And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
Parallel translations
- WEB He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.
- BSB So he called one of the servants and asked what was going on.
- NKJV So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
- NASB And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be.
- NLT and he asked one of the servants what was going on.
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 elder son asks a servant what the celebration means, showing his distance from the household's joy.
Overview
He must inquire of a servant rather than sharing in his father's gladness firsthand. This subtle detail underscores his detachment. Though physically near, his heart is far from the spirit of the home, setting up his resentment.
Cross-references & the web
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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 15:26 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
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