Luke 15:21
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
And the son said unto him, father,.... Or "my father", as the Syriac version reads; and the Persic version adds, "pardon me": sin lay heavy on him, and he wanted a view and application of pardoning grace, though he seems to be prevented making this request by the kiss he received from his father:
I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight; this is what he determined to say, and was allowed to say, having a deep sense of his sin and vileness, and which was increased by the love and kindness his father had shown him. The phrase is Jewish;
See Gill on "Luke 15:18" to which may be added, what is elsewhere said {c},
"what is the sense of that passage, Psalms 12:4 "who have said, with our tongues we will prevail?" &c. it designs all the transgressions a man sins against earth; and if
Mymvb Nyajwx, "they sin against heaven", and earth; what is the sense of that in Psalms 73:9?''
and am no more worthy to be called thy son: so much he was suffered to say, which fully expresses his sense of his vileness and unworthiness: but he was not allowed to say, "make me as one of thy hired servants"; because this could not be granted; for a son is always a son, and cannot become a servant; see Galatians 4:6.
{c} T. Hieros Peah, fol. 16. 1.