Suzanne made a lovely post a while back on diminutives in the Bible, as related to John 13:33 (REB):
“My children, I am to be with you for a little longer; then you will look for me, and, as I told the Jews, I tell you now: where I am going you cannot come.”
I came across another “diminutive” in the REB, this time in Luke 15:31, as part of the parable of the prodigal son:
“My boy,” said the father, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”
Perhaps more a term of familiarity than a diminutive, “My boy” struck me as a particularly endearing phrase. Of course now that I’ve read it a couple of times, I can’t get the voice of Foghorn Leghorn out of my head…
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Foghorn is still one of my favorites, despite these newer cartoons. Quite like Bible translations, for I still favor the NASB.
At Luke 15:31 the Greek is literally “teknon,” but I suppose its a term of endearment, given the context.
TNIV: “My Son”
NASB95: “Son”
NET: “Son”
Then we too should understand “teknon” as “Son” rather than “Child.”