ατ---23. ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ
18. ἀναστὰς πορεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα µου, καὶ ἐρῶ αὐτῷ, Πάτερ, ἥμαρτον eis τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου: 19. καὶ ὃ οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος κληθῆναι vids σου: ποίησὀν µε ὡς ἕνα τῶν µισθίων σου.
(µου περισσεύουσιν 1 ἄρτων, ἐγὼ δὲ λυμῷ 2 ἀπόλλυμαι ; µ Pp Pp Y ο B
20. καὶ ἀναστὰς ἦλθε πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ. “Er. δὲ αὐτοῦ μακρὰν ἀπέχοντος, a με Εμ” S > aon Ms , λ ‘ 225%
εἶδεν αὐτὸν 6 πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐσπλαγχνίσθη, καὶ δραμὼν ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν. 21. εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ § 22. Εἶπε δὲ ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς
τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ, ᾿Εξενέγκατεῖ τὴν στολὴν τὴν πρώτην, καὶ
ς
ερ 4 A 3 4 > ai ‘ 2-528. 4 ὁ υἱός, Πάτερ, ἥμαρτον eis τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου, οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος κληθῆναι υἱός σου.5
ἐνδύσατε αὐτόν, καὶ δότε δακτύλιον εἰς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὑποδή-
581
1 So in NDL, etc. (Tisch.). 2 After λιµω NBL have «δε. 40 νιος before avrw in BL 1, 131 al.
5 S8BD add ποιησον µε ws ενα των µισθιων σου (W.H. brackets).
περισσενυονται in ABP 1, 94 (W.H.),
3 Omit και $ABDL and many others. 5 και omitted here also in SABDL, etc. Vide below.
7 NBL prefix the expressive ταχυ (D ταχεως) and omit +qv before στολην.
to week. Giving what? Not the pods, as many think, these he would take without leave, but anything better. His master gave him little—famine rations, and no other kind soul made up for the lack. Neither food nor love abounded in that country. So there was nothing for it but swine’s food or semi-starvation—or home !—Ver. 17. εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἐλθὼν = either, realising the situation; or, coming to his true self, his sane mind (for the use of this phrase vide Kypke, Observ.). Per- haps both ideas are intended. Heat last understood there was no hope for him there, and, reduced to despair, the human, the filial, the thought of home and father revived in the poor wretch.— περισσεύονται: passive, with gen. of the thing; here only in N.T.=are provided to excess, have more given them than they can use.—Ver. 18. ἀναστὰς: a bright hope gives energy to the starving man; home! Said, done, but the motive is not high. It is simply the last resource of a desperate man. He will go home and confess his fault, and so, he hopes, get at least a hireling’sfare. Wellto be brought out of that land, under home influences, by any motive. It is in the right direc- tion. Yet though bread is as yet the supreme consideration, foretokens of true ethical repentance appear in the premedi- tated speech :—MIdrep: some sense of the claims that long-disused word implies— ἤμαρτον, I erred; perception that the whole past has been a mistake and folly —eis τὸν οὐρανὸν, against heaven, God
---ἐγώπιόν gov, in tiy sight, in thy judg- ment (Hahn)—he knows quite well what his father must think of his con- duct; what a fool he must think him (Ps. Ixxiii, 22)—ovnére εἰμὶ, etc. (ver. το), fully conscious that he has forfeited all filial claims. The omission of καὶ suits the emotional mood.
Vv. 20-24. Return and reception.— ἦλθεν, etc., he came to his father; no details about the journey, the fact simply stated, the interest now centring in the action of the father, exemplifying the joy of a parent in finding a lost son, which is carefully and exquisitely described in four graphic touches—etéev: first recog- nition at a distance, implying, if not a habit of looking for the lost one (Gébel, Schanz, etc.), at least a vision sharpened by Ίονε-- ἐσπλαγχνίσθη: instant pity awakened by the woful plight of the returning one manifest in feeble step, ragged raiment possibly also visible— δραμὼν, running, in the excitement and impatience of love, regardless of Eastern dignity and the pace safe for advancing years—atepiknoev: kissing fervently and frequently the son folded in his arms (cf. Mt. xxvi. 49, Lk. vii. 38, 45). All signs these of a love ready to do anything to recover the lost, to search for him to the world’s end, if that had been fitting or likely to gain the end.—Ver. 21. The son repeats his premeditated speech, with or without the last clause; probably with it, as part of a well-conned lesson, re- peated half mechanically, yet not insin-