Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 15:27
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he said unto him,…. The Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, leave out the copulative “and”, and the latter reads, “they said unto him”; the servants, one or other of them:
thy brother is come; for in the relation of a brother, the younger son stood to him; being of the same nature and species, of the same nation, and both sons by national adoption: who was “come” to his father, and to his father’s house; not as a righteous and worthy person in himself, but as a sinner, a sensible and penitent one; as hungry, naked, and ready to perish; and as unworthy, in his own opinion, of the least mercy and favour, and especially to be called a son:
and thy father; who was so by creation, by national adoption, and by profession:
hath killed the fatted calf, by which Christ is meant:
[See comments on Lu 15:23] and designs either the concern the Father had in the death of Christ; or rather, his orders to his ministering servants, to preach a crucified Christ, to the comfort of poor sinners; and in general, expresses the large and rich entertainment God makes for souls, when they are brought home to him by repentance: and the Persic version adds, “and hath made a feast”; the reason of which is given in the next clause:
because he hath received him safe and sound; or “in good health”. This is left out in the Persic version, but rightly retained in all others: the word translated “received”, signifies the recovery, or enjoyment of any thing before had, but since lost, and the taking it at the hands of another: the elect of God, signified by the younger son, were his in a peculiar sense, being chosen by him; but through the fall of Adam, and their own transgressions, were in some sense lost unto him; but in consequence of redemption by Christ, and through efficacious grace in calling, are found, received, and enjoyed again: and so the Ethiopic version reads it, “because he found him alive”; and so took him again, as he did, at the hands of his son: all the elect of God were put into the hands of Christ, as the surety of them; and being redeemed by his blood in the effectual calling, they are brought by him to the Father, and come to God by him: as they are also received by the Father from the hands of his Spirit, who convinces them of sin, causes them to believe in Christ, witnesses their adoption to them; in a view of which, they come to God, and are received by him; and even from their own hands too, for under the power of divine grace, they are made willing to give up themselves to the Lord, and do so; who kindly and graciously receives them into his arms; into his heart’s love, and affection, into the open enjoyment of it; into his care and protection, into his family, and into communion with himself, and will afterwards receive them to glory: the case and condition in which he was received is,
safe and sound; there is but one word in the original; some translate it “safe”, as the Arabic version; and others “sound”, as the Syriac; and ours both: he was received “safe”, though he had been in a far country, and in a mighty famine, and almost starved: God’s elect fell in Adam, as others; their nature is corrupted by sin, and they are guilty of actual transgressions, which deserve death; yet they were preserved in Christ, and being redeemed by him, are safe; so that the law cannot lay hold on them, nor sin, nor any thing else condemn them, nor Satan destroy them: and he was received “sound”; in his right mind, being come to himself, and brought to true repentance for his sin; and willing to part with his own righteousness, and to be clothed with the best robe; and having his spiritual senses exercised, to discern between good and evil, and upon the person and grace of Christ; or he was received “sound”, being in good health, and as opposed to being sick or diseased: sins are diseases, and as all men, so God’s elect, are attended with them; but being made sensible of them, they come to Christ for healing; and they are perfectly cured by him; by his stripes and wounds, all their iniquities are forgiven; so that they have no reason to say any more, they are sick: and hence the Father receives them safe and sound; and which is matter of joy, and was the occasion of all this music, dancing, and feasting.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Is come (). Present indicative active, but a stem with perfect sense, old verb retaining this use after perfect tenses came into use (Robertson, Grammar, p. 893).
Hath killed (). Aorist active indicative and literally means,
did kill . Difficult to handle in English for our tenses do not correspond with the Greek.
Hath received (). Second aorist active indicative with similar difficulty of translation. Note in compositions, like re- in “receive,” hath gotten him back (–).
Safe and sound (). Present active participle of from , to be in good health. In spite of all that he has gone through and in spite of the father’s fears.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Is come – safe and sound. Compare is alive – is found. “How nice is the observance of all the lesser proprieties of the narration. The father, in the midst of all his natural affection, is yet full of the moral significance of his son’s return – that he has come back another person from what he was when he went, or while he tarried in that far land; he sees into the deep of his joy, that he is receiving him now indeed a son, once dead but now alive; once lost to him and to God, but now found alike by both. But the servant confines himself to the more external features of the case, to the fact that, after all he has gone through of excess and hardship, his father has yet received him safe and sound” (Trench).
