Luke 15:24 (DBY)

Passage

for this my son was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found. And they began to make merry.

Nearby Context

Luke 15:22 But the father said to his bondmen, Bring out the best robe and clothe him in [it], and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet;

Luke 15:23 and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry:

Luke 15:24 for this my son was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found. And they began to make merry.

Luke 15:25 And his elder son was in the field; and as, coming [up], he drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.

Luke 15:26 And having called one of the servants, he inquired what these things might be.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "dead", "come", "life", "lost", "been", "found", "began", and "make". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "dead" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "and bring the fatted calf and kill..." into verse 25's "And his elder son was in the...", so "dead" and "come" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "dead" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.