The Meaning of Luke 15:20 Explained

Luke 15:20

KJV: And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

YLT: 'And having risen, he went unto his own father, and he being yet far distant, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and having ran he fell upon his neck and kissed him;

Darby: And he rose up and went to his own father. But while he was yet a long way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell upon his neck, and covered him with kisses.

ASV: And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he arose,  and came  to  his  father.  But  when he  was yet  a great way  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had compassion,  and  ran,  and fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him. 

What does Luke 15:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Since the father saw his son while he was still a great distance from his house, he had apparently been scanning the distant road daily hoping to see him. The father"s compassion reflects some knowledge of his son"s plight. Perhaps he had kept tabs on him since he left home. The father put feet to his feelings by running out to meet his Song of Solomon , even though it was undignified for an older man to run in Jesus" culture. Embracing and kissing him continually also expressed the father"s loving acceptance (cf. Genesis 45:14-15; Genesis 33:4; 2 Samuel 14:33; Acts 20:37). This attitude also contrasts with the elder brother"s attitude and the Pharisees" attitude. The father initiated the restoration of fellowship before the son could articulate his confession. The word translated "kissed" (Gr. katephilesen) may mean either "kissed many times" or "kissed tenderly." [1]

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 15:20

To his father [προς τον πατερα εαυτου]
Literally, to his own father. He acted at once on his decision. [source]
Yet afar off [ετι αυτου μακραν απεχοντος]
Genitive absolute. Μακραν — Makran agrees with οδον — hodon understood: While he was yet holding off a distant way. This shows that the father had been looking for him to come back and was even looking at this very moment as he came in sight. Ran (δραμων — dramōn). Second aorist active participle of the defective verb τρεχω — trechō The eager look and longing of the father. Kissed Note perfective use of κατα — kata kissed him much, kissed him again and again. The verb occurs so in the older Greek.sa120 [source]
Ran [δραμων]
Second aorist active participle of the defective verb τρεχω — trechō The eager look and longing of the father. [source]
Kissed [κατεπιλησεν]
Note perfective use of κατα — kata kissed him much, kissed him again and again. The verb occurs so in the older Greek.sa120 [source]
His father []
An affecting touch in the Greek: his own father. [source]
Ran []
Trench cites an Eastern proverb: “Who draws near to me (God) an inch, I will draw near to him an ell; and whoso walks to meet me, I will leap to meet him.” [source]
Kissed []
See on Matthew 26:49. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 15:20

Matthew 26:49 Kissed him [κατεφίλησεν]
The compound verb has the force of an emphatic, ostentatious salute. Meyer says embraced and kissed. The same word is used of the tender caressing of the Lord's feet by the woman in the Pharisee's house (Luke 7:38), of the father's embrace of the returned prodigal (Luke 15:20), and of the farewell of the Ephesian elders to Paul (Acts 20:37). [source]
Matthew 16:5 Came [ελτοντες]
Probably= “went” as in Luke 15:20 So in Mark 8:13 απηλτεν — apēlthen Perhaps in the hurry to leave Galilee, probably in the same boat by which they came across from Decapolis. [source]
Matthew 26:48 Gave them a sign [εδωκεν αυτοις σημειον]
Probably just before he reached the place, though Mark (Mark 14:44) has “had given” This same compound verb occurs in Luke 7:38 of the sinful woman, in Luke 15:20 of the Father‘s embrace of the Prodigal Son, and in Acts 20:37 of the Ephesian elders and Paul. [source]
Luke 7:38 Wiped them with the hair of her head [ταις τριχιν της κεπαλης αυτης εχεμασσεν]
Inchoative imperfect of an old verb εκμασσω — ekmassō to rub out or off, began to wipe off, an act of impulse evidently and of embarrassment. “Among the Jews it was a shameful thing for a woman to let down her hair in public; but she makes this sacrifice” (Plummer). So Mary of Bethany wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair (John 12:3) with a similar sacrifice out of her great love for Jesus. This fact is relied on by some to prove that Mary of Bethany had been a woman of bad character, surely an utter failure to recognize Mary‘s motive and act.Kissed (κατεπιλει — katephilei). Imperfect active of καταπιλεω — kataphileō to kiss repeatedly (force of κατα — kata), and accented by the tense of continued action here. The word in the N.T. occurs here, of the prodigal‘s father (Luke 15:20), of the kiss of Judas (Mark 14:45; Matthew 26:49), of the Ephesians esian elders (Acts 20:37). “ Kissing the feet was a common mark of deep reverence, especially to leading rabbis” (Plummer).Anointed them with the ointment Imperfect active again of αλειπω — aleiphō a very common verb. Χριω — Chriō has a more religious sense. The anointing came after the burst of emotional excitement. [source]
Luke 7:38 Kissed [κατεπιλει]
Imperfect active of καταπιλεω — kataphileō to kiss repeatedly (force of κατα — kata), and accented by the tense of continued action here. The word in the N.T. occurs here, of the prodigal‘s father (Luke 15:20), of the kiss of Judas (Mark 14:45; Matthew 26:49), of the Ephesians esian elders (Acts 20:37). “ Kissing the feet was a common mark of deep reverence, especially to leading rabbis” (Plummer). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 15:20 mean?

And having risen up he went to the father of himself Still now he far being distant saw him the father of him was moved with compassion having run fell upon neck kissed him
Καὶ ἀναστὰς ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ ἔτι δὲ αὐτοῦ μακρὰν ἀπέχοντος εἶδεν αὐτὸν πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ἐσπλαγχνίσθη δραμὼν ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τράχηλον κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν

ἀναστὰς  having  risen  up 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀναπηδάω 
Sense: to cause to rise up, raise up.
ἦλθεν  he  went 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
πατέρα  father 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
ἑαυτοῦ  of  himself 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
ἔτι  Still 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἔτι  
Sense: yet, still.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
μακρὰν  far 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: μακράν  
Sense: far, a great way.
ἀπέχοντος  being  distant 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: ἀπέχω  
Sense: have.
εἶδεν  saw 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
πατὴρ  father 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
αὐτοῦ  of  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ἐσπλαγχνίσθη  was  moved  with  compassion 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: σπλαγχνίζομαι  
Sense: to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).
δραμὼν  having  run 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: τρέχω  
Sense: to run.
ἐπέπεσεν  fell 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐπιπίπτω  
Sense: to fall upon, to rush or press upon.
ἐπὶ  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
τράχηλον  neck 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: τράχηλος  
Sense: to be ready to incur the most imminent peril to life.
κατεφίλησεν  kissed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: καταφιλέω  
Sense: to kiss much, kiss again and again, kiss tenderly.