Luke 15 14

Luke 15:14 kjv

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

Luke 15:14 nkjv

But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.

Luke 15:14 niv

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.

Luke 15:14 esv

And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

Luke 15:14 nlt

About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.

Luke 15 verses

Luke 15 14 Meaning

Luke 15:14 describes the severe and inevitable consequences that befell the prodigal son after he had squandered his entire inheritance through reckless living. His financial ruin was compounded by a severe famine in the foreign land where he had settled, leading him to extreme destitution and profound need. This verse marks the lowest point of his journey, a pivotal moment of crisis that would ultimately prompt his return to his father.

Luke 15 14 Context

Luke chapter 15 presents three parables (the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son), all illustrating God's deep love for the lost and His joyful reception of penitent sinners. These parables were spoken in response to the grumbling of Pharisees and scribes, who criticized Jesus for associating with and welcoming tax collectors and "sinners." Verse 14 specifically portrays the rock-bottom condition of the prodigal son after having entirely depleted his resources. It marks the complete unfolding of the consequences of his willful separation from his father's house and his reckless living, serving as the necessary crucible that would lead him to reflect on his dire state and eventually to decide to return home (Luke 15:17). Historically, demanding an inheritance prematurely and departing to a "far country" was deeply dishonorable within Jewish culture, symbolizing a profound rupture with family and tradition. Famine was also a recurrent, devastating threat in the ancient Near East, often viewed as a consequence of sin or a divine judgment, underscoring the severity of his plight.

Luke 15 14 Word analysis

• And when he had spent all:
  • Greek: This phrase translates from a perfect participle indicating a completed action with ongoing results, signifying a total and irreversible depletion. The idea is one of "consuming completely" or "utterly wasting" his entire share.
  • Significance: Highlights the prodigal's extreme extravagance and irresponsibility. It symbolizes the spiritual bankruptcy that results from living independently from God, exhausting inherent blessings and opportunities without true spiritual replenishment.
• there arose: This verb suggests a new, often unbidden or providential, development that significantly impacts the situation.
• a mighty famine:
  • Greek: λιμὸς ἰσχυρὸς (limos ischuros). Limos means a scarcity of food, hunger, or famine. Ischuros means strong, mighty, severe.
  • Significance: This was not a minor inconvenience but a severe and widespread crisis, intensifying his personal destitution. In biblical narratives, severe famines can symbolize the direct consequences of disobedience (e.g., Deut 28), or a deep spiritual hunger and emptiness for those outside God's provision (Amos 8:11-12). It was an external reality that mirrored and exacerbated his internal spiritual emptiness.
• in that land: Referring to the "far country" (Luke 15:13), symbolizing separation from home, family, and by extension, from God and His blessings. This location emphasizes his complete severance from his former security and identity, underscoring his vulnerability in a place where he was a stranger.
• and he began to be in want:
  • Greek: ὑστερέω (hysterēō), meaning to lack, fall short, suffer need, or be destitute. The imperfect tense of "began" suggests a developing, ongoing state of deepening need rather than a sudden, singular event.
  • Significance: This phrase is the climax of his personal collapse, signifying a fundamental and pressing need, not just a financial shortfall. It denotes a profound state of deprivation, physically and spiritually, and serves as the ultimate humbling experience, forcing him to face his absolute helplessness.

Words-group analysis

• "when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine": This grouping illustrates the intersection of personal sin and external hardship. His self-inflicted ruin ("spent all") set the stage for how severely the widespread crisis ("mighty famine") would impact him. It conveys a truth: while a person's choices have internal consequences, external circumstances, sometimes providentially, intensify those consequences to bring about a turning point. The emptiness within met the scarcity without.
• "in that land; and he began to be in want": This phrase underscores the isolating and dehumanizing effect of his choices. In a foreign, unforgiving land, away from any support system, he found himself utterly without recourse. "Began to be in want" emphasizes the progressive and soul-crushing nature of his destitution, demonstrating how separation from the source of life ultimately leads to complete emptiness and dire need.

Luke 15 14 Bonus section

• The progression described in this verse (from riotous living to financial ruin, then amplified by an external crisis, leading to destitution) often mirrors the spiritual journey of those who pursue worldly satisfaction apart from God, eventually encountering a spiritual "famine" or emptiness that forces a reckoning.
• This specific verse functions as a narrative hinge in the parable, transitioning from the son's carefree profligacy to his dire need, setting the stage for his subsequent "coming to himself" (Luke 15:17) and eventual repentance. The destitution depicted is essential for understanding the transformative power of humility and the magnitude of the father's forgiveness.
• The famine highlights that a "far country" offers no sustainable provision for those who abandon the Father's household; instead, it is a place where lack and hardship are magnified, forcing individuals to confront their true state of spiritual poverty without divine grace.

Luke 15 14 Commentary

Luke 15:14 depicts the grim reality of life alienated from God's provision. The prodigal's impulsive demand for his inheritance and subsequent "wasteful living" (Luke 15:13) were choices that logically led to ruin. His "spending all" symbolizes not only material dissipation but a depletion of character, purpose, and spiritual vitality that happens when one rejects the Source of true life. The ensuing "mighty famine" acts as a powerful external amplifier of his internal emptiness, a stark and providential judgment or consequence that stripped away all illusions of self-sufficiency. This deep, universal suffering ("in that land") left him truly isolated. His ultimate "want" was not just hunger for food but a desperate need for everything that was missing in his life—love, security, belonging, and meaning—which he had rejected in leaving his father. This desperate state of "want" becomes the catalyst for introspection and repentance, demonstrating how God can use hardship to draw individuals back to Himself.