After the analogies of the lost sheep and lost coin, Jesus continues the analogy of the prodigal son.
Luke 15:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
Luke 15:30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
When, however, that son of yours here, the one eating up yours this livelihood with prostitutes, comes, you kill the fattened calf for him.
The word translated as "devoured" and "squandered" means "eating up." It is a term applied to the eating of prey by predators. It is a participle not an active noun so it describes the person.
The word translated as "living" and "property" means a "means of living" or a "livelihood." It is the property by which we make a living and survive. The sense is that the brother, instead of using the capital meant to create a living for himself used those resources for pleasure despite the the brother not really knowing anything about prostitutes.
This is the third time the "fatted calf" is mentioned.
Using money for pleasure, not to be productive, it’s a crime,
But as soon as this(CW) thy (MWthe) son was come, which hath(WT) devoured(WF) thy (MWthe) living with harlots, thou hast(WT) killed for him the fatted calf.
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "this" works better in this situation as "here”.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "son" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not one of the common words usually translated as "which”.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "eating up”.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "living" is not shown in the English translation.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
But when this(CW) (MWthe) son of yours who(CW) has(WT) squandered(CW) your (MWthe) property with prostitutes comes home(IW), you kill the fattened calf for him!’
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "this" works better in this situation as "here”.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "son" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not one of the common words usually translated as "who”.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
- CW --Confusing Word -- The "squandered " doesn't precisely mean "squandered”.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "word”.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "property" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "home" doesn't exist in the source.
But -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but”, "yet”, "however” and "on the other hand”. It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.
as soon as - "As soon as” is from an adverb/conjunction that means "when”, "as when”, "at the time when” and "sometimes”.
this -- (CW) The "this" is a pronoun that can mean "this" or "that", the nearer, "here" or "there”. It often follows the noun to further identify it as the one "here" or “there" When preceded by a definite article that also functions as a "this”, this word more clearly means "here”.
thy -- The word translated as "your" is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours”.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the", which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that”, "these” and "those"). See this article for more.
son -- The word translated as "son" is the Greek word for "son”, "scion”, "heir" or "descendant”. Like most male words, it can be used in the plural as a generic term for both sexes when they are descendants of someone. It can refer to all offspring in later generations, just like "father" refers to all previous generations. More about it in this article.
was come, -- The word translated as "was come" is a special form of the word commonly translated as "come." It has the sense of approaching someone in authority, so "come forward to speak”.
which -- (CW) The word translated as "which" is the Greek definite article, "the”, which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that”, "these”, "those") than the English "the”. See this article for more. This is not one of the common words usually translated as "which”.
hath -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
devoured - (WF) "Devoured" is from a verb that means "to eat up”, "eat down” and "to devour". It is a term applied to animals eating their prey. It also means "to corrode" or "to be gnawed”. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "eating up”.
thy -- The word translated as "your" is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours”.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the”, which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that”, "these" and "those"). See this article for more.
living --- "Living" is a noun that means "mode of life", "livelihood", "means of living", "the world we live in", "a biography" and "caste”.
with -- "With" is the Greek word that usually means "with" or a related concept such as "among" or "by the means of”. It also refers to "after" or "behind" when referring to a place, time, or pursuit.
harlots, - "The harlots" is from the Greek word that means "prostitute”. It is from a verb that means "for sale”, "bought” and "ruined”.
thou -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.
hast -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
killed -- The Greek verb translated as "kill" means to "offer by burning”, "sacrifice”, "slay”, "slaughter”, "celebrate” [with sacrifices, offerings], "the flesh of the sacrifice”. The sense is "sacrifice”, that is, to kill and burn on an altar but not completely.
for -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object. However, the translator can choose other prepositions: "with”, "in”, "of”, "as”, "by”, "for”, "at” or "on" depending on the context.
him -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person, indirect object pronoun.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the", which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that”, "these”, "those") than the English "the”. See this article for more.
fatted -- "Fatted" is a Greek adjective Jesus uses only in this story. It means "fed up", and "fatted". It is used as a noun and appears after "calf", "the fattened one".
calf,-- "Calf" is a Greek noun that Jesus only uses in this story. It means "calf", "young bull", "any young animal", and metaphorically, "a boy", or in feminine, "a girl".
