The Meaning of Luke 15:18 Explained

Luke 15:18

KJV: I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

YLT: having risen, I will go on unto my father, and will say to him, Father, I did sin -- to the heaven, and before thee,

Darby: I will rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee;

ASV: I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I will arise  and go  to  my  father,  and  will say  unto him,  Father,  I have sinned  against  heaven,  and  before  thee, 

What does Luke 15:18 Mean?

Study Notes

sinned
Sin.
Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29 , iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23 , missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1 , lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9 , unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .
Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14 , entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12 , was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22 , incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death; Genesis 2:17 ; Genesis 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 ; Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 ; Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.

Context Summary

Luke 15:11-24 - The Son Who "came To Himself" And To His Father
The pearl of parables! Too often we desire God's gifts apart from Himself. The far country is not far in actual distance, but in the alienation of the heart. You may be living in a pious home and yet be in the far country. Sin is waste. The far country is always swept by famine, because our soul was made for God and cannot live on husks. Neither things nor people can really appease our awful hunger if we are away from God.
Sin is temporary madness. The first step to God is to come to ourselves. The prodigal's real nature stood face to face with the ruin and havoc of his sin. Never, for a moment, had the Father ceased to love and yearn. There was an instant response to the slightest indication of repentance. Love was quicker than words, to understand what the prodigal meant. The confession was therefore cut short. Note the profuse welcome, meeting every need-the robe of righteousness, the ring of reconciliation, the kiss of love, the shoes of a holy walk, the feast of fellowship. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 15

1  The parable of the lost sheep;
8  of the piece of silver;
11  of the prodigal son

Greek Commentary for Luke 15:18

I will arise and go [αναστας προρευσομαι]
This determination is the act of the will after he comes to himself and sees his real condition. [source]
I did sin [ημαρτον]
That is the hard word to say and he will say it first. The word means to miss the mark. I shot my bolt and I missed my aim (compare the high-handed demand in Luke 15:12). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 15:18 mean?

Having risen up I will go to the father of me and I will say to him Father I have sinned against - heaven before you
ἀναστὰς πορεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ ἐρῶ αὐτῷ Πάτερ ἥμαρτον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐνώπιόν σου

ἀναστὰς  Having  risen  up 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀναπηδάω 
Sense: to cause to rise up, raise up.
πορεύσομαι  I  will  go 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 1st Person Singular
Root: πορεύομαι  
Sense: to lead over, carry over, transfer.
πατέρα  father 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
μου  of  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἐρῶ  I  will  say 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to utter, speak, say.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Πάτερ  Father 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
ἥμαρτον  I  have  sinned 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἁμαρτάνω  
Sense: to be without a share in.
εἰς  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
τὸν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
οὐρανὸν  heaven 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: οὐρανός  
Sense: the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it.
ἐνώπιόν  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐνώπιον  
Sense: in the presence of, before.