Luke 15:1-17

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors ¹  and sinners were coming ²  to hear him. 15:2 But ³  the Pharisees ⁴  and the experts in the law ⁵  were complaining, ⁶  “This man welcomes ⁷  sinners and eats with them.”

15:3 So ⁸  Jesus ⁹  told them ¹⁰  this parable: ¹¹  15:4 “Which one ¹²  of you, if he has a hundred ¹³  sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture ¹⁴  and go look for ¹⁵  the one that is lost until he finds it? ¹⁶  15:5 Then ¹⁷  when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 15:6 Returning ¹⁸  home, he calls together ¹⁹  his ²⁰  friends and neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 15:7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner ²¹  who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people ²²  who have no need to repent. ²³ 

15:8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins ²⁴  and loses ²⁵  one of them, ²⁶  does not light a lamp, sweep ²⁷  the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it? 15:9 Then ²⁸  when she has found it, she calls together her ²⁹  friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice ³⁰  with me, for I have found the coin ³¹  that I had lost.’ 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels ³²  over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Compassionate Father

15:11 Then ³³  Jesus ³⁴  said, “A man had two sons. 15:12 The ³⁵  younger of them said to his ³⁶  father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate ³⁷  that will belong ³⁸  to me.’ So ³⁹  he divided his ⁴⁰  assets between them. ⁴¹  15:13 After ⁴²  a few days, ⁴³  the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered ⁴⁴  his wealth ⁴⁵  with a wild lifestyle. 15:14 Then ⁴⁶  after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. 15:15 So he went and worked for ⁴⁷  one of the citizens of that country, who ⁴⁸  sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ⁴⁹  15:16 He ⁵⁰  was longing to eat ⁵¹  the carob pods ⁵²  the pigs were eating, but ⁵³  no one gave him anything. 15:17 But when he came to his senses ⁵⁴  he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food ⁵⁵  enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger!

[15:1]  ¹ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[15:1]  ² tn Grk “were drawing near.”

[15:2]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[15:2]  ⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[15:2]  ⁵ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[15:2]  ⁶ tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:2]  ⁷ tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.

[15:3]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ telling of the parable is in response to the complaints of the Pharisees and experts in the law.

[15:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:3]  ¹⁰ sn Them means at the minimum the parable is for the leadership, but probably also for those people Jesus accepted, but the leaders regarded as outcasts.

[15:3]  ¹¹ tn Grk “parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:4]  ¹² tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.

[15:4]  ¹³ sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.

[15:4]  ¹⁴ tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.

[15:4]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.

[15:4]  ¹⁶ 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.

[15:5]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:6]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And coming into his…” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:6]  ¹⁹ sn A touch of drama may be present, as the term calls together can mean a formal celebration (1 Kgs 1:9-10).

[15:6]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215). It occurs before “neighbors” as well (“his friends and his neighbors”) but has not been translated the second time because of English style.

[15:7]  ²¹ sn There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The pursuit of the sinner is a priority in spite of the presence of others who are doing well (see also Luke 5:32; 19:10). The theme of repentance, a major Lukan theme, is again emphasized.

[15:7]  ²² tn Here δικαίοις (dikaioi") is an adjective functioning substantivally and has been translated “righteous people.”

[15:7]  ²³ tn Or “who do not need to repent”; Grk “who do not have need of repentance.”

[15:8]  ²⁴ sn This silver coin is a drachma, equal to a denarius, that is, a day’s pay for the average laborer.

[15:8]  ²⁵ tn Grk “What woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses.” The initial participle ἔχουσα (ecousa) has been translated as a finite verb parallel to ἀπολέσῃ (apolesh) in the conditional clause to improve the English style.

[15:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “one coin.”

[15:8]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and sweep,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[15:9]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:9]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[15:9]  ³⁰ sn Rejoice. Besides the theme of pursuing the lost, the other theme of the parable is the joy of finding them.

[15:9]  ³¹ tn Grk “drachma.”

[15:10]  ³² sn The whole of heaven is said to rejoice. Joy in the presence of God’s angels is a way of referring to God’s joy as well without having to name him explicitly. Contemporary Judaism tended to refer to God indirectly where possible out of reverence or respect for the divine name.

[15:11]  ³³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:11]  ³⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:12]  ³⁵ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:12]  ³⁶ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[15:12]  ³⁷ tn L&N 57.19 notes that in nonbiblical contexts in which the word οὐσία (ousia) occurs, it refers to considerable possessions or wealth, thus “estate.”

[15:12]  ³⁸ tn L&N 57.3, “to belong to or come to belong to, with the possible implication of by right or by inheritance.”

[15:12]  ³⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the father’s response to the younger son’s request.

[15:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[15:12]  ⁴¹ sn He divided his assets between them. There was advice against doing this in the OT Apocrypha (Sir 33:20). The younger son would get half of what the older son received (Deut 21:17).

[15:13]  ⁴² tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:13]  ⁴³ tn Grk “after not many days.”

[15:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “wasted.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

[15:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “estate” (the same word has been translated “estate” in v. 12).

[15:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the sequence of events in the parable. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[15:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “joined himself to” (in this case an idiom for beginning to work for someone).

[15:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “and he.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) and the personal pronoun have been translated by a relative pronoun to improve the English style.

[15:15]  ⁴⁹ sn To a Jew, being sent to the field to feed pigs would be an insult, since pigs were considered unclean animals (Lev 11:7).

[15:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:16]  ⁵¹ tn Or “would gladly have eaten”; Grk “was longing to be filled with.”

[15:16]  ⁵² tn This term refers to the edible pods from a carob tree (BDAG 540 s.v. κεράτιον). They were bean-like in nature and were commonly used for fattening pigs, although they were also used for food by poor people (L&N 3.46).

[15:16]  ⁵³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[15:17]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “came to himself” (an idiom).

[15:17]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “bread,” but used figuratively for food of any kind (L&N 5.1).