But -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but", "yet”, "however” and "on the other hand”. It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.
when - "When" is from an adverb/conjunction that means "when", "as when”, "at the time when” and "sometimes”.
this -- (CW) The "this" is a pronoun that can mean "this" or "that", “the nearer”, "here” or "there”. It often follows the noun to further identify it as the one "here" or there”. When preceded by a definite article that also functions as a "this”, this word more clearly means "here”.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the”, which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that”, "these” and "those"). See this article for more.
son -- The word translated as "son" is the Greek word for "son”, "scion”, "heir” or "descendant”. Like most male words, it can be used in the plural as a generic term for both sexes when they are descendants of someone. It can refer to all offspring in later generations, just like "father" refers to all previous generations. More about it in this article.
of yours -- The word translated as "of yours" is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours”.
who -- (CW) The word translated as "who" is the Greek definite article, "the”, which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that”, "these”, "those") than the English "the”. See this article for more. This is not one of the common words usually translated as "which”.
has -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
squandered - (CW, WF) "Squandered " is from a verb that means "to eat up”, "eat down” and "to devour”. It is a term applied to animals eating their prey. It also means "to corrode" or "to be gnawed”. This word doesn't precisely mean "squandered “. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "eating up”.
your-- The word translated as "your" is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours”.
property --- "Property " is a noun that means "mode of life", "livelihood", "means of living", "the world we live in", "a biography” and "caste”.
with -- "With" is the Greek word that usually means "with" or a related concept such as "among" or "by the means of”. It also refers to "after" or "behind" when referring to a place, time, or pursuit.
prostitutes , - "Prostitutes" is from the Greek word that means "prostitute." It is from a verb that means "for sale”, "bought” and "ruined”.
son -- The word translated as "son" is the Greek word for "son”, "scion”, "heir” or "descendant”. Like most male words, it can be used in the plural as a generic term for both sexes when they are descendants of someone. It can refer to all offspring in later generations, just like "father" refers to all previous generations. More about it in this article.
comes, -- The word translated as "comes" is a special form of the word commonly translated as "come". It has the sense of approaching someone in authority, so "come forward to speak”.
home, -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
you -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.
killed -- The Greek verb translated as "kill" means to "offer by burning”, "sacrifice”, "slay", "slaughter”, "celebrate” [with sacrifices, offerings], "the flesh of the sacrifice”. The sense is "sacrifice," that is, to kill and burn on an altar but not completely.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the”, which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that”, "these”, "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
fatted -- "Fatted" is a Greek adjective Jesus uses only in this story. It means "fed up", and "fatted". It is used as a noun and appears after "calf", "the fattened one".
calf, -- "Calf" is a Greek noun that Jesus only uses in this story. It means "calf", "young bull", "any young animal", and metaphorically, "a boy", or in feminine, "a girl".
for -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object. However, the translator can choose other prepositions: "with”, "in”, "of”, "as”, "by”, "for”, "at” or "on" depending on the context.
him -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person, indirect object pronoun.
ὅτε [19 verses](adv/conj) "As soon as" is hote, which means "when”, "as when”, "at the time when" and "sometimes”.
δὲ [446 verses](conj) "But" is de which means "but”, "yet”, "however" and "on the other hand". It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of an indirect cause ("so") and a condition ("if"). In an "if" (εἰ) clause or temporal "when" (ὅταν) clause the sense is "if/when... then". In a series begun by men, it means "on the other hand”. In a listing, the sense is "then" or "yet”. After an interruption, "so then”. It can also be an explanation of cause ("so") and a condition ("if"). When used with a conditional starting a clause, the sense is "if/when...then”. When used with a particle meaning "indeed" the sense is "on one hand...on the other hand”.
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones”.
υἱὸς [158 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Son" is huios, which means a "son”, and more generally to refer to any descendant, of any generation. It can refer to male sons or descendants of both sexes, but not purely female descendants. It can and often does refer to adults who are not "children”. When it refers to "sons" specifically, it should be translated that way, but when it can be applied to both sexes, the less familiar "descendant" is better than "children”. Especially since this word can refer to adults. It is often a reference to the role of "heir”. Jesus uses another word that specifically means "heir." Jesus also used it metaphorically to describe those who follow a way of thought or set of beliefs that descend from an individual.
