15:8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins 9 and loses 10 one of them, 11 does not light a lamp, sweep 12 the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it?
1 tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.
2 sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.
3 tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.
4 tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.
5 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.
6 tn Grk “And coming into his…” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
7 sn A touch of drama may be present, as the term calls together can mean a formal celebration (1 Kgs 1:9-10).
8 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.
9 sn This silver coin is a drachma, equal to a denarius, that is, a day’s pay for the average laborer.
10 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.
11 tn Grk “one coin.”
12 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.
13 sn This statement links the parable to the theme of 15:6, 9.
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the father’s remarks in the preceding verses.
15 tn Or “necessary.”
16 sn By referring to him as your brother, the father reminded the older brother that the younger brother was part of the family.
17 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.