These are wage laborers, employees rather than slaves or family members. In Jesus' parable, the prodigal son realizes even his father's 'hired workers' have food to spare (Luke 15:17), and he resolves to ask to become one (Luke 15:19, 21). The term marks a social status: not a son, not a slave, but a paid worker. This middle status becomes the prodigal's hoped-for re-entry point. Spanish 'jornaleros' (day laborers) and French 'mercenaire' (mercenary) capture the wage-for-work relationship.