I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
What does Luke 15:18 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
Read with
Keep this verse inside Luke 15:18-22 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Luke 15:18
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I will arise - This is a common expression among the Hebrews to denote "entering on a piece of business." It does not imply that he was "sitting," but that he meant immediately to return. This should be the feeling of every sinner who is conscious of his guilt and danger. To My father - To his father, although he had offended him, and treated him unkindly, and had provoked him, and dishonored him by his course of conduct. So the sinner. He has nowhere else to go but to "God.
Key words
- my father
-
my father. It was usual with the Jews to call God, "heaven"; See Gill on Matthew 21:25 .
- my father
-
my father. It was usual with the Jews to call God, "heaven"; See Gill on Matthew 21:25 .
Context in Luke 15
Show chapter context
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
Explore by topic
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.