Luke 15:31 (DRB)

Passage

But he said to him: Son, thou art always with me; and all I have is thine.

Nearby Context

Luke 15:29 And he answering, said to his father: Behold, for so many years do I serve thee and I have never transgressed thy commandment: and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends.

Luke 15:30 But as soon as this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

Luke 15:31 But he said to him: Son, thou art always with me; and all I have is thine.

Luke 15:32 But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead and is come to life again; he was lost, and is found.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "thou", "always", and "thine". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "But as soon as this thy son..." into verse 32's "But it was fit that we should...", so "said" and "thou" 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 "said" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.