pen! What a disastrous development that was! read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Luke 15:16

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.The husks ... These were the pods of the carob bean,[2] a coarse, locust-like bean with a certain sugar content, still used in the East for feeding swine. The seeds of this bean are strangely uniform in size and weight, and they were used as the measure of a "Carat" by gem merchants, weight of one seed equaling one carat, that term being directly derived from "carob."[3] It was only the pod, or... read more

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