Luke 15:16 kjv

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Luke 15:16 nkjv

And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

Luke 15:16 niv

He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

Luke 15:16 esv

And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

Luke 15:16 nlt

The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

Luke 15 verses

Luke 15 16 Meaning

Luke 15:16 powerfully illustrates the lowest point of the prodigal son's journey, depicting extreme destitution, moral degradation, and utter abandonment. Having squandered his inheritance, he found himself in a foreign land reduced to such dire straits that his most desperate longing was to fill his stomach with food suitable only for unclean animals—pigs. The profound irony is highlighted by the additional despairing note that even this abhorrent fare was denied to him, underscoring his complete isolation and the bitter consequences of his choices, which forced him to confront the full emptiness of life apart from the father's provision.

Luke 15 16 Context

Luke 15:16 is a pivotal verse within Jesus's Parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32), which itself is the third and climactic story in a trilogy of parables (the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son). Jesus told these parables specifically to the Pharisees and scribes who were murmuring and complaining that He "receives sinners and eats with them" (Lk 15:1-2). This parable reveals the radical nature of God's grace and His overwhelming joy over the repentance of even the most outcast sinners. Verse 16 portrays the son at his nadir, serving as a powerful contrast to the opulent provision and joyous reception awaiting him at his father's house. It highlights the ultimate consequence of chasing worldly desires apart from the Father, which is total deprivation and alienation, both physical and spiritual. This extreme state sets the stage for the son's "coming to himself" (v. 17) and initiating his journey back home.

Luke 15 16 Word analysis

• And he: Refers to the younger son who had left his father's home to live wildly in a distant land. His actions directly led to this plight.
• was longing: From the Greek verb epithymeo (ἐπιθυμέω), an imperfect tense indicating a continuous, desperate, and intense craving or desire. While epithymia can mean lust in some contexts (as in strong, forbidden desire), here it denotes a raw, survival-driven yearning. This reveals the son's internal anguish and desperate state of mind.
• to fill his stomach: The Greek gemisai tēn koilian autou (γεμίσαι τὴν κοιλίαν αὐτοῦ). This phrase literally means "to fill his belly" or "to satisfy his hunger." It speaks to a most basic, primal need, indicating extreme physical deprivation, a fundamental lack of nourishment.
• with the pods: From the Greek keration (κεράτιον), referring specifically to carob pods. These were an inferior, dry, crescent-shaped fruit from the carob tree (often called St. John's bread), primarily used as animal feed for pigs or cattle due to their low nutritional value for humans. For people, they were only consumed out of dire poverty and famine, signifying the ultimate destitution.
• that the pigs were eating: Greek hōn ēsthion hoi choiroi (ὧν ἤσθιον οἱ χοῖροι). The pig (choiros) was considered the most unclean animal by Mosaic Law (Lev 11:7). For a Jewish young man, not only was tending pigs an utterly defiling occupation, but wishing to eat their food signified the utmost degradation. It shows a complete break from his religious, cultural, and personal identity. This detail highlights how far he had fallen—spiritually, socially, and economically.
• and no one gave him anything: Greek kai oudeis edidou auto. The emphatic double negative (οὐδείς "no one" and the negation in the verb itself implicitly) strongly conveys absolute abandonment. He was not just poor but completely isolated and without any charitable support, reflecting the futility and ultimate emptiness of the world he chose, which had nothing genuine to offer him in his hour of need. It starkly contrasts with the father's generous nature and complete provision upon his return. This profound loneliness forces him to look inward.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And he was longing to fill his stomach": This phrase paints a vivid picture of intense, agonizing hunger, underscoring the severity of his physical suffering. His "longing" isn't for delicacies but merely for the cessation of pain through basic sustenance.
• "with the pods that the pigs were eating": This segment reveals the extreme cultural and spiritual degradation. For a Jewish person, working with pigs was an anathema; to desire their food was the ultimate defilement, signifying that the son had plunged to the very depths of ritual uncleanness and social shame. It highlights a complete reversal of his noble heritage and identity.
• "and no one gave him anything": This concluding phrase amplifies the sense of complete desolation and hopelessness. It emphasizes his utter abandonment, suggesting that the "friends" and connections he had made in the far country had vanished once his money ran out, leaving him utterly alone. It sets up the realization that true help would only come from his father, contrasting the world's false generosity with true compassion.

Luke 15 16 Bonus section

The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), from which the "pods" come, is common in the Middle East and its pods were indeed used for animal feed. Though slightly sweet, they were considered poor sustenance for humans and only eaten by the desperate. The Greek term keration emphasizes their specific, inferior nature. This specific detail would have resonated deeply with a Jewish audience, immediately signifying the profound shame and destitution the son endured, having fallen so far from the status of a son to that of one lower than an animal in a forbidden, unclean profession. It highlights that the consequence of rejecting divine order (leaving the father's house, which implicitly represents God) leads one into chaotic, impure, and utterly unsatisfying circumstances.

Luke 15 16 Commentary

Luke 15:16 is the raw depiction of rock-bottom. It's not just a description of poverty but a spiritual and existential crisis. The son, who had lived in freedom and abundance in his father's house, finds himself reduced to a state where he craves food designated for pigs—animals that represented ultimate impurity to a Jew. This detail powerfully illustrates the spiritual distance he had travelled from his heritage and the purity of his home. His craving for carob pods speaks to his physical hunger, but also symbolizes the bitter and unsatisfying "food" offered by the world in exchange for spiritual integrity. The subsequent revelation that "no one gave him anything" emphasizes his complete isolation and the hollow nature of worldly pleasures and friendships. The temporary allure of a life detached from God leaves one utterly destitute and abandoned, realizing that only God's provision (represented by the Father) is truly sustaining. This abject condition is the prerequisite for the turning point, highlighting that profound deprivation often serves as the catalyst for introspection and repentance, setting the stage for his decision to return.