Luke 15:4

15:4 “Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost until he finds it?

tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.

sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.

tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.

tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.

sn Until he finds it. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.