he sent him<\/em> ] ‘Freedom’ from righteousness is slavery<\/em> to sin.<\/p>\n to feed swine<\/em> ] The intensity of this climax could only be duly felt by Jews, who had such a loathing and abhorrence for swine that they would not even name<\/em> them, but spoke of a pig as dabhar acheer<\/em>, ‘the other thing.’<\/p>\n Joined himself – <\/B>Entered the service of that citizen. Hired himself out to him. It would seem that he engaged to do any kind of work, even of the lowest kind.<\/P> A citizen – <\/B>One of the inhabitants of one of the cities or towns of that region, probably a man of property.<\/P> Into the fields – <\/B>Out of the city where the owner lived.<\/P> To feed swine – <\/B>This was a very low employment, and particularly so to a Jew. It was forbidden to the Jews to eat swine, and of course it was unlawful to keep them. To be compelled, therefore, to engage in such an employment was the deepest conceivable degradation. The object of this image, as used by the Saviour in the parable, is to show the loathsome employments and the deep degradation to which sin leads people, and no circumstance could possibly illustrate it in a more striking manner than he has done here. Sin and its results everywhere have the same relation to that which is noble and great, which the feeding of swine had, in the estimation of a Jew, to an honorable and dignified employment.<\/P> <\/p>\n Verse 15<\/span>. To feed swine.<\/B><\/I>] The basest and vilest of all employments; and, to a Jew<\/I>, peculiarly degrading. Shame, contempt, and distress are wedded to sin, and can never be divorced. No character could be meaner in the sight of a Jew than that of a swineherd<\/I>: and Herodotus<\/I> informs us, that in Egypt they were not permitted to mingle with civil society, nor to appear in the worship of the gods, nor would the very dregs of the people have any matrimonial connections with them. HEROD. lib. ii. cap. 47.<\/P> <\/p>\n 15. joined himself,<\/B> &c.hispride not yet humbled, unable to brook the shame of a return. <\/P> to feed swine<\/B>glad tokeep life anyhow, behold the son sank into a swineherdamong theJews, on account of the prohibition of swine’s flesh, emphaticallyvile! “He who begins by using the world as a servant, tominister to his pleasure, ends by reversing the relationship”[TRENCH].<\/P><\/p>\n And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country<\/strong>,…. Not to any one of the saints, for they are not citizens of the far country, but of the church of God below, and of heaven above; besides, carnal men do not like the company of such citizens: nor is the devil intended, for though he dwells in this country, he is more than a citizen, than an inhabitant; he is king and governor, the prince of the world, and the god of it; nor is it feasible, that a man under conviction, and beginning to be sensible of his want, should go and join himself to the devil: but an unregenerate, “pharisaical”, legal preacher, is designed; a man may be a preacher, and yet in the far country of sin and unregeneracy; there may be large gifts, where there is no grace; and a man may have a form of religion and godliness, and know nothing of the power of it; and a great stir and bluster may be made about good works, as were by the Pharisees, when few or none are done: now it is common for persons under legal convictions, to seek after such a preacher, and such a ministry, and to such an one this man “went”; he went not out of the land of sin, nor to his father’s house, but to one in the same country, where the famine was, and he was starving: “he went”; it was his own choice, he took his own way; he went and told him his case, how he had spent all he had, and in what manner, and what condition he now was in; and he asked his advice and assistance: and he “joined himself” to him; he sat under his ministry, and became a member with him, and stuck close to him, as the word signifies; and was a stickler for him, and his principles:<\/p>\n and he sent him into his field to feed swine<\/strong>; he did not give him the least bit of bread to satisfy his hunger; nor did he say one word to him of Christ, the bread of life; nor did he advise him to go to his father’s house, where there was bread enough, and to spare: but he “sent him, into his fields”; to work, to cleanse his heart, to reform his life, to fulfil the law, to perform the conditions of the covenant, to make his peace with God, and get an interest in his love and favour; and go through a round of duties continually, and all would be well: he sent him to “feed swine” there; to converse with self-righteous persons, who may be compared to swine, because of their selfishness; doing all they do for themselves, and not for God and his glory; because they prefer dung before pearls, their own righteousness before Christ, the pearl of great price; and live upon the husks of their own duties and never look upwards to heaven, as this creature does not, but always downwards on the earth; and though they were outwardly reformed, yet inwardly filthy, and often return to wallowing in the mire again: he sent him there also to gratify the selfish principles of nature; to please himself with his wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and other excellencies he fancied he had attained unto. In short, the expression shows the base employment of a self-justitiary amidst all his pretensions to religion and virtue: for feeding of swine was very disagreeable to the Jews, and with them scandalous; to whom the eating of swine’s flesh was forbidden by the law of God, and the breeding of swine by their traditions; and this is said to be done in a country, out of Judea.