The younger son said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
Parallel translations
- WEB The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his livelihood between them.
- KJV And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
- NKJV And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. ’ So he divided to them his livelihood.
- NASB The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that is coming to me.’ And so he divided his wealth between them.
- NLT The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The younger son demands his inheritance early, a grave insult amounting to wishing his father dead. The father grants it.
Overview
To request one's inheritance while the father lived was a shocking rejection of relationship for the sake of possessions. Yet the father, picturing God, gives freedom even when it will be abused. This sets the stage for the son's ruin and the father's astonishing grace upon his return.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Deut 21:16–17when that man assigns his inheritance to his sons he must not appoint the son of the beloved wife as the firstborn over the son of the unloved wife.
- Mark 12:44For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
- Ps 17:14from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.
- Luke 15:30But when this son of yours returns from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
- Ps 16:5–6The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 15:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.