4618. siteutos
Lexical Summary
siteutos: Fattened, fatted

Original Word: σιτευτός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: siteutos
Pronunciation: see-tyoo-TOS
Phonetic Spelling: (sit-yoo-ros')
KJV: fatted
Word Origin: [from a derivative of G4621 (σίτος - wheat)]

1. grain-fed, i.e. fattened

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fatted.

From a derivative of sitos; grain-fed, i.e. Fattened -- fatted.

see GREEK sitos

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4618: σιτευτός

σιτευτός, σιτευτη, σιτευτόν (σιτεύω, to feed with wheat, to fatten), fattened, fatted: Luke 15:23, 27, 30. (Jeremiah 26:21 (); 1 Kings 4:23 (etc.); Xenophon, Polybius, Athen., (others).)

STRONGS NT 4618a: σιτίονσιτίον, σιτιου, τό (diminutive of σῖτος);

1. corn, grain: Acts 7:12 L T Tr WH. In secular writings also,

2. food made from grain (Herodotus 2, 36).

3. eatables, victuals, provisions ((Herodotus), Aristophanes, Xenophon, Plato, Demosthenes, others).

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Background

Strong’s Greek 4618 (σιτευτός) denotes an animal specially nourished with grain for optimal quality—most often a calf—reserved for exceptional occasions of honor, covenant, or family celebration. Because such animals represented a considerable investment of time and resources, they became a cultural symbol for the apex of hospitality and joy.

Scriptural Occurrences

The term appears only in Luke 15:23, Luke 15:27, and Luke 15:30, all within the parable of the prodigal son. In each verse it is translated “fatted calf”, highlighting the father’s extravagant welcome of his once–lost son:
Luke 15:23: “Bring the fatted calf and kill it. Let us feast and celebrate.”

The repetition in verses 27 and 30 underscores how central the calf is to the storyline, marking both the father’s delight and the elder son’s complaint.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the Ancient Near East, livestock was normally pasture-fed. Grain-fed animals were luxury items, appearing in contexts of royal banquets or covenant ratification (cf. Genesis 18:7; 1 Samuel 28:24). Killing such an animal declared that nothing was being withheld from the guest of honor. Within Israel’s sacrificial system, the best of the herd was required for peace offerings (Leviticus 3:1), a practice that shaped Jewish consciousness concerning what it meant to celebrate reconciliation before God.

Theological Significance in Luke 15

1. Restoration over Retribution: The fatted calf manifests the father’s priority—celebrating repentance rather than rehearsing the son’s failures (Luke 15:21-24).
2. Joy in Heaven: Jesus frames the parable amid accounts of the lost sheep and lost coin (Luke 15:1-10), teaching that heaven’s joy over one sinner who repents far exceeds human calculations of merit.
3. Inclusion of the Unworthy: By sacrificing the costliest possession, the father models grace that absorbs expense for the sake of restored relationship, prefiguring the gospel itself.

Typological and Christological Implications

Many interpreters see the fatted calf foreshadowing the atoning death of Jesus Christ:
• Prepared beforehand: Just as the calf was set apart and fed in advance, Christ was “foreknown before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20).
• Slain for celebration: The calf’s death inaugurates joyous fellowship, mirroring how Christ’s sacrifice opens the banquet of salvation (Matthew 22:2-4; Revelation 19:9).
• Shared meal: The feast points to communion and the eschatological marriage supper of the Lamb, where restored sinners dine in the Father’s house forever.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Worship: Congregations are called to reflect the Father’s lavish joy when prodigals return, treating testimony services and baptisms not as formalities but as feasts of grace.
2. Discipleship: The elder brother’s resentment warns against begrudging God’s generosity. Ministry leaders must guard their hearts from self-righteous comparisons and model inclusive celebration.
3. Evangelism: The expense of the fatted calf motivates believers to invest resources—time, finances, emotional energy—in welcoming the repentant.

Related Biblical Themes

• Banquet imagery: Proverbs 9:1-6; Isaiah 25:6; Luke 14:15-24.
• Costly reconciliation: Genesis 45:9-11; 2 Samuel 9:1-13; Ephesians 2:13-19.
• Gracious fatherhood of God: Psalm 103:13; Hosea 11:1-4; Romans 8:15-17.

Contemporary Reflection

In a world often governed by transactional relationships, σιτευτός challenges the Church to embody the gospel’s economics of joy: sparing no expense—material, emotional, or reputational—to communicate the Father’s delight in bringing the lost home.

Forms and Transliterations
σιτευτοί σιτευτον σιτευτόν σιτευτὸν σιτευτός σιτίων σιτούνται siteuton siteutón siteutòn
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Englishman's Concordance
Luke 15:23 Adj-AMS
GRK: μόσχον τὸν σιτευτόν θύσατε καὶ
NAS: and bring the fattened calf, kill
KJV: bring hither the fatted calf,
INT: calf fattened kill [it] and

Luke 15:27 Adj-AMS
GRK: μόσχον τὸν σιτευτόν ὅτι ὑγιαίνοντα
NAS: has killed the fattened calf
KJV: hath killed the fatted calf,
INT: calf fattened because safe and well

Luke 15:30 Adj-AMS
GRK: αὐτῷ τὸν σιτευτὸν μόσχον
NAS: you killed the fattened calf
KJV: for him the fatted calf.
INT: for him the fattened calf

Strong's Greek 4618
3 Occurrences


σιτευτόν — 3 Occ.

4617b
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