Luke 15:17
New International Version
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!

New Living Translation
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!

English Standard Version
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!

Berean Standard Bible
Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food? But here I am, starving to death!

Berean Literal Bible
But having come to himself, he was saying, 'How many of my father's hired servants have abundance of bread, but here I am perishing with hunger?

King James Bible
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!

New King James Version
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

New American Standard Bible
But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired laborers have more than enough bread, but I am dying here from hunger!

NASB 1995
“But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

NASB 1977
“But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

Legacy Standard Bible
But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!

Amplified Bible
But when he [finally] came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough food, while I am dying here of hunger!

Christian Standard Bible
When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When he came to his senses, he said, How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, and here I am dying of hunger!

American Standard Version
But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger!

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when he came to himself, he said, 'Now, how many hired servants are in my father's house who have plenteous bread for themselves, and here I am dying with hunger!'

Contemporary English Version
Finally, he came to his senses and said, "My father's workers have plenty to eat, and here I am, starving to death!

Douay-Rheims Bible
And returning to himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger?

English Revised Version
But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Finally, he came to his senses. He said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more food than they can eat, while I'm starving to death here?

Good News Translation
At last he came to his senses and said, 'All my father's hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve!

International Standard Version
"Then he came to his senses and said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more food than they can eat, and here I am starving to death!

Literal Standard Version
And having come to himself, he said, How many hired workers of my father have a superabundance of bread, and I am perishing here with hunger!

Majority Standard Bible
Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food? But here I am, starving to death!

New American Bible
Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.

NET Bible
But when he came to his senses he said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger!

New Revised Standard Version
But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!

New Heart English Bible
But when he came to himself he said, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I'm dying here with hunger.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I am perishing with hunger!

Weymouth New Testament
"But on coming to himself he said, "'How many of my father's hired men have more bread than they want, while I here am dying of hunger!

World English Bible
But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger!

Young's Literal Translation
'And having come to himself, he said, How many hirelings of my father have a superabundance of bread, and I here with hunger am perishing!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
16He longed to fill his belly with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing. 17Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food? But here I am, starving to death! 18I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.…

Cross References
Psalm 119:59
I considered my ways and turned my steps to Your testimonies.

Hosea 2:7
She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will return to my first husband, for then I was better off than now.'

Luke 15:16
He longed to fill his belly with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing.

Luke 15:18
I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

Acts 12:11
Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod's grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."


Treasury of Scripture

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!

when.

Luke 8:35
Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Luke 16:23
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Psalm 73:20
As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

How.

Luke 15:18,19
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, …

Lamentations 1:7
Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

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Abundance Bread Death Dying Enough Famine Father's Food Hired Hirelings How Hunger I'm Need Numbers Perish Perishing Senses Servants Spare Starving Superabundance Want
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Abundance Bread Death Dying Enough Famine Father's Food Hired Hirelings How Hunger I'm Need Numbers Perish Perishing Senses Servants Spare Starving Superabundance Want
Luke 15
1. The parable of the lost sheep;
8. of the piece of silver;
11. of the prodigal son.














(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 "hired servants" are obviously those who serve God, not in the spirit of filial love, but from the hope of a reward. Even in that lower form of duty they find what satisfies their wants. They have not the craving of unsatisfied desire which the son feels who has cast away his sonship. He envies them, and would fain be as they are.

Verse 17. - And when he came to himself. This tardy repentance in the famous parable has been the occasion of many a sneer from the world. Even satiety, even soul-hunger, did not bring the prodigal to penitence; nothing but absolute bodily suffering, cruel hunger, drove him to take the step which in the end saved him. There is no doubt it would have been far more noble on the young man's part if, in the midst of his downhill career, he had suddenly paused, and, with a mighty and continued effort of self-control, had turned to purity, to duty, and to God. Certainly this had been hereto conduct - a term no one would think of applying to anything belonging to the life of the younger son of our story. But though not heroic, is not the conduct of the prodigal just what is of daily occurrence in common life? The world may sneer; but is not such a repentance, after all, a blessed thing? It is a poor mean way, some would tell us, of creeping into heaven; but is it not better to enter into God's city even thus, with bowed head, than not at all? Is it not better to consecrate a few months, or perhaps years, of a wasted life to God's service, to noble generous deeds, to brave attempts to undo past mischief and neglect, than to go sinning on to the bitter end? There is something intensely sorrowful in this consecrating to the Master the end of a sin-worn life; but there is what is infinitely worse. What a deep well, too, of comfort has the Church-taught teacher here to draw from in his weary life-experiences! How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! Among the bitternesses of his present degradation, not the least was the memory of his happy childhood and boyhood in his old home.

"For a sorrow's crown of sorrows
Is remembering happier things."
The family of the prodigal, as we have already remarked, was certainly possessed of wealth, and was probably one of high rank. In the old home there was nothing wanting.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Finally
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

he came
ἐλθὼν (elthōn)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to
Εἰς (Eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

his senses
ἑαυτὸν (heauton)
Reflexive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself.

[and] said,
ἔφη (ephē)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 5346: To say, declare. Properly, the same as the base of phos and phaino; to show or make known one's thoughts, i.e. Speak or say.

‘How many
Πόσοι (Posoi)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4214: How much, how great, how many. From an absolute pos and hos; interrogative pronoun how much (plural) many).

of
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

my
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

father’s
πατρός (patros)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

hired servants
μίσθιοι (misthioi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3407: A paid worker, hired servant, hireling (contrasted with a slave). From misthos; a wage-earner.

have plenty
περισσεύονται (perisseuontai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4052: From perissos; to superabound, be in excess, be superfluous; also to cause to superabound or excel.

of food?
ἄρτων (artōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 740: Bread, a loaf, food. From airo; bread or a loaf.

But
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

here
ὧδε (hōde)
Adverb
Strong's 5602: From an adverb form of hode; in this same spot, i.e. Here or hither.

I {am},
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

starving
λιμῷ (limō)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3042: A famine, hunger. Probably from leipo; a scarcity of food.

to death!
ἀπόλλυμαι (apollymai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 622: From apo and the base of olethros; to destroy fully, literally or figuratively.


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NT Gospels: Luke 15:17 But when he came to himself he (Luke Lu Lk)
Luke 15:16
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