Luke 15:20 BSB — MannaFest

Luke 15:20

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

KJV

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

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Commentary

4 voices

Athanasius of Alexandria

296–373

FESTAL LETTER 7 (373)

Then he shall get up, come to his father, and confess to him, "I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me like one of your hired servants."When he confesses like that, he will be considered worthy of more than that for which he prayed. His father neither takes him in like a hired servant nor treats him like a stranger. Oh no, he kisses him as a son. He accepts him as a dead man come back to life again.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

Ambrose of Milan

Exposition of the Gospel of Luke (397)

Christ chooses those who stand. Rise and run to the church. Here is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He who hears you pondering in the secret places of the mind runs to you. When you are still far away, he sees you and runs to you. He sees in your heart. He runs, perhaps someone may hinder, and he embraces you. His foreknowledge is in the running, his mercy in the embrace and the disposition of fatherly love.

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

And he arose,.... This shows that his resolution to arise was not of nature, but of grace, by its being put into execution; for it was made and executed, not in his own strength, but in another's.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

16 . [3.] Here were feet of mercy, and those feet quick-paced: He ran. This denotes how swift God is to show mercy. The prodigal son came slowly, under a burden of shame and fear; but the tender father ran to meet him with his encouragements. [4.] Here were arms of mercy, and those arms stretched out to embrace him: He fell on his neck.

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

And kissed him - Or, kissed him again and again; the proper import of καταεφιλησεν αυτον. The father thus showed his great tenderness towards him, and his great affection for him.

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1189: “The Turning Point” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1874)

THIS SENTENCE EXPRESSES the true turning point in the prodigal’s life story. Many other matters led up to it, and before he came to it there was much in him that was very hopeful; but this was the point itself, and had he never reached it he would have remained a prodigal, but would never have been the prodigal restored, and his life would have been a warning rather than an instruction to us.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

29 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
ἀναστὰς	anastas	having risen up	G450 →
ἦλθεν	ēlthen	he went	G2064 →
πρὸς	pros	to	G4314 →
τὸν	ton	the	G3588 →
πατέρα	patera	father	G3962 →
ἑαυτοῦ.¶	he'autou	of himself	G1438 →
Ἔτι	Eti	Still	G2089 →
δὲ	de	now	G1161 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	he	G846 →
μακρὰν	makran	far	G3112 →
ἀπέχοντος	apechontos	being distant	G568 →
εἶδεν	eiden	he saw	G1492 →
αὐτὸν	auton	him	G846 →
ὁ	ho	the	G3588 →
πατὴρ	patēr	father	G3962 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	of him	G846 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἐσπλαγχνίσθη,	esplagchnisthē	was moved with compassion,	G4697 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
δραμὼν	dramōn	having run	G5143 →
ἐπέπεσεν	epepesen	he fell	G1968 →
ἐπὶ	epi	upon	G1909 →
τὸν	ton	the	G3588 →
τράχηλον	trachēlon	neck	G5137 →
αὐτοῦ	autou	of him	G846 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
κατεφίλησεν	katephilēsen	he kissed	G2705 →
αὐτόν.	auton	him.	G846 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Ephesians 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
leads to
- Acts 2:39
  This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
- Colossians 1:20–22
  and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.
- Colossians 1:13–14
  He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
Through
Psalms 86:15
But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.
leads to
- Psalms 103:8
  The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Ephesians 2:4–7
  But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
- Psalms 130:7
  O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance.
- Ephesians 1:7
  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Through
Psalms 86:5
For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
leads to
- Psalms 145:8–9
  The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.