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your”. As a genitive object of a preposition, as here, it means a movement away from something or a position away from something else.
οὗτός [83 verses](adj sg masc nom) "This" is houtos, which as an adjective means "this”, "that”, "the nearer”. When οὗτος and ἐκεῖνος refer to two things ἐκεῖνος, which normally means "the nearer" as well belongs to the more remote, "the latter" in time, place, or thought, οὗτος to "the nearer".
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "Which" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones”.
καταφαγών [7 verses](part sg aor act masc nom) "Hath devoured" is from katesthio, which means "to eat up" and "to devour”. Literally, it means "eat down" with the prefix kata- meaning down." It is a term applied to animals of prey. It also means "to corrode" or "to be gnawed”.
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your". As a genitive object of a preposition, as here, it means a movement away from something or a position away from something else.
τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones”.
βίον [5 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Living" is bios, which means "mode of life", "livelihood”, "means of living”, "the world we live in”, "a biography" and "caste”.
μετὰ [103 verses](prep) "With" is meta, which means "with”, "in the midst of”, "among", "between”, "in common”, "along with”, "by the aid of”, "in one's dealings with”, "into the middle of”, "coming into”, "in pursuit of”, "after”, "behind”, "according to”, "after”, "behind” and "next afterward”. With genitive, it means generally, "with”, "together with”, "in the midst of”, "among”, "between”, "in common”, "along with”, "by the aid of” and "in conjunction with”. With genitive, with pl. Nouns "in the midst of”, "among”, "between”, "in common”, "along with", of things, "in conjunction with”, rarely of Time, "during”. "With dative, "between", "among”, "in company with”, with a number "complete" and "over and above”. Generally, "among”, "between”, with both indirect (dative) and direct (accusative) object. With direct objects: of motion, "into the middle of”, "coming into or among”, esp. where a number of persons is implied, “in pursuit or quest of”, of persons, "to go after”, "in quest of”, of sequence or succession, of Place, "after”, "behind”, "on the far side of”, of Time, "after”, "next to”, in order of Worth, Rank, etc., "next after”, "following”, "to be inferior to”. As a prefix, it means "of community”, "in common with another”, "in the midst of”, "succession of time”, "pursuit”, "letting go”, "after, behind”, and "reversely”.
πορνῶν (noun pl fem gen) "Harlots" [3 verses](noun pl fem nom) "The harlots" is porne, which means "harlot” and "prostitute”. It is from a verb that means "for sale", "bought” and "ruined”.
ἦλθεν, [6 verses] (verb 3rd sg aor ind act ) "Was come" is from proserchomai, which means "come", "go to”, "approach”, "draw nigh”, in hostile sense, "attack”, "come in", "surrender”, "capitulate”, "come forward to speak”, "appear before a tribunal or official”, "apply oneself to”, of things, "to be added", "come in” (of revenue) and :"have sexual intercourse”.
ἔθυσας [5 verses](verb 2nd sg aor ind act) "Thou hast killed" is thyro, which means to "offer by burning”, "sacrifice”, "slay”, "slaughter”, "celebrate” [with sacrifices, offerings], "the flesh of the sacrifice”.
αὐτῷ [106 verses](pron/adj sg masc/neut dat) "Him" is auto, the dative case of the third-person, singular adjective that is used as a pronoun. The word also means "the same", "one's true self” and "the soul" as opposed to the body. It also means "of one's own accord”. The form is the third person, plural as an indirect object of the verb or the object of a preposition. When used as a noun, it is preceded by a definite article, and it means "the same". A dative object of a preposition implies no movement but in a fixed position. With the "to be”, it acts as a possessive, "his”.
τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones”.
σιτευτόν, [3 verses](adj sg masc acc) "Fatted" is siteutos, which means "fed up", and "fatted”.
μόσχον [3 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Calf" is moschos, which means "calf", "young bull", "any young animal", and metaphorically, "a boy", or in feminine, "a girl".