Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible

And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

And he called to him one of the servants ... The elder son was closer to the servants than to his father; and although this is not an outright break with the father, it is a small incident that shows the broken fellowship. Through the passage of time, the elder son had not maintained communication with the father; and, in this, he became a type of the Christian who, while attending to all of the outward duties of faith, nevertheless drifts away from the love of it. The vital prayer line becomes neglected; the heart grows cold, indifferent, and proud; and, at last, such a Christian becomes as much estranged from the heavenly Father as was this elder son from his father in the parable.

Thy brother is come, ... etc. The servant, of course, anticipated that the older son would welcome the good news; but such was not the case. "The very kindness of the father to the returned prodigal was a wrong to HIM; for he was rightfully, so he thought, entitled to it all."[6]

ENDNOTE:

[6] J. S. Lamar, New Testament Commentary, Vol. II, Luke (Cincinnati, Ohio: Chase and Hall, 1877), p. 206.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And he called one of the servants,.... One of the ministers of the word, one of the disciples of Christ, as the Scribes and Pharisees sometimes did: choosing rather to speak to one of the disciples, than to Christ himself, when they were offended; see Mark 2:16

And asked what these things meant: for self-righteous persons, as these Scribes and Pharisees were, are ignorant of the truths of the Gospel; they do not understand them, nor conceive what is meant by them they cannot take in the doctrine of God's everlasting love, that it should be so early; be towards some, and not others; that it should be independent of men's works, both in the rise and continuance of it; that it should be exercised towards sinners, and yet be no licentious doctrine: and as much at a loss are they about the doctrine of election: as that it should be eternal, personal, discriminating, irrespective of works, and yet give no liberty to sin: they know nothing of the covenant of grace, nor have any other notion but of a covenant of works; and if of any other, yet a conditional one, made with them upon their conversion; or rather, one of their own making, and which depends on their good behaviour: they are ignorant of salvation by Christ; of justification by his righteousness; of peace and pardon by his blood; of the doctrine of regeneration, and of living by faith on Christ; and of eternal life as God's free gift; and so likewise of spiritual joy, and mirth: they are strangers to themselves, their lost state and condition, and a deliverance out of it; to the kingdom of God, or an internal work of grace, the fruits of which are peace and joy in the Holy Ghost; and to the person, offices, and grace of Christ; to justification and atonement by him; to the promises of the Gospel, and to that itself which is the joyful sound; all which produce spiritual joy, delight, and pleasure in sensible souls: the rejoicing of such persons is only in themselves, and in their own works and duties; but as for true solid spiritual joy, they intermeddle not with it, nor know they what it means.

Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament

Servants (παιδων — paidōn). Not δουλοι — douloi (bondslaves) as in Luke 15:22. The Greeks often used παις — pais for servant like the Latin puer. It could be either a hired servant (μιστιος — misthios Luke 15:17) or slave (δουλος — doulos).

He inquired (επυντανετο — epunthaneto). Imperfect middle, inquired repeatedly and eagerly.

What these things might be (τι αν ειη ταυτα — ti an eiē tauta). Not “poor” Greek as Easton holds, but simply the form of the direct question retained in the indirect. See the direct form as the apodosis of a condition of the fourth class in Acts 17:18. In Acts 10:17 we have the construction with αν ειη — an eiē of the direct retained in the indirect question. So also in Luke 1:62: See Robertson, Grammar, p. 1044.

Vincent's Word Studies

Inquired ( ἐπυνθάνετο )

Imperfect.: Began to inquire.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

Ver. 26. What these things meant] Hypocrites understand not the just man’s joys, nor the sweet intercourse that is between God and his people.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

See Poole on "Luke 15:25"

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

“And he called to him one of the servants, and enquired what these things might be.”

So he called to him one of the servants and asked what the reason was for all this music and dancing. It was a complete enigma.

Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Luke 15:26. One of the servants. Not the same word as in Luke 15:22; probably an inferior domestic in the permanent employ of the householder, but now standing without.

What these things might be. Offended that this should take place without his knowledge; jealous of the joy in which he would not share.

The Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 15:26_{. , not contemptuous, “what all this was about” (Farrar, C. G. T.), but with the puzzled air of a man in the dark and surprised = what does this mean?}

_ 

_ 

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

called = called to him.,

servants = young men. Greek. pais. See App-108. Not the same word as in verses: Luke 15:17, Luke 15:19, Luke 15:22.

asked = began to inquire. Imperf. tense.

meant = might be.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.

And he called one of the servants. [The Stephanic form of the received text has "his servants;" but our Version properly follows the Elzevir form, "the servants," which has decisive weight of external evidence, while the internal evidence is even more decisive.]

And asked what these things meant.