Luke 15:17 Meaning and Explanation
“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →At the bottom, the son comes to his senses: his father's hired servants have bread to spare, and he is dying of hunger.
What Does Luke 15:17 Mean?
"And when he came to himself" — as though the far country had been a long fever, and memory now breaks through. He thinks of home and recalls not its wealth but its generosity: even the day laborers in his father's house have "bread enough and to spare," while he perishes.
The road home begins with an honest sentence spoken to oneself. To come to ourselves is to remember whose we are — to admit that what we left behind in the Father's house was abundance, not confinement. The son's first light is small; he grasps his father's bread before he grasps his father's heart. But God can work with hunger. Many a return has begun with nothing nobler than the memory that the Father is good to those under his roof.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 15:17
What does Luke 15:17 mean?
At the bottom, the son comes to his senses: his father's hired servants have bread to spare, and he is dying of hunger.