<\/p>\n Joined himself <\/B> (<\/SPAN><\/span>). First aorist passive of <\/SPAN><\/span>, an old verb to glue together, to cleave to. In the N.T. only the passive occurs. He was glued to, was joined to. It is not necessary to take this passive in the middle reflexive sense.<\/P> The citizens <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). Curiously enough this common word citizen (<\/SPAN><\/span> from <\/SPAN><\/span>, city) is found in the N.T. only in Luke’s writings (Luke 15:15<\/span>; Luke 19:14<\/span>; Acts 21:39<\/span>) except in He 8:11<\/span> where it is quoted from Jer 38:34<\/span>.<\/P> To feed swine <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). A most degrading occupation for anyone and for a Jew an unspeakable degradation. <\/P> <\/p>\n Joined himself [] <\/SPAN><\/span>. The verb means to glue or cement. Very expressive here, implying that he forced himself upon the citizen, who was unwilling to engage him, and who took him into service only upon persistent entreaty. “The unhappy wretch is a sort of appendage to a strange personality” (Godet). Compare Act 9:26<\/span>. Wyc., cleaved. See, also, on Act 5:13<\/span>. <\/P> To feed swine. As he had received him reluctantly, so he gave him the meanest possible employment. An ignominious occupation, especially in Jewish eyes. The keeping of swine was prohibited to Israelites under a curse.<\/P> <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n 1) “And he went,” <\/strong>(kai poreutheis) “And going forth,” in a state of want, hunger, nakedness, and cold.<\/p>\n 2) “And joined himself to a citizen of that country;” <\/strong>(ekollethe heni ton politon tes choras ekelnes) “He was joined, by contract agreement, to a citizen of that (far) country,” a countryman engaged in a dirty, unclean business; Raising unclean animals, according to Jewish Law; He sponged off of an heathen, perhaps a Gentile, forced to do dirty work, feeding swine, Lev 11:7<\/span>; Deu 14:8<\/span>.<\/p>\n 3) “And he sent him Into his fields to feed swine.” <\/strong>(kai epempsen auton eis ous agrous autou boskein choirous) “And he sent him into the fields to feed his pigs;” to do the work of a slave, and in a work very vile or repulsive to the Jews. Yet it was the sin-fruit of a deliberate obstinate son who would “do his own thing,” be his own man, independent of his father and the will of his father’s God. He chose the way of unclean swine, in despair, brought by his own course of life, Lev 11:7<\/span>, as an hog “wallowing in the mire,” 2Pe 2:22<\/span>.<\/p>\n (15) Joined himself.<\/strong>Literally clave to,<\/em> or, attached himself to.<\/em> The verb is the same as that used of the husband cleaving to his wife in Mat. 19:5<\/span>, and thus expresses the absolute dependence of the famished man upon one who was ready to help him.<\/p>\n To a citizen.<\/strong>Literally, to one of the citizens.<\/em> In the outer story of the parable, this would emphasise the misery into which the man had fallen. The son of Abraham had to depend upon the bounty of an alien. In the two lines of interpretation, the citizen is one who all along has been of the world, worldly, living for no higher end than gain or pleasure. The prodigal is as one who, called to a higher life, has forfeited its blessedness, and now depends for such joy as he is capable of on those who are more completely identified with evil. It is, perhaps, natural that as we diverge more widely from the primary scope of the parable, its application in detail should become more difficult; and looking at the parable, as giving an outline of the history of the human race, one fails to see who answers to the citizen. Not the Tempter, the great author of the worlds evil, for the citizen is one of many. Nor is it the part of the citizen here to tempt to evil, but rather to be half-unconsciously Gods instrument in punishing ithalf-unconsciously, again, the means of preserving the evil-doer from perishing, and so of making a subsequent deliverance possible. It is truer to facts, therefore, to see in the citizen the representative of the wisdom and knowledge, maxims of worldly prudence or principles of ethics without religion, which for a time sustain the soul, and still the hungry edge of appetite, and keep it from sinking utterly, while yet they leave it in its wretchedness and do not satisfy its cravings.<\/p>\n To feed swine.<\/strong>We feel at once the shudder that would pass through the hearers of the parable as they listened to these words. Could there be for an Israelite a greater depth of debasement? In the inner teaching of the parable, this perhaps implies a state in which the mans will and energies have but the one work of ministering to his baser appetites. Such, in the long-run, is the outcome of the wisdom described in the previous note as answering to the citizen.