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And he said unto him,” (ho de eipen auto) “Then he explained to him,” the servant who understood advised the elder brother.
2) “Thy brother is come;” (hot! ho adelphos sou ekei) “That his brother has come,” showed up, returned from afar, safe and sound, in good health, in grace with your father again, has made things right with him, Luk 15:20-22.
3) “And thy father hath killed the fatted calf,” (kai ethusen ho pater sou ton moschon ton siteuton) “And your father has killed the fatted calf,” ordered us to kill it and we are preparing for a festival of thanksgiving, for there had been rejoicing in heaven over the lost, and now there was rejoicing in that home over the lost one that was found, Luk 15:4-9.
4) “Because he hath received him safe and sound.” (hot! hugiainonta auton apelaben) “Because while he was (still) healthy, he received him back, safe and sound in health,” and what is better, now safe and sound in his soul, is the overriding idea. He had been pardoned and restored, upon his voluntary return and confession of sins, a thing the despised publicans and harlots had also done, at which point Jesus had received them, Mat 21:31-32. Yet the pride-filled, self-righteous Pharisees, despisers of others, found fault against Jesus, whom God had sent, for His receiving the penitent, alien sinners; While they themselves rejected Him, Luk 7:29; Luk 18:9; Mat 5:20; Rom 10:2-3.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(27) Because he hath received him safe and sound.Literally, in health. The participle is the same which we have noted as characteristic of St. Luke and St. Paul in Luk. 5:31; Luk. 7:10.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“And he said to him, ‘Your brother is come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’ ”
And the servant told him what had happened. His brother had arrived back unexpectedly, and his father had killed the fatted calf because he had received him safe and sound. It is salutary to consider that the servants were apparently seen as more delighted than the elder brother. They were fond of their master and delighted because he was delighted.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
Ver. 27. Safe ] Gr. , in health. Quod sanitas in corpore, id sanctitas in corde. The sanctified man is the only sound man.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Luk 15:27 . In simple language the servant briefly explains the situation, showing in his words neither sympathy nor, still less, the reverse, as Hofmann thinks. , in good health; home again and well, that is the whole case as he knows it; no thought in his mind of a tragic career culminating in repentance, or if he has any suspicion he keeps it to himself; thoroughly true to nature this.
Luk 15:28 . , he was angry, a very slight description of his state of mind into which various bad feelings would enter: disgust, chagrin that ail this merriment had been going on for hours and they had not thought it worth while to let him know an impolitic oversight; a sense of wrong and general unfair treatment of which this particular neglect was but a specimen. , etc.: the father goes out and presses him to come in, very properly; but why not send for him at once that he might stop working on the farm and join in the feasting and dancing on that glad day? Did they all fear he would spoil the sport and act accordingly? The elder son has got a chance to complain, and he makes the most of it in his bitter speech to his father.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
is come . . . safe and sound. Corresponding with the father’s dead and lost . . . alive and found (Luk 15:24).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Luk 15:27. , thy brother) what should have been a moving argument.-) Hesychius says, , i.e. or , he is come.-, hath killed) The servant [ ] is represented as mentioning the killing of the calf rather than the robe, the ring, and the shoes, because it has the chief connection [rather than these latter] with the music and dancing. It is owing to this also that the elder son alludes to it in Luk 15:30, before that he saw his brother so beautifully clothed.-) Safe and sound. Jos 10:21, , in peace, which the LXX. render .
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Thy brother: Luk 15:30, Act 9:17, Act 22:13, Phm 1:16
and thy: Luk 15:23
Reciprocal: Gen 18:7 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8
This elder son (the Pharisees and scribes) began to pout and refused to go into the house. That was not because he objected to the things being done as though they were wrong, but because of his jealousy against his brother. Ordinary human nature would have prompted the father to be “independent” and just ignore his son’s action. But since this father represents the Father of mercies, the parable shows him manifesting his love for the son by making a move toward pacifying him.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Luk 15:27. Thy brother is come. The servant states the case as it impresses him. He says nothing of the condition in which the prodigal returned, but simply that the father had received him safe and sound. No special interpretation is to be put upon this verse.