About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.
Parallel translations
- WEB When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.
- KJV And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
- BSB After he had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in need.
- NKJV But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.
- NASB Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began doing without.
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
With his money gone and famine striking, the son falls into desperate need, the bitter fruit of his choices.
Overview
The famine externalizes the inner poverty of life apart from the Father. Having spent all, the son is left destitute. Scripture often shows that the wages of sin lead to want, preparing the heart, by God's mercy, for repentance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 2 Chr 33:11Therefore Yahweh brought on them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
- Ezek 16:27See therefore, I have stretched out my hand over you, and have diminished your portion, and delivered you to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of your lewd way.
- Hos 2:9–14Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my new wine in its season, and will pluck away my wool and my flax which should have covered her nakedness.
- Amos 8:9–12It will happen in that day,” says the Lord Yahweh, “that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.
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 15:14 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.