Luke 15:31

31 `And he said to him, Child, thou art always with me, and all my things are thine;

Luke 15:31 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 15:31

And he said to him, son
For so he was, as before observed, by creation, national adoption, and profession:

thou art ever with me;
not in such a sense as Christ the Son of God was: nor can it design the gracious presence of God, or communion with him; for this man did not walk with God; and besides, this is more frequently expressed by God's being with his people, than by their being with him; nor are good men always with God, or God with them, in this sense; sometimes the phrase designs the saints being with God, or Christ, in heaven; but here it intends only attendance on public worship, in the place where the symbol of God's presence was, the temple; and the "ever" denotes the term of the legal dispensation, which in many branches of it, as circumcision, the passover, and other ordinances and statutes, is said to be for ever.

And all that I have is thine:
which must be understood with a limitation; for it cannot mean, that he had all the perfections of God, as Christ the Son of God has; nor all spiritual blessings, as the adopted sons of God have; nor indeed any of them, but all the outward ordinances of the legal dispensation, which belonged to the Jews; particularly those that are enumerated in ( Romans 9:4 Romans 9:5 ) as the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, the promises, their descent from the fathers, and the Messiah's descent from them; they had him in person among them, and his personal ministry, the word and ordinances of the Gospel; and had as much as they could have, or desire to have, in an external way.

Luke 15:31 In-Context

29 and he answering said to the father, Lo, so many years I do serve thee, and never thy command did I transgress, and to me thou didst never give a kid, that with my friends I might make merry;
30 but when thy son -- this one who did devour thy living with harlots -- came, thou didst kill to him the fatted calf.
31 `And he said to him, Child, thou art always with me, and all my things are thine;
32 but to be merry, and to be glad, it was needful, because this thy brother was dead, and did live again, he was lost, and was found.'
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.