Luke 15:4
What does Luke 15:4 mean?
A plain-English look at Luke 15:4 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Luke 15:4 means
Jesus begins the first parable by asking a rhetorical question about a shepherd who loses one sheep out of a hundred. The implied answer is that any responsible shepherd would indeed leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness to search for the lost one. This highlights the shepherd's diligence and the immense value placed on a single lost sheep. It immediately challenges the unspoken assumption of the Pharisees that some individuals are not worth pursuing, implying God's relentless pursuit of even one stray soul.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
KJV
King James Version · 1611What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if one of them gets loose and goes away, will not let the ninety-nine be in the waste land by themselves, and go after the wandering one, till he sees where it is?
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862`What man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one out of them, doth not leave behind the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go on after the lost one, till he may find it?
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752What man of you that hath an hundred sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after that which was lost, until he find it?
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890What man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Context
This verse introduces the parable of the lost sheep, the first of three parables in this chapter. It immediately draws the listeners into a relatable scenario, appealing to their common understanding of responsibility and value. This parable will serve as the initial illustration of God's seeking love, contrasting sharply with the Pharisees' dismissive attitude towards sinners.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Psalms 119:176
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; For I do not forget thy commandments.
- Luke 19:10
For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.
- 1 Peter 2:25
For ye were going astray like sheep; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
- Matthew 12:11
And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
- Luke 13:15
But the Lord answered him, and said, Ye hypocrites, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
- Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
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