Luke 15:3-5

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 15:3 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.
2. Luke 15:3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3. Luke 15:3 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.
4. Luke 15:3 tn Grk “parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
5. Luke 15:4 tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used here in a somewhat generic sense.
6. Luke 15:4 sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.
7. Luke 15:4 tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.
8. Luke 15:4 tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.
9. Luke 15:4 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.
10. Luke 15:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.