What Does Luke 15:13 Mean in the King James?
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse turns on a reversal of motion: what the son gathers into one inheritance, he scatters across a distant life.
THE MEANING
You can gather everything into your hands and still spend it until nothing remains. The verse traces a movement from possession toward distance, as reckless living scatters what was gathered.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Gathering everything to myself guarantees that it will remain mine.
THE ROOT
διεσκόρπισεν
dieskorpisen
GROWS FROM
σκορπίζω (skorpizō), compounded with διά (dia)
To scatter or disperse; the compound intensifies the movement across or abroad.
The Greek verb pictures his substance being scattered, giving the loss a motion English’s “wasted” can leave hidden. What he gathers does not simply vanish; it is dispersed.
ALSO GROWS
skorpizō: Scatter or disperse.
σκορπίζω
This base verb makes scattering the direct counter-movement to gathering.
diaskorpisthēsontai: They will be scattered abroad.
διασκορπισθήσονται
This passive form shifts attention to those who end up dispersed, showing the result of the scattering.
συναγαγών
synagagōn
GROWS FROM
ἄγω (agō), in συνάγω (synagō)
To bring or lead; συνάγω means to bring together.
“gathered” in this verse is synagagōn. The son first brings everything together into his keeping, then the next verb reverses that movement and scatters it. The verse sets collection and dispersion side by side.
ALSO GROWS
synagō: Gather or bring together.
συνάγω
This is the verb family behind the son’s act of collecting what he has.
synagōgē: Gathering or assembly.
συναγωγή
The related noun names people brought together, sharpening the contrast with what the son later disperses.
οὐσία
ousia
GROWS FROM
εἰμί (eimi), “to be,” through οὖσα (ousa), “being”
To be or exist; οὐσία can mean being, substance, or property.
“substance” in this verse is ousia. Here οὐσία means the son’s property or estate, while its word family also carries the sense of being present. The loss is concrete: what he has in hand is scattered.
ALSO GROWS
parōn: Present; being here.
παρών
This related form of “being” brings the word family’s sense of presence into view beside the son’s distance.
periousia: Possession, property, or abundance.
περιουσία
This related noun makes the material sense of οὐσία clear: what is held as one’s own.
THE PATTERN
Gathering and scattering are opposing movements: what is held together can be dispersed.
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.THE THREAD
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.The Greek verb translated “scattereth abroad” shares the root of “wasted” here. Matthew sets it directly against gathering, revealing the same gathering-to-scattering movement that shapes the son’s story.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us