Luke 15:14
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
Original Language Analysis
δαπανήσαντος
had spent
G1159
δαπανήσαντος
had spent
Strong's:
G1159
Word #:
1 of 15
to expend, i.e., (in a good sense) to incur cost, or (in a bad one) to waste
αὐτὸς
when he
G846
αὐτὸς
when he
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
3 of 15
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
ἐγένετο
there arose
G1096
ἐγένετο
there arose
Strong's:
G1096
Word #:
5 of 15
to cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e., (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.)
κατὰ
in
G2596
κατὰ
in
Strong's:
G2596
Word #:
8 of 15
(prepositionally) down (in place or time), in varied relations (according to the case (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined)
τὴν
G3588
τὴν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
9 of 15
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
χώραν
land
G5561
χώραν
land
Strong's:
G5561
Word #:
10 of 15
room, i.e., a space of territory (more or less extensive; often including its inhabitants)
ἐκείνην
that
G1565
ἐκείνην
that
Strong's:
G1565
Word #:
11 of 15
that one (or (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed
καὶ
and
G2532
καὶ
and
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
12 of 15
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
Historical Context
Famines in the ancient Near East were catastrophic—crop failures meant starvation, death, and social collapse. Without family networks or covenant community, foreign Jewish exiles faced particular vulnerability during food shortages. Local populations prioritized their own, leaving outsiders to perish. The son's self-imposed exile from his father's house now meant exile from the safety net that sustained others. His rebellion's consequences became viscerally, desperately clear.
Questions for Reflection
- How does God sometimes use the natural consequences of sin—the 'famine' that follows squandering—to bring you to repentance?
- In what ways is spiritual poverty (being in want) sometimes God's severe mercy to awaken you to your need?
- What does the timing—famine after total loss—reveal about God's redemptive use of circumstances to drive rebels homeward?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land (δαπανήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πάντα ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἰσχυρὰ, dapanēsantos de autou panta egeneto limos ischyra)—The aorist participle dapanaō (δαπανάω, having spent/squandered) indicates complete depletion. Then external disaster compounds personal folly: a 'strong famine' (limos ischyra, λιμὸς ἰσχυρά) arises. God's common grace had preserved him while he rebelled, but now even natural provision fails.
And he began to be in want (καὶ αὐτὸς ἤρξατο ὑστερεῖσθαι, kai autos ērxato hystereisthai)—The verb hystereō (ὑστερέω, to lack, be in need) describes desperate poverty. The prodigal who sought abundance now experiences destitution. This is sin's trajectory: initial pleasure, progressive enslavement, ultimate poverty. Yet this want becomes the crisis that drives him home (v.17). God uses even famine redemptively.