So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's often missed here is that the prodigal son doesn't just get a job, he "clings" to this citizen. This powerful word choice shows his desperation – he's not just working for pay, he's clinging to any meager opportunity for survival, highlighting how far sin has reduced him.
So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Having squandered all his inheritance, the younger son finds himself destitute and starving in a foreign land during a severe famine. In utter desperation, he hires himself out to a local farmer, who assigns him the deeply degrading task of feeding pigs, an occupation particularly abhorrent to his Jewish identity. This marks the lowest point of his self-imposed exile, forcing him to confront the devastating consequences of his choices and the shame of his situation.
The younger son thought he wanted freedom, but he ended up in the most degrading form of servitude. What does true freedom really look like?
When the younger son demanded his inheritance early, he was essentially saying goodbye to his family and his responsibilities. He sought independence, but this led him not to freedom, but to a state of utter dependence and shame. He had to 'glue himself' to a citizen of that land, taking on the lowest possible job: feeding pigs.
This isn't just a sad story; it's a powerful picture of how sin works. We think we're breaking free when we chase after our own desires, but we're actually becoming slaves to those desires, and to the world that fuels them. The freedom we crave often turns into a crushing burden of servitude to sin and its consequences.
Why pigs? Why was this job so utterly humiliating, especially for a Jewish listener?
For anyone listening to Jesus, especially a Jewish audience, the job of feeding pigs was the absolute rock bottom. Pigs were considered unclean animals by Jewish law, forbidden for consumption and even to keep. To be a swineherd was to associate with the impure, to be ostracized, and to be seen as utterly degraded.
This wasn't just a job; it was a symbol of how far the son had fallen from his heritage, his community, and even from basic human dignity. He was reduced to caring for the very creatures his people despised, a stark visual of his own spiritual and moral corruption. It's the ultimate picture of how sin debases and isolates us.
Understand the original words
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choiros · Greek Noun
Unclean animals under the Mosaic Law, whose consumption or handling was forbidden for the people of Israel. Caring for them represents the ultimate social and ritual degradation for a Jewish person.
The extreme degradation of feeding pigs, an occupation deeply despised by Jews, underscores the profound depths of sin and the desperation of the prodigal's condition. This vivid imagery highlights the shocking contrast with the honor and restoration he eventually receives from his father, emphasizing the immeasurable grace of God.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus Teaches the Parable of the Prodigal Son
Jesus tells the parable in Luke 15 in response to the Pharisees and scribes grumbling about him welcoming sinners. The parable vividly illustrates God's joy over repentance.
c. 30-33 AD
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
During this period, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee and Judea, teaching, healing, and challenging religious and social norms. His parables often addressed themes of sin, repentance, and God's kingdom.
c. 33 AD
Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection
The pivotal events of Jesus' death and resurrection occur, forming the core of Christian theology and the basis for understanding God's immense grace and forgiveness.
c. 40-60 AD
Early Spread of Christianity
The Gospel begins to spread rapidly beyond its Jewish origins, carried by apostles and early believers. The teachings of Jesus, including his parables, are shared and preserved.
c. 60-65 AD
Writing of the Gospels
The Gospels, including Luke's account of Jesus' life and teachings, are written down. Luke's careful historical approach aims to provide an orderly account for his readers, preserving parables like the Prodigal Son.
This passage explicitly lists the pig as an unclean animal, highlighting the deep degradation for a Jewish person to be tasked with feeding them, underscoring the prodigal son's utter ruin.
Psalm 32:5This psalm speaks of confessing sin and receiving forgiveness from the Lord, paralleling the prodigal son's internal realization and his eventual confession to his father.
Isaiah 46:8This verse calls on transgressors to 'return to heart,' which resonates with the prodigal son 'coming to himself' and realizing the folly of his ways and the need to go back home.
Proverbs 28:13This verse states that 'whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy,' directly reflecting the prodigal's confession and the mercy he receives.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'works of the flesh' such as 'impurity, sensuality, enmity, jealousy, anger, selfishness,' which are the very things that led the prodigal son to his desperate state of squandering his inheritance.
calvinLuke 15:11-24: "And he said, A certain man had two sons:"
- And he said, [514] A certain man had two sons: 12. And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of property which falls to me. And he divided between them the property. 13. And not many days afterwards, [515] the younger son, having gathered all together, set out on a journey to a distant country, and there wasted his property by living extravagantly. 14. But when he had spent all, a sore famine arose in th…
jfbLuke 15:15: "And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine."
- joined himself, &c.—his pride not yet humbled, unable to brook the shame of a return.to feed swine—glad to keep life anyhow, behold the son sank into a swineherd—among the Jews, on account of the prohibition of swine's flesh, emphatically vile! "He who begins by using the world as a servant, to minister to his pleasure, ends by reversing the relationship" [Trench].
What's often missed here is that the prodigal son doesn't just get a job, he "clings" to this citizen. This powerful word choice shows his desperation – he's not just working for pay, he's clinging to any meager opportunity for survival, highlighting how far sin has reduced him.
Having squandered all his inheritance, the younger son finds himself destitute and starving in a foreign land during a severe famine. In utter desperation, he hires himself out to a local farmer, who assigns him the deeply degrading task of feeding pigs, an occupation particularly abhorrent to his Jewish identity. This marks the lowest point of his self-imposed exile, forcing him to confront the devastating consequences of his choices and the shame of his situation.
Having squandered all his inheritance, the younger son finds himself destitute and starving in a foreign land during a severe famine. In utter desperation, he hires himself out to a local farmer, who assigns him the deeply degrading task of feeding pigs, an occupation particularly abhorrent to his Jewish identity. This marks the lowest point of his self-imposed exile, forcing him to confront the devastating consequences of his choices and the shame of his situation.
"So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything." — What's often missed here is that the prodigal son doesn't just get a job, he "clings" to this citizen. This powerful word choice shows his desperation – he's not just working for pay, he's clinging…
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Last reviewed October 2026