And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
Parallel translations
- WEB He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.
- KJV And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
- BSB He longed to fill his belly with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing.
- NASB And he longed to have his fill of the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving him anything.
- NLT The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
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
Starving, he longs even for the pigs' food, yet no one helps him. He has hit rock bottom.
Overview
The far country gives nothing back; the world that lured him now abandons him. This complete destitution is the turning point. Sin's promises prove hollow, and the son's emptiness will soon drive him homeward to the father's mercy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Rom 6:19–21I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.
- Hos 12:1Ephraim feeds on wind, and chases the east wind. He continually multiplies lies and desolation. They make a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried into Egypt.
- Isa 44:20He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can’t deliver his soul, nor say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?”
- Lam 4:5Those who fed delicately are desolate in the streets: Those who were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.
- Jonah 2:2–8He said, “I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice.
- Ps 73:22I was so senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before you.
- Isa 57:3“But draw near here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes.
- Isa 55:2Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness.
- Ps 142:4Look on my right, and see; for there is no one who is concerned for me. Refuge has fled from me. No one cares for my soul.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 15:16 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.