<\/p>\n 15<\/strong>. <\/strong> Joined himself<\/em> As yet he prefers the hireling’s lot in the abodes of sin to his filial place in the abodes of home. In his decision thousands persevere, and their souls are starved to eternal death. <\/p>\n A citizen<\/em> As he himself is an alien and a foreigner. Is not this citizen the devil or one of his angels? Is any man <\/em> a citizen <\/em> of the realm of sin? <\/p>\n To feed swine<\/em> To the Jew this is the very essence of moral abomination. “Cursed is he who feeds swine” was a Jewish malediction. And not to the Jew alone of the nations of antiquity. Egyptian, Greek, and Roman alike bestowed a special abhorrence upon the swineherd. As nearest of kin to the unclean devil, the swine was the fittest of all lower animals for the devils to enter, as the devils themselves requested.<\/p>\n Luk 15:15<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>He went and joined himself, <\/em><\/strong>&c.<\/strong> So he put himself into the service of one of the inhabitants, who sent him to his farm to keep swine. <\/em>Heylin. It is true, that among the ancient Greeks, the chief swine-herd was looked upon as an officer ofnoinconsiderablerank, as evidently appears from the figure which Eumaeus makes in the Odyssey;but this was an age of greater refinement; the unhappy youth was obliged to tend the swine himself; and if considered as a Jew, <\/em>the aversion of that nationtothisuncleananimalmust render the employment peculiarly odious to him: and probably this circumstance was chosen by our Lord, to represent him as reduced to the most mean and servile state, from a life of the greatest luxury and extravag <\/p>\n 15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Ver. 15. To feed swine<\/strong> ] Which to a Jew, that held swine an abomination, must needs be grievous. <\/p>\n 15.<\/strong> ] He sinks lower and lower becomes the despised servant of an alien (is there here any hint at the situation of the publicans?<\/em> ) who employs him in an office most vile and odious to the mind of a Jew.<\/p>\n <\/strong> no emphasis, see reff., he attached himself.<\/strong> Notice the abrupt change of subject, . See ch. Luk 19:4<\/span> .<\/p>\n Luk 15:15<\/span> . , he attached himself (pass with mid. sense). The citizen of the far country did not want him, it is no time for employing super. fluous hands, but he suffered the wretch to have his way in good-natured pity. : the lowest occupation, a poor-paid pagan drudge; the position of the publicans glanced at.<\/p>\n joined himself to = cleaved to (Greek. Pass. of kollao glue together); i.e. he forced himself. <\/p>\n a citizen = one of the citizens. Contrast Php 1:3, Php 1:20. <\/p>\n 15.] He sinks lower and lower-becomes the despised servant of an alien (is there here any hint at the situation of the publicans?) who employs him in an office most vile and odious to the mind of a Jew.<\/p>\n -no emphasis, see reff., he attached himself. Notice the abrupt change of subject, . See ch. Luk 19:4.<\/p>\n Luk 15:15. , of the citizens) although he did not himself become a citizen of that country. The man, whom a return to sound propriety of character is awaiting (is in store for), often, even in the midst of his wanderings (Joh 11:52, The children of God-scattered abroad), retains a something which distinguishes him from the ordinary (those who are distinctively and peculiarly) citizens of the world.-, sent) A great indignity done to him.-, swine) A mean condition of life, especially according to Jewish notions [of swine being unclean animals].<\/p>\n he went: Luk 15:13, Exo 10:3, 2Ch 28:22, Isa 1:5, Isa 1:9, Isa 1:10-13, Isa 57:17, Jer 5:3, Jer 8:4-6, Jer 31:18, Jer 31:19, 2Ti 2:25, 2Ti 2:26, Rev 2:21, Rev 2:22 <\/p>\n to feed: Luk 8:32-34, Eze 16:52, Eze 16:63, Nah 3:6, Mal 2:9, Rom 1:24-26, Rom 6:22, 1Co 6:9-11, Eph 2:2, Eph 2:3, Eph 4:17-19, Eph 5:11, Eph 5:12, Col 3:5-7, Tit 3:3 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Lev 11:7 – swine Deu 14:8 – the swine Deu 23:16 – shall dwell Psa 32:3 – When Isa 55:2 – do ye Mat 8:30 – an<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Employment became scarce as it commonly does in hard times. This young man accepted a very humble job, that of a swineherd.<\/p>\n Luk 15:15. Joined himself. Attached himself, as it were by force. He makes a determined effort to help himself, as he begins to feel his want<\/p>\n To one of the citizens of that country. Not to be directly interpreted of Satan, for the man was one of the citizens. His business is to feed swine, unclean animals, so that the employment was degrading. There may be an allusion to the publicans, as in the employ of an alien power, and engaged in a degrading duty. The main point is that he who, under a sinful impulse, sought to be released from a fathers supervision, is brought into the most abject dependence on a foreigner, who takes no care of him whatever. The freedom into which sin leads is slavery.<\/p>\n And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 15. joined himself to a citizen of that country ] Rather, one of the citizens. Even in its worst and most willing exile the soul cannot cease to be by right a citizen … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 15:15”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25585\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Greek Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"