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!
What does Luke 15:17 mean?
Having viewed the prodigal in his abject state of misery, we are next to consider his recovery from it. This begins by his coming to himself.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Luke 15:16-17 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Luke 15:17
It is commonly applied to one who has been "deranged," and when he recovers we say he has "come to himself." In this place it denotes that the folly of the young man was a kind of derangement - that he was insane. So it is of every sinner. Madness is in their hearts Ecclesiastes 9:3 ; they are estranged from God, and led, by the influence of evil passions, contrary to their better judgment and the decisions of a sound mind. Hired servants - Those in a low condition of life - those who were not born to wealth, and who had no friends to provide for them.
Key words
- himself
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An unregenerate man, whether while a voluptuous man, or a self-righteous man, is not himself; he is beside himself; and is no other than a madman.
Context in Luke 15
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Luke 15 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as journey to Jerusalem. Luke emphasizes salvation for the poor and the outsider, prayer, joy, women, table fellowship, the Holy Spirit, and the universal reach of Christ’s mission. Read this chapter with the wider themes of salvation, Spirit, and prayer in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on asking, persistence, confession, dependence, and the way prayer shapes Christian life and attention.
Bible verses about justice and mercy
Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.
Central texts on sin, grace, faith, Christ’s saving work, and the Bible’s announcement that salvation is received rather than achieved.