Isaiah 53:11

53:11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work,

he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done.

“My servant will acquit many,

for he carried their sins.

Isaiah 62:4

62:4 You will no longer be called, “Abandoned,”

and your land will no longer be called “Desolate.”

Indeed, you will be called “My Delight is in Her,”

and your land “Married.”

For the Lord will take delight in you,

and your land will be married to him.

Jeremiah 32:41

32:41 I will take delight in doing good to them. I will faithfully and wholeheartedly plant them firmly in the land.’

Jeremiah 33:9

33:9 All the nations will hear about all the good things which I will do to them. This city will bring me fame, honor, and praise before them for the joy that I bring it. The nations will tremble in awe at all the peace and prosperity that I will provide for it.’ 10 

Zephaniah 3:17

3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst;

he is a warrior who can deliver.

He takes great delight in you; 11 

he renews you by his love; 12 

he shouts for joy over you.” 13 

Luke 15:5

15:5 Then 14  when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Luke 15:9

15:9 Then 15  when she has found it, she calls together her 16  friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice 17  with me, for I have found the coin 18  that I had lost.’

Luke 15:23

15:23 Bring 19  the fattened calf 20  and kill it! Let us eat 21  and celebrate,

Luke 15:32

15:32 It was appropriate 22  to celebrate and be glad, for your brother 23  was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’” 24 

Luke 15:1

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors 25  and sinners were coming 26  to hear him.

Luke 1:4

1:4 so that you may know for certain 27  the things you were taught. 28 


tn Heb “he will be satisfied by his knowledge,” i.e., “when he knows.” The preposition is understood as temporal and the suffix as a subjective genitive. Some take בְּדַעְתּוֹ (bÿdato, “by his knowledge”) with what follows and translate “by knowledge of him,” understanding the preposition as instrumental and the suffix as objective.

sn The song ends as it began (cf. 52:13-15), with the Lord announcing the servant’s vindication and exaltation.

tn Heb “he will acquit, a righteous one, my servant, many.” צַדִּיק (tsadiq) may refer to the servant, but more likely it is dittographic (note the preceding verb יַצְדִּיק, yatsdiq). The precise meaning of the verb (the Hiphil of צָדַק, tsadaq) is debated. Elsewhere the Hiphil is used at least six times in the sense of “make righteous” in a legal sense, i.e., “pronounce innocent, acquit” (see Exod 23:7; Deut 25:1; 1 Kgs 8:32 = 2 Chr 6:23; Prov 17:15; Isa 5:23). It can also mean “render justice” (as a royal function, see 2 Sam 15:4; Ps 82:3), “concede” (Job 27:5), “vindicate” (Isa 50:8), and “lead to righteousness” (by teaching and example, Dan 12:3). The preceding context and the next line suggest a legal sense here. Because of his willingness to carry the people’s sins, the servant is able to “acquit” them.

tn The circumstantial clause (note the vav [ו] + object + subject + verb pattern) is understood as causal here. The prefixed verb form is either a preterite or an imperfect used in a customary manner.

tn Or “for”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “but.”

tn Hebrew חֶפְצִי־בָהּ (kheftsi-vah), traditionally transliterated “Hephzibah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).

tn Hebrew בְּעוּלָה (bÿulah), traditionally transliterated “Beulah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).

tn That is, the land will be restored to the Lord’s favor and once again enjoy his blessing and protection. To indicate the land’s relationship to the Lord, the words “to him” have been supplied at the end of the clause.

tn Heb “will plant them in the land with faithfulness with all my heart and with all my soul.” The latter expressions are, of course, anthropomorphisms (see Deut 6:5).

10 tn Heb “And it [the city] will be to me for a name for joy and for praise and for honor before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good things which I will do for them and which will be in awe and tremble for all the good things and all the peace [or prosperity] which I will do for them.” The long complex Hebrew sentence has been broken down to better conform with contemporary English style.

11 tn Heb “he rejoices over you with joy.”

12 tc The MT reads, “he is silent in his love,” but this makes no sense in light of the immediately preceding and following lines. Some take the Hiphil verb form as causative (see Job 11:3) rather than intransitive and translate, “he causes [you] to be silent by his love,” that is, “he soothes [you] by his love.” The present translation follows the LXX and assumes an original reading יְחַדֵּשׁ (yÿkhaddesh, “he renews”) with ellipsis of the object (“you”).

13 tn Heb “he rejoices over you with a shout of joy.”

14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

16 tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

17 sn Rejoice. Besides the theme of pursuing the lost, the other theme of the parable is the joy of finding them.

18 tn Grk “drachma.”

19 tn Grk “And bring.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

20 tn Or “the prize calf” (L&N 65.8). See also L&N 44.2, “grain-fattened.” Such a calf was usually reserved for religious celebrations.

21 tn The participle φαγόντες (fagontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

22 tn Or “necessary.”

23 sn By referring to him as your brother, the father reminded the older brother that the younger brother was part of the family.

24 sn The theme he was lost and is found is repeated from v. 24. The conclusion is open-ended. The reader is left to ponder with the older son (who pictures the scribes and Pharisees) what the response will be. The parable does not reveal the ultimate response of the older brother. Jesus argued that sinners should be pursued and received back warmly when they returned.

25 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

26 tn Grk “were drawing near.”

27 tn Or “know the truth about”; or “know the certainty of.” The issue of the context is psychological confidence; Luke’s work is trying to encourage Theophilus. So in English this is better translated as “know for certain” than “know certainty” or “know the truth,” which sounds too cognitive. “Certain” assumes the truth of the report. On this term, see Acts 2:36; 21:34; 22:30; and 25:26. The meaning “have assurance concerning” is also possible here.

28 tn Or “you heard about.” This term can refer merely to a report of information (Acts 21:24) or to instruction (Acts 18:25). The scope of Luke’s Gospel as a whole, which calls for perseverance in the faith and which assumes much knowledge of the OT, suggests Theophilus had received some instruction and was probably a believer.