Bible Strands
Luke 15:14
After he had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in need.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus narrates the parable of the prodigal son to a crowd and His disciples, placing this moment immediately after the younger son departs for a distant country and exhausts his inheritance. The narrative shifts from the son's active squandering to the external crisis that follows.
The words — The text centers on ἐγένετο (egeneto), literally "there arose," and λιμὸς (limos), "a famine," describing the sudden environmental collapse. The participle δαπανήσαντος (dapanēsantos) translates as "having spent," marking the precise point where financial depletion triggers the external judgment.
The thread — This sequence of sudden deprivation following reckless independence runs through 2 Chronicles 33:11, where God brings captivity upon Manasseh, and Ezekiel 16:27, where God reduces Israel's portion to her enemies. Hosea 2:9 mirrors the pattern by detailing the withdrawal of agricultural provision as a direct consequence of covenant unfaithfulness.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition that self-directed resource depletion inevitably produces vulnerability. It requires the reader to accept that environmental crisis often follows the complete exhaustion of personal means, leaving no room for continued autonomy.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 33:11 So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
- Ezekiel 16:27 Therefore I stretched out My hand against you and reduced your portion. I gave you over to the desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd conduct.
- Hosea 2:9 Therefore I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool and linen, which were given to cover her nakedness.
- Amos 8:9 And in that day, declares the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